Content arriving without you saving it
Shared with You surfaces images sent to you in Messages inside Photos and other apps, so they appear in your library views without an explicit save.
It is convenient and it means images someone else sent can appear in your photo surfaces, including in front of other people.
Turning it off is forward-looking
Disabling the feature stops future surfacing. It does not remove message attachments, downloaded images, or copies already saved into the library.
Those need a separate cleanup, and it is worth deciding what to keep before deleting a conversation to solve a library problem.
The controls
- Review the global Shared with You setting.
- Check the Photos-specific control, which is separate.
- Use per-conversation settings to exclude specific threads.
- Review existing saved copies separately, and decide what to retain.
Two confusions
- Deleting a conversation to remove a copy that now lives in the Photos library.
- Assuming the sender loses their copy when you remove yours.
A fictional example
Jonas starts with a non-sensitive test: “Review the global Shared with You setting.” Next, Jonas follows the second check: “Check Photos-specific and conversation-specific controls.” This fictional scenario demonstrates the decision process; it is not a report of product testing.
Common mistakes
- Deleting a conversation to solve a Photos-library copy
- Assuming the sender loses their copy
What this workflow does not change
- Deleting a conversation to solve a Photos-library copy
- Assuming the sender loses their copy
Questions people ask
Does turning it off delete message attachments?
No. It changes surfacing behavior; message and saved copies have separate lifecycles.