Feature
Can a secret photo album be shared with someone you trust?
Yes. In York Vault, a shared album is one album that you share with people you pick, on iPhone or Android. It is end-to-end encrypted with a group key, so we cannot open it. You decide if members can add items. Only the person who creates the album needs Pro. The people you invite join on any plan, Free included.
Why share an album, not single photos
Some photos belong to 2 people, or to a small group. A couple keeps one album of their own. A family keeps scans of passports and birth certificates in one place. Sending each photo as a message leaves copies in every chat and every photo library.
A shared album keeps one set of items, encrypted, inside York Vault. Each member opens it in their own York Vault, behind their own code. Shared albums are in Pro, but only the person who creates the album needs Pro. See pricing for what each plan includes.
How a shared album works
- Pick an album in your library.
- Invite the people who can see it, with a one-time invite link or QR code. Each person must use York Vault, on iPhone or Android, on any plan.
- Choose if members can add items, or only see them.
- York Vault encrypts the album with a group key and gives that key to each member.
- Each member sees the album in their own library.
The group key is the important part. York Vault encrypts every item in the album with it, on the phone that adds the item. Only the members hold the key. We store encrypted data and cannot open it. See what we can and cannot see.
Where a shared album lives
A shared album lives in York Cloud, so it works between iPhone and Android. Its items count against the York Cloud space of the person who created it. Members on Free add items without a plan of their own.
If Pro ends for the creator, the album turns read-only for everyone. York Vault deletes nothing. Each member can still view the items.
What members can see
Members see the shared album and nothing else. They do not see your other albums, your other libraries or your cover library.
If one album needs a second lock on your own phone, add an album code.
Leave a shared album
When you leave, you keep the items you added, in your own library. You do not lose your own photos because a group ends.
Shared album or private link
| Shared album | Private link | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | Pro for the creator, any plan for members | Free, with more controls in Plus and Pro |
| Who opens it | People who use York Vault | Anyone with the link |
| How long it lasts | Until you stop sharing or leave | Until it expires or runs out of opens |
| Members add items | If you allow it | No |
| Encryption | End-to-end, group key | End-to-end, a new key for each link |
For a one-time send to someone without the app, use a private share link.
When to use something else
- To send photos once. Use a private link. It expires, and the other person does not need the app.
- To give someone a full copy. Use the share sheet. York Vault removes location and camera details first. See share files safely.
- To keep an album for yourself only. Do not share it. Add an album code, and keep it in your own library.
- To use your own library on a second device. Use sync, not a shared album. Sync is for one person with more than one device.
How Apple’s Shared Albums compare
Apple’s Shared Albums in Photos let you “share photos and videos with the people you choose”, and those people “can add their own photos, videos, and comments.” Apple also offers a public website option for a shared album.
Apple’s iCloud security page is open about the trade-off: “iWork collaboration, the Shared Albums feature in Photos, and sharing content with ‘anyone with the link,’ do not support Advanced Data Protection.” So Apple’s Shared Albums are not end-to-end encrypted, even when you turn on Apple’s strongest iCloud setting. See what the Hidden album does for how Photos protects private items on iPhone.
How other vault apps share albums
| App | Shared albums | Where we read it |
|---|---|---|
| Keepsafe | Shared albums with a one-time invite link, a QR invite or an invite code. Members can add files and comments. The app text says “Backup & Sync must be enabled to share”. | App package |
| Vaultaire | A separate shared vault. “The recipient needs Vaultaire, an iCloud sign-in, and the unused sharing phrase.” The person who gets it has a copy. Only the owner updates it. | Vaultaire site and app package |
We read each app package in September 2026 and checked the Vaultaire site on 2026-10-03. For a full comparison of these apps, read our Keepsafe alternative page.
Questions people ask
Can secret photo album be shared?
In York Vault, yes. Pick one album and the people who can see it. They must use York Vault. Every item in the album stays encrypted with a key that only the members hold. The rest of your library stays private, and members see nothing outside that album.
Is a shared photo album end-to-end encrypted?
It depends on the app. Apple says the Shared Albums feature in Photos does not support Advanced Data Protection. York Vault encrypts each shared album end-to-end with a group key. Only the members can open the items, and we cannot.
What happens to my photos if I leave a shared album?
You keep the items that you added. They stay in your own library when you leave. A group that ends does not take your photos with it.
Can other people add photos to my shared album?
Only if you allow it. When you share an album, you choose if members can add items or only see them. Items that members add are encrypted with the same group key as the rest of the album.
Do the people I invite need Pro?
No. Only the person who creates the album needs Pro. The people you invite join on any plan, Free included, on iPhone or Android. Items in the album count against the York Cloud space of the creator. If Pro ends for the creator, the album turns read-only for everyone, and York Vault deletes nothing.
Does the other person need York Vault?
Yes. Shared albums work between people who use York Vault. To send photos to someone without the app, use a private link. It opens in the App Clip on iPhone, or in a web page on other devices, and it expires.
Sources
- iCloud data security overview (Apple Support) · checked Oct 3, 2026
- How to use Shared Albums in Photos on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro (Apple Support) · checked Oct 3, 2026
- Secure sharing (Vaultaire) · checked Oct 3, 2026
