Apple Opens 5,000-Item iCloud Shared Albums to Android and Windows in iOS 27

Q: Is Apple's new photo sharing 'upgrade' actually a hidden storage tax on its most loyal iPhone users?

Yes—but only for the iPhone, iPad, or Mac user who chooses to upgrade and host the album. The key change is that upgraded iCloud Shared Albums will now let Android and Windows users upload full-resolution, uncompressed photos and videos. That is a real improvement for mixed-device families and groups. But Apple is also ending a long-standing perk: shared album content that previously did not count against iCloud storage will now count against the storage of the Apple user who initiates the upgrade. That makes the “hidden storage tax” label partly fair. It is not a blanket charge on all loyal iPhone users, and it is not literally hidden if Apple discloses it. But in practice, it shifts the storage burden onto the Apple customer most likely to organize family or group sharing, while non-Apple contributors can add media without paying Apple directly. Given Apple still offers only 5GB free and iCloud+ starts at $0.99 a month for 50GB, some hosts will likely hit storage limits faster and feel pushed into a paid plan. Apple’s rationale is also clear. Full-resolution cross-platform sharing is more expensive to store than the old compressed shared albums, and Apple has been steadily turning services into a higher-margin growth engine. This policy prevents upgraded albums from becoming a free cloud locker for non-Apple users. So the change is best seen as a tradeoff: better cross-platform sharing, but with a new cost concentrated on the Apple user who owns the album.

3 articles · Updated · Tom's Guide · Jul 3

iOS 27 and macOS 27 will let Android and Windows users fully participate in upgraded iCloud Shared Albums, including adding photos and videos instead of only viewing them.
The upgraded albums also support full-resolution, uncompressed file sharing, extending a feature that had largely required an iPhone, iPad or Mac for the full experience.
Each Shared Album can hold up to 5,000 photos and videos, but the new version will no longer be exempt from iCloud storage limits; the person who upgrades the album appears to bear the storage cost.
Apple is positioning the change as a broader cross-platform opening, following moves such as RCS support and closer file-sharing interoperability with Android.