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How guests upload photos to an InviteBird event album

Guests can scan a QR code or open an InviteBird upload link, choose up to 30 photos, and send them for host approval. Learn formats, limits and sign-in settings.

Last reviewed 4 min read

On this page7 sections
  1. How guests add photos
  2. What can be uploaded
  3. Approval keeps you in control
  4. Who can upload
  5. Timing and limits
  6. Common questions
  7. Related articles

Guests upload photos to an InviteBird event album by scanning the photo QR sign or opening the upload link, choosing up to 30 photos, adding their name, and tapping Send. No app is needed. With the default settings, no account is required; Invited guests only asks guests to sign in. Every photo waits for host approval before it appears in the album.

Hosts can turn uploads on during album setup or under Album settings → Let guests add photos, then download the photo upload QR sign to share the upload page.

How guests add photos

Guests reach the upload page by scanning your QR sign, tapping the photos panel on your event page, or following the link from the album itself. The page greets them with "Add your photos from [your event]" and one big button:

  1. Choose your photos opens their phone's photo picker or camera — they can pick up to 30 photos at a time.
  2. They add their name (so you know who shared them — it's remembered on their device for next time) and an optional note about the photos.
  3. Send — and they see a warm confirmation that the photos are on the way to the album, with an Add more photos button to keep going.

While it sends, each photo's thumbnail shows where it is: waiting, sending, sent, or failed. Phones shrink big photos automatically before sending, so a full camera roll goes through faster on mobile data. If one photo can't be sent, the rest still go through; the page lists the ones that didn't, with a plain reason for each, and the button turns into Retry so the guest can try just those again.

A short notice on the page reminds guests to only upload photos they took or have permission to share.

What can be uploaded

  • Formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP, and HEIC (what iPhones shoot natively).
  • Size: up to 20 MB per photo.
  • Batch size: up to 30 photos at a time — guests can send several batches. Extra photos picked beyond 30 are listed as skipped, so nothing is lost silently.
  • One name and one note apply per batch; the note becomes the caption on those photos.

Approval keeps you in control

Every guest photo arrives as waiting for review — nothing a guest sends is visible to anyone until you (or a co-host) approve it. You'll get a notification when new photos come in, and the Guest uploads to review step in your Photos section shows the queue with one-tap or bulk approve and reject. Heads up: Reject removes a photo for good, so you're asked to confirm first. See Managing and downloading photos.

An automated safety check also screens uploads behind the scenes and holds anything questionable for your review, so the album stays celebration-ready even before you look.

Who can upload

By default, any guest with the link can add photos — that's what makes the QR sign work for every cousin and coworker without setup. You choose this in step 2 of album setup and can change it any time in Album settings (Which guests can add photos). If you'd rather tighten it, pick Invited guests only: then uploading requires signing in with an email that's on your guest list. Viewing the album is controlled separately — see Photo privacy.

Timing and limits

  • Guest uploads open once your invitations are sent — a draft event's album doesn't accept guest photos yet, and the upload page says so (Not open yet) instead of showing a form that would fail.
  • Uploads keep working after the event, so latecomer photos from the weekend still make it in.
  • If a canceled event is involved, its album becomes read-only for guests.
  • If the album is offline (its hosting year and grace period ended, see Album hosting and renewal), the upload page says This album is offline and won't take new photos. The same goes if the guest-upload setting is off.
  • A very busy album pauses new submissions when around 500 photos are waiting for review — approving or rejecting the queue reopens it.
  • Approved photos count toward your album's room (100 included, 500 with the photo pack); waiting photos don't count until you approve them.

Common questions

Do guests need an account? No — with the default settings they just scan, pick photos, type a name, and send. Only the Invited guests only upload setting requires a sign-in.

A guest says their photos aren't showing — why? They're almost certainly waiting for review. Open Guest uploads to review and approve them; they appear in the album instantly. Photos you reject are removed for good.

Can guests upload videos? No — the album takes photos only (JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIC).

A guest's upload failed — what should they check? The page marks the photos that failed and says why, and Retry sends just those. The usual causes are a file over 20 MB or a file that isn't a photo. Photos beyond 30 in one go are listed as skipped, so send them in a second round.

Can guests delete a photo they uploaded? Not themselves — ask the host. As the host you can remove any photo from the album at any time.

Will I know when photos arrive? Yes — you get a notification naming the guest and how many photos they added, linking straight to the review queue.

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