Photo quality
Why do photos look blurry in a shared album?
The photo looks sharp on your phone and soft in the family album. That isn’t your camera: most shared albums make photos smaller. Here is where the quality goes and how to keep it.
Free on iPhone, iPad and Android. Private to your family.
No app? Open your album in any web browser: app.lumomagic.com
iCloud shared albums
Shared albums made on iOS 26 or earlier reduce photos to 2048 pixels on the long side, and deliver videos at up to 720p, 15 minutes long. Fine on a phone, soft on a TV or in a print.
Albums made on iOS 27 or later keep full resolution, but everything in them counts toward the owner’s iCloud storage. Existing albums keep the old rules.
What changed in iOS 27 shared albumsGoogle Photos
Google Photos shares photos at the quality they were backed up in. If the person who added them backs up in Storage saver, photos and videos are compressed. Backing up in Original quality keeps them as taken, and uses more of their Google storage.
Chat apps
Photos sent in chats are usually compressed unless you choose HD or send them as files, and videos are often cut short.
Blurry WhatsApp photosFull quality, without the storage bill
Lumo keeps photos as they were taken and videos whole, up to 3 GB each, and nothing counts toward anyone’s iCloud or Google storage. The family album is free and unlimited for everyday family use, under fair use.
How to share photos in full quality
- Start a family albumFree, on iPhone, iPad or Android.
- Add the originalsFrom your phone, not from a chat.
- Invite the familyThey see the photos as you took them.
Questions
Why are my iCloud shared album photos low resolution?
Shared albums made on iOS 26 or earlier reduce photos to 2048 pixels on the long side. Albums made on iOS 27 or later keep full resolution.
Can I make an old shared album full quality?
Not the photos already in it. Make a new album on iOS 27 or later and add the originals again, or use an album that keeps originals.
Does Lumo compress photos?
No. Photos are kept in full quality, and videos are kept whole, up to 3 GB each.
Is Lumo really free?
Yes. The album, unlimited photos and videos, inviting family, hearts and comments are all free. Lumo Pass is optional, for unlimited magic, full-length videos and saving originals. Unlimited means unlimited for everyday family use, under fair use.
Where do these steps come from?
From Apple’s and Google’s own help pages, checked in November 2026. Menus can move a little between app versions.
Start your family album.
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