When you share images, don't lose photo quality

iOS 27 finally lets iPhone shared albums store photos and videos in full resolution on iCloud, but new items count against the owner's storage.

Apple unveiled the foldable iPhone Duo with a base price of $1,999

The recently unveiled foldable iPhone Duo has been a hit with customers despite its hefty price tag of $1,999. In Varney & Co., Taylor Riggs explains the premium device's unique dual-screen capability and ultra-thin design. Host Stuart Varney admits he's planning to buy the high-end smartphone, which can cost up to $3,000 for the 2TB storage model.

You take a great photo, send it to someone, and then hear the question no one wants to hear: "Why does it look blurry?" This can happen because some sharing methods resize or compress photos before they reach the other person. The image may still look good on the phone screen, but zoom in or try to print it out and the missing details will be easier to spot.

With iOS 27, Apple fixes one of the older versions of this problem. Shared albums can now save newly added photos and videos in their original formats at full resolution. Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones also have built-in ways to send photo files without relying on a messaging app that might shrink them along the way.

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson shares practical ways to stay safer, smarter, and more confident in technology. Explore classes on stopping spam, phone security, financial protection, and using artificial intelligence to get better healthcare. Each class is free, easy to follow, and includes a free printable checklist.

View classes and register

HOW TO SEARCH ANYTHING IN IPHONE, GALAXY AND PIXEL

Existing shared albums can be upgraded to include future photos and videos using Apple's new full-resolution sharing experience. (iStock)

What changed with shared albums in iOS 27

Prior to iOS 27, Apple's shared albums reduced photo resolution. Photos were typically limited to 2048 pixels on the long edges, while videos could be delivered at resolutions up to 720p. Starting with iOS 27, new photos and videos shared in the enhanced iCloud Shared Albums experience will be saved in native formats and in full resolution. This means that newly shared photos can remain in their original resolution, rather than being reduced to the limits used by older shared albums.

There is a deal. New items added to an upgraded shared album count against the album owner's available iCloud storage, including items added by other participants. Items that were already in the album before the upgrade don't count toward that storage, and neither do temporary shared albums.

First, make sure Shared Albums is enabled on your iPhone.

Apple requires iCloud Photos for the new Shared Albums experience in iOS 27.

How to create a shared album in full resolution on iPhone

Any new shared albums you create in iOS 27 will automatically take advantage of Apple's improved Shared Albums experience.

Select the photos or videos you want to add

Tap Sharing Options to choose how people can join

Your phone can fix badly framed photos after you take them

When you create a new Shared album in iOS 27, the photos and videos added to it can be saved in full resolution in their original formats. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

What if you already have an old collaborative album?

Albums created before iOS 27 will remain in the older format until you upgrade them. Apple allows the owner to upgrade the existing shared album to the new experience. After upgrading, newly added photos and videos can be saved in full resolution. That word "fresh" is important. Upgrading an album does not restore the original resolution of photos or videos previously uploaded to the older system. So, if you have an old family album or vacation album and want the later additions to be preserved in full quality, it makes sense to upgrade.

How to save a full resolution photo from a shared album

If someone shares a photo through an upgraded shared album, you can save it to your library.

Apple says photos and videos in the new Shared Albums experience can be saved in their original formats at full resolution. However, content saved from a shared album may not contain all the information contained in the original file. This means that shared albums are much better at preserving image quality in iOS 27, but if you want the most complete version of the archive, I'd still keep the original file.

Why texting photos can still degrade quality

Shared albums solve one particular problem, but they don't guarantee that every photo you send from your iPhone will remain intact. The method you choose still affects what the recipient receives. Messaging services may resize or re-compress images depending on the service, connection and receiving device. We've already covered how to send high-quality photos from iPhone, including ways to get better results when sharing between iPhone and Android. If image quality is important, sending the actual file via a file-sharing tool is usually a safer choice than assuming that a messaging app preserves every pixel.

How to send full quality photos from Samsung Galaxy

Samsung Galaxy phones include Quick Share, which sends photos, videos, and other files directly to nearby devices. Quick Share can send the original file without putting it through the image compression you might encounter in some messaging apps. This makes it a good option when you want to maintain image quality.

Select the photo or video you want to send

Depending on the receiving device, Galaxy users can also generate a QR code via Quick Share so someone else can attach and receive the file.

The 12 biggest Apple WWDC 2026 products you need to know

How to send full quality photos from Google Pixel

Pixel phones also use Quick Share to transfer files around.

Select the photo or video you want to share

Wait for the recipient to accept the transfer

Android can now share with some Apple devices too

If your family mixes Android and Apple devices, Quick Sharing just got more useful. Google says the Pixel 8a and later and some supported Android phones can use Quick Share with compatible Apple devices via AirDrop. The iPhone, iPad, or Mac user must set AirDrop to Everyone for 10 minutes before the Android user sends the file.

Devices that do not support direct connection can still use Quick Share's QR-code option. Google says these files are encrypted and available for download for 24 hours. This can save you from having to send photos to yourself or upload them through a social app when you want to transfer the original file between platforms.