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Sharing baby photos: liebling, WhatsApp, iCloud and Google Photos compared

Most families share baby photos in a WhatsApp group or in a shared album from Apple or Google. That works, and everyone is already there. Here you can see how the four differ: encryption, photo quality, organization, ads and cost. Where the others do something better, it says so here too.

Last checked: . Every claim with its source

The differences at a glance

Comparison of liebling, a WhatsApp group, iCloud Shared Albums and shared albums in Google Photos
QuestionlieblingFamily albumWhatsAppGroup chatiCloudShared AlbumsGoogle PhotosShared albums
End-to-end encrypted?YesPhotos, videos and letters. Not even we can see them.2YesChats and media. Backups only if you turn on encrypted backup.46NoShared Albums are not end-to-end encrypted, even with Advanced Data Protection.9NoGoogle encrypts in transit and on its servers, but not end to end.15
Do photos keep their original quality?Photos, yesPhotos in the original, videos in up to Full HD.3Standard or HDThe unaltered original only arrives if you send it as a document.5In new albums, yesSince iOS 27. Older shared albums scale photos down to 2048 pixels and videos to 720p.10Depends on the settingIn original quality or compressed to save space.16
How is everything organized?By your child's ageEach child has their own timeline, month by month. Milestones mark the big moments.1In the chat historyPhotos sit between messages, newest at the bottom.By albumPhotos and videos appear one after another in each album.By datePhotos and videos appear in the album by date.
Are there ads?NoneOnly privacy-friendly usage statistics that don't analyze your content.2Not in chatsMeta is introducing ads in the Updates tab, in Status and Channels.8None in PhotosApple shows ads in other apps, such as the App Store.14Not with your photosGoogle says it doesn't use your photos and videos for advertising.15
Where are the photos stored?In GermanyEncrypted on servers in Germany.2On your phonesPlus backups if you set them up, for example in iCloud.6In iCloudOn Apple's servers.10In your Google AccountOn Google's servers.15
Can you get everything back out?Export in the appPhotos in the original, videos in up to Full HD.1Export chatWith or without media. Single photos can be saved.7SaveAdd photos and videos from the album to your own library.11Google TakeoutDownload all photos and videos as an archive.18
What does it cost?Free to start500 photos and 30 minutes of video for free. Plus: €4.99 a month or €49.99 a year.1FreePhotos take up storage on your phones.5 GB freeNew shared albums count toward your iCloud storage. More room with iCloud+.101315 GB freeShared with Gmail and Drive. More room with Google One.17
Which devices?iPhone onlyAndroid is planned but not available yet.1iPhone and AndroidAlso on computers.Apple devicesAnd in the browser at iCloud.com.10iPhone, Android and browserWith any Google Account.

What suits your family?

WhatsApp
Suits you if you want to show a photo quickly and everyone already uses WhatsApp. The pictures then sit between the group's messages, and getting the original across means sending it as a document.
iCloud
Suits you if everyone in the family has Apple devices. At Apple, end-to-end encrypted sharing is only available in iCloud Shared Photo Library: with up to five other people, and only if everyone has turned on Advanced Data Protection.
Google Photos
Suits you if you already back up your photos with Google and the family uses a mix of Android and iPhone.
liebling
Suits you if you want a private album for your children, organized by their age, that no one but the people you invite can see, not even us. For now, that means everyone needs an iPhone.

More than a shared album

Besides the album, liebling has features made for your children's childhood. All of them are included in Free and Plus.

  • Letters for later

    A letter, voice message or video for your child, sealed until a day you choose.

  • Family stories

    Grandparents answer your questions in their own voice, on video or in a few lines.

  • Milestones

    First smile, first steps: the big moments appear in your child's timeline.

  • Recaps

    liebling automatically puts together recaps from your photos and videos.

See all features

Questions about the comparison

Look at three things: who can see the photos, who can decrypt them, and where are they stored? In liebling, only people you've invited can see your photos. They are end-to-end encrypted and stored on servers in Germany. There are no public links and no profiles strangers can find.

True, WhatsApp encrypts chats and media end to end. The difference lies elsewhere: in a group, photos sit between messages and arrive in standard or HD quality. In liebling, everything is organized by your children's age, and photos stay in the original.

No. liebling doesn't automatically back up your whole library. You choose what to share with your family. For a backup of every photo on your phone, iCloud or Google Photos remain the right choice.

The Shared Library is meant for up to six people, usually the parents. With Advanced Data Protection it is end-to-end encrypted, as long as everyone in it has turned that on. To share beyond that, with grandparents, aunts and friends, you use Shared Albums, and those are not end-to-end encrypted.

For now, yes. liebling is only available for iPhone so far. Android is planned but not available yet. If many in your family use Android, WhatsApp or Google Photos is the simpler option today.

Save the photos from the chat to your photo library, then pick them in liebling. Better still, use the originals from your own library: they have the full quality.

liebling is free with every feature, including 500 photos and 30 minutes of video. Plus costs €4.99 a month or €49.99 a year and gives you unlimited photos (fair use) and 40 hours of video. One subscription covers the whole family; invited members pay nothing.

Sources

Last checked: .

We checked every claim against these pages. Is something out of date? Write to us at kontakt@liebling.app

  1. liebling: features, pricing and FAQ
  2. liebling: privacy policy (German)
  3. liebling: terms and conditions (German)
  4. WhatsApp Help Center: About end-to-end encryption (faq.whatsapp.com)
  5. WhatsApp Help Center: About HD photos and videos (faq.whatsapp.com)
  6. WhatsApp Help Center: How to back up your chat history (faq.whatsapp.com)
  7. WhatsApp Help Center: How to export your chat history (faq.whatsapp.com)
  8. WhatsApp Blog: New features in the Updates tab (June 16, 2025) (blog.whatsapp.com)
  9. Apple Support: iCloud data security overview (support.apple.com)
  10. Apple Support: Shared Albums limits (support.apple.com)
  11. Apple Support: Use Shared Albums in Photos (support.apple.com)
  12. Apple Support: How to use iCloud Shared Photo Library (support.apple.com)
  13. Apple Support: iCloud+ plans and pricing (support.apple.com)
  14. Apple: Apple Advertising & Privacy (www.apple.com)
  15. Google Safety Center: Google Photos safety and privacy features (safety.google)
  16. Google Photos Help: Choose the backup quality of your photos & videos (support.google.com)
  17. Google One Help: How storage works (support.google.com)
  18. Google Photos Help: How to download your Google data (support.google.com)

WhatsApp is a trademark of WhatsApp LLC, iCloud a trademark of Apple Inc. and Google Photos a trademark of Google LLC. liebling is not affiliated with these companies. The comparison covers the features for sharing photos with family.

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For iPhone. Android is planned.