---
title: "Do iPhone shared albums use iCloud storage in iOS 27?"
description: "Shared albums created in iOS 27 count toward the owner’s iCloud storage; older ones and temporary albums don’t. See the rules, the upgrade catch, and who pays."
url: "https://picway.app/guides/shared-albums-icloud-storage/"
lang: "en"
type: "guides"
updated: "2026-11-01"
published: "2026-11-01"
keywords: "shared albums iCloud storage"
---

# Do iPhone shared albums use iCloud storage in iOS 27?

URL: https://picway.app/guides/shared-albums-icloud-storage/
Markdown: https://picway.app/guides/shared-albums-icloud-storage/index.md
Last updated: 2026-11-01

It depends on when the album was created. Shared albums made in iOS 27 or later store full-resolution originals and count toward the owner’s iCloud storage, including what others add. Albums made in iOS 26 or earlier, and temporary albums, don’t count. Upgrading an old album keeps its existing items uncounted.

## How to do it {#steps}

1. **Check how much iCloud space you have**: Open Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud. You can see how much space is left, and tap Storage to see what uses it.
2. **Find the album and its version**: Open the Photos app, tap Collections, scroll down to Shared Albums, and tap Shared Albums. Albums you created in earlier software stay the same until you upgrade them.
3. **Upgrade or make it temporary**: To upgrade, open the album, tap the More button, then tap Upgrade Shared Album. When you create a new album, Make Album Temporary sets it to expire after 30 days.

## What are the rules? {#rules}

| Album | Counts toward iCloud storage? |
| --- | --- |
| Created in iOS 27 or later, you own it | Yes. Originals at full resolution, and what participants add counts too |
| Temporary shared album | No |
| Created in iOS 26 or earlier | No, but photos are reduced to 2048 pixels on the long edge |
| Upgraded old album | Existing items don’t count; new items count toward the owner |

All rows are from Apple’s pages on [shared album limits](https://support.apple.com/en-us/148868) and [upgrading shared albums](https://support.apple.com/en-us/108916).

## Who pays for the storage? {#who-pays}

The organizer. Apple says the organizer of a shared album provides the iCloud storage space for its content, and albums set to expire don’t use any iCloud storage ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/create-shared-albums-iph3d2676c9/ios)).

## What happens when I upgrade? {#upgrade}

Upgrading is optional. After an upgrade, newly shared photos and videos are in their original resolution. A copy of each old album stays in Shared Albums settings for six months, then it’s permanently deleted ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/en-us/108916)).

## How do I recover the old version? {#recover-old}

Go to Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, tap Photos, and under Sharing tap Shared Albums. Tap Archived Shared Albums, then Recover ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/en-us/108916)).

## What if my iCloud storage fills up? {#icloud-full}

With the new rules, there’s no album-size limit beyond the owner’s available iCloud storage ([Apple](https://support.apple.com/en-us/148868)). Free up room first: see [free up iPhone storage from photos and videos](https://picway.app/guides/free-up-iphone-storage/).