Photo sharing
Can you send a whole photo album to someone?
Yes. The cleanest way is to share the album itself rather than its contents: in Google Photos open the album, tap Share, and send the link; on iPhone, share the album from the Albums tab or select the photos and choose Copy iCloud Link. The other person opens it in a browser at full quality and can download everything from there. If they need the files rather than a view — for printing, editing, or their own library — send a ZIP: Google Photos downloads an album as one ZIP, and a Gathmo album on any paid plan exports its originals the same way. What does not work is a messenger: WhatsApp and iMessage send photos one by one, compress them, and have no notion of an album at all.
Sending a view of the album
A shared link is the right tool when the other person wants to look, and maybe pick a few. Google Photos and iCloud both produce one from the album’s Share menu; the link opens without an account and shows full-resolution originals. It costs nothing and does not duplicate the photos.
The link is only as durable as the album behind it. Delete the album or run out of quota and the link dies. For a keepsake, the files are safer.
Google Photos album links also allow the recipient to add photos if you switch that on, which quietly turns a hand-over into a shared album — useful for family, less so for a client.
Sending the files
Google Photos downloads an album as a ZIP from the album’s menu on the web. Apple Photos on a Mac exports originals to a folder. Both give the recipient the actual files, at the cost of a large download — 200 phone photos are around 1 GB.
For a large ZIP the transfer services exist: WeTransfer and similar send a few gigabytes free with a link that expires after some days. That is a courier, not an album.
A Gathmo album collects photos from a group first and hands them over second: on the paid plans the host downloads every original as one ZIP and can send that on. The free plan allows single downloads, keeps the album 30 days, and holds 60 items.
Common follow-ups
Can I send an album from iPhone to Android?
Yes, as an iCloud link. The Android user opens it in the browser and can download the originals. iCloud Shared Albums, by contrast, cannot be joined from Android.
Does a shared album link keep the original quality?
Google Photos and iCloud links do. iCloud Shared Albums downscale to 2048 pixels on the long edge; a link to a plain album does not.
Can I send a Gathmo album to the guests afterwards?
Yes. The album link works for everyone you give it to during the retention window, and paid plans add the ZIP of originals.
Where to go next
- How to make a shared Google Photos album
- Gathmo compared with iCloud and AirDropShared Albums and AirDrop are free and built in — for iPhones. What happens to the Android guests, and to resolution.
- Group photo sharingThe same album for any group rather than a wedding — one link, no app, no device ecosystem to agree on first.
Related questions
- What is the easiest photo sharing site?Easiest depends on who has to act: Google Photos for you, a QR album for everyone else. The one that asks nothing of the other person wins.
- What is the best way to share a bunch of photos with someone?
- How do I send a bunch of pics at once?Select them all, tap Share, send a link. Step by step on iPhone and Android, why a link beats attachments, and what to do when the pics are on 20 phones.