Family photo sharing without social media

More and more parents are choosing not to post their children's photos publicly. Others just want the family to see the photos without them landing in a feed alongside adverts. Either way, the question is the same: how do you share family photos privately, with the people who'd love them, and nobody else? This article compares the main options.

Why people are moving away from posting

Every family has its own reasons, but we hear the same ones:

• Children can't consent. Photos posted today will still be around when they're teenagers.
• Audiences grow. A post meant for family reaches friends of friends.
• Feeds aren't albums. Photos scroll away and are hard to find again.
• Grandparents aren't always on social media, or not on the same one.

Option 1: a family group chat

The default for most families. Everyone's already there, and it works on any phone.

Good: familiar, instant, private to the group.
Less good: photos are often compressed and get buried in conversation. Anyone in the group can forward them. On iPhone they don't reach your photo library unless you turn on Save to Photos (see saving WhatsApp photos to your camera roll).

Option 2: shared albums

Most photo apps let you create an album and invite people to it.

Good: photos in one place, in good quality, easy to browse.
Less good: someone has to keep adding photos, and it's easy to forget.

Option 3: a shared photo library

iCloud Shared Photo Library lets up to six people pool their photos into one library.

Good: automatic, and everyone contributes.
Less good: everyone needs Apple devices, and it shares more than most relatives want to see.

Option 4: send people the photos they're in

A newer approach: an app recognises who is in each photo and sends it to them. That's how Photohawk Family works. It's our app for your family's photos, coming soon to iPhone:

• Share one time: a whole day of photos, or the ones you pick.
• Share automatically: new photos of Maya go to Maya's grandparents from now on.
• Share with a group, such as everyone on a holiday. In trip mode, every photo you take goes to the group until the trip ends.
• Only the best: of similar shots, only the best is sent.
• Check first: you can ask to check new photos for an hour before they're sent.

People you share with get an invite on iPhone or Android and tap Accept. Receiving is always free, and they can stop at any time. You stay in control too: stop sharing with anyone whenever you like.

How private is private?

When comparing options, look past the word "private" and ask:

• Who can see the photos? Only the people you chose, or anyone with the link?
• Can the service see them? End-to-end encryption means the service in the middle can't.
• Are there ads? If a service is paid for by advertising, your photos and activity are part of the deal.
• What happens when you stop? Can you remove someone, and does that stop new photos reaching them?

With the Photohawk app, photos leave your phone only when you share them, sharing is end-to-end encrypted, only the people you share with can see the photos, and there are no ads. More in keeping family photos private.

Children and sharing

Photos of children are where privacy matters most. Whatever you use:

• Share with named adults, not open links.
• Agree a family rule about re-posting: photos shared privately stay private.
• Think about the future child. Would they be happy with this photo existing in ten years?

In the Photohawk app, children are never share recipients. Photos of them can go to the adults you choose, but a child can't be invited or sent photos.

Which should you use?

Most families use more than one. A group chat for the moment, and something calmer for keeping and sending the photos that matter. If what you want is for each relative to get the photos they're in, without anyone remembering to send them, sharing by face is the closest thing to it. Our article on sharing photos with grandparents automatically walks through setting it up with less tech-minded relatives.

Photohawk Family is coming soon to iPhone, with Android to follow. Keep an eye on photohawk.com for the launch.