At WWDC 2022, Apple's Craig Federighi introduced new updates to the Photos app that includes a better way to share photos automatically. The problem with family photos is that no one has all the photos. "Not anymore," says Apple with new controls to automatically share photos into a shared library.

This shared photo library is completely separate from your main photo library. Changes made to one won't affect the other. Also, anyone in the shared group can add photos to the shared photo library automatically. One example Federighi noted was automatically sharing photos where you are your partner are both in the photo.

The new controls will allow a user to add photos to the library automatically. Criteria can be based on a date range or who is in the image. You can also move photos into the shared folder manually and even use a toggle in the Camera app to exclude photos. That way, if you're taking a picture of a new puppy for the family, the kids won't see it until you allow the photo. You can also tell your iPhone to turn on the sharing switch when you take a photo with a family member nearby.

Everyone is equal

All members of the shared photo library have equal permissions to add, remove, or edit photos in the shared library. If one person makes an edit, everyone sees it. Sharing is limited to a user's Family Sharing group, which is an important limitation. You won't be able to get a group of friends together for an automatically shared folder. Of course, you'll still be able to share photos through normal channels.

Overall, this is a great addition to the Photos app, but recent lawsuits against Facebook and Google for using biometrics for photos make us a little nervous about it.