Viallo Is Now on iPhone
Quick take: Viallo is now on iPhone. The new app lets you capture and upload photos straight from your camera, browse your albums on the go, and share a trip in a couple of taps. Everything that makes Viallo different is still here: albums are private by default, and the people you share with need no app and no account - they open a link in any browser. iPhone first today, with the full web app continuing to work on every other device.
What the iPhone app adds
Viallo has always lived in the browser. That isn't going away - the web app at viallo.app is still the full Viallo, and most people will keep using it that way. What the iPhone app adds is the part the browser was never going to be great at: the camera in your pocket.
With the app, you can take a photo and add it to an album in a couple of taps. No upload screen, no file picker, no waiting for a browser tab to finish what it was doing. The app is also where your shared albums live now - tap the icon on your home screen and you're in your library, not in a tab that got buried twelve hours ago.
A few specifics:
- Upload straight from the camera. Snap a photo and send it to an album without leaving the moment. Bulk upload from your camera roll works the same way it always did, just faster.
- Your albums on your home screen. Viallo opens where you left off. Pull down to refresh, tap an album to view it full-screen, swipe to scrub through.
- Faster on the go. Native scroll, native gestures, no browser chrome eating space. It feels like a photos app because that's what it is.
- Push notifications when someone joins an album. Optional, off by default. If you turn them on, you'll know when a friend opens the link you sent.
The people you share with still need nothing
This is the part I want to be explicit about, because it's the thing Viallo is built on: nobody you share an album with needs to install anything. Not the app, not an account, not a sign-up form. They open the link in Safari, Chrome, whatever they have, and the album loads. Same as before.
I built Viallo this way because that's the friction that kills photo sharing in real life. You come back from a trip, you have 400 photos you want to send your family, and now you're asking your aunt to install something. She isn't going to. The album never gets seen. The whole thing dies on the doorstep.
The iPhone app is for you, the person making the album. It is not a wedge to get your viewers into an app store. If you want to read more about that promise, here's the long version: how to share photos without making anyone download an app.
Multiple people, one album
The other thing the app makes easier is collaborative albums. If you and three friends went on a trip, you can all add photos to the same album from your phones. No one has to be the designated photo-collector. No more "can you AirDrop me yours later". Photos go in as they happen, and everyone with the link sees the full set.
Albums are still private by default. You choose who has the link, and you can revoke or password-protect it any time from the app or the web.
Who this is for
The app is most useful if you're the kind of person who already wishes photo sharing were easier. A few examples I had in mind while building it:
- Trips. One album per trip. Everyone you travelled with can add to it from their phone. Family back home gets the link and sees the trip unfolding.
- Weddings. The couple makes an album, guests drop in the photos they took on their phones, no one is hunting Instagram tags afterwards.
- Families. One album for the kids each year. Grandparents open a link, no Google account required. Other relatives upload from their phones.
- Events. Birthdays, parties, reunions. A single link that everyone can contribute to and view.
For the wedding case specifically, I wrote a longer guide here: how to share wedding photos with guests. The travel case is covered in how to share travel photos with family.
iPhone first, and what that means for everyone else
Viallo launched on iPhone first because that's where I could ship the best version of the app fastest. There is no Android app yet. There's no reason to lie about that.
If you're on Android, nothing changes for you - the web app at viallo.app works properly on Android Chrome, including camera upload. You can add the site to your home screen and it behaves like an app for most things. An Android version is on the list. I'll write a post when it ships.
If you're on a Mac, Windows, or any other device, the web app is still the way in. The iPhone app and the web app share the same account and the same albums, so you can upload from your laptop and view on your phone with no extra setup.
How to get it
Open viallo.app on your iPhone. The download link is right at the top. If you already have a Viallo account, sign in with the same email and password and your albums are there. If you don't, the free plan gives you 2 albums, 200 photos, and 10 GB to start - no credit card, no trial timer.
That's it. Make an album, send a link, you're done.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do the people I share albums with need the app?
No. Anyone you send an album link to can open it in any browser - iPhone, Android, laptop, anything - without downloading the app and without making an account. That has always been the core of how Viallo works, and the iPhone app doesn't change it. The app is for you, the person making the album.
Is there an Android version?
Not yet - iPhone is launching first. The web app at viallo.app works on Android Chrome, including uploading from your camera roll, and you can add it to your home screen if you want a one-tap shortcut. An Android app is planned. Until then, Android users have full access to every Viallo feature through the browser.
Does the iPhone app cost anything?
The app is free to download and the free Viallo plan covers 2 albums, 200 photos, and 10 GB of storage with no credit card required. If you need more, paid plans are available - you can see the current pricing on the pricing page. The plan is tied to your account, not the device, so it works the same on the app and on the web.
Are my photos private?
Yes. Every album is private by default and only viewable by people you give the link to. Photos are stored at full resolution on GDPR-compliant servers in the EU, never used to train AI, and never scanned for advertising. You can revoke a share link or password-protect an album any time from the app or the web.
Can my friends and I add photos to the same album from our phones?
Yes. If you turn on collaborative uploads for an album, anyone with the contributor link can add their photos to it from their device, app or browser. It's the way most people use Viallo for trips and weddings - everyone drops in what they took, and the album ends up being the full picture instead of one person's view of it.