iPhone photos on an
Android tablet frame

Disclosure up front. We make PicDock, the Android app used in the steps below, so we are not neutral. Every PicDock detail here was checked against the app's source code in September 2026, and we list what it cannot do with iCloud.

A very common family setup: the kids and grandkids take photos on iPhones and share them in an iCloud shared album. The grandparents have an Android tablet or an Amazon Fire tablet that would make a perfect photo frame on the kitchen shelf. Apple has no iCloud Photos app for Android, so the two do not meet on their own.

Short answer: they can meet through the shared album's Public Website link. The album owner turns it on once on the iPhone, sends the link to the tablet, and a frame app that reads those links plays the album and picks up new photos by itself.

What you need

• An iCloud shared album, and access to the iPhone or iPad of the person who created it — only the owner can turn on Public Website.
• An Android tablet, phone or Android TV (Android 7.0 or later), or an Amazon Fire tablet.
• PicDock (Google Play name: "Photo Slideshow, Digital Frame"). Not to be confused with picdock.app, which is an unrelated macOS app.

Step 1 — On the iPhone: turn on Public Website

1. Open Photos and go to Albums. Scroll down to Shared Albums and open the album. (No shared album yet? Tap + → New Shared Album, then add some photos.)
2. Tap the People button at the top of the album. Depending on the iOS version it can look like a person icon or an edit (✎) button.
3. Switch on Public Website.
4. Tap Share Link and copy it. It looks like https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0abc…
5. Send the link to the tablet — a text message, email or chat message is fine.

Step 2 — On the tablet: add the album in PicDock

1. Copy the link on the tablet (long-press it in the message).
2. Open PicDock → Photo sources → iCloud Shared Album. If an iCloud album link is on the clipboard, PicDock fills it in for you; otherwise paste it. A link that has been URL-encoded by a messenger (%23 instead of #) also works.
3. Tap Connect. PicDock reads the album name and photo list. An empty album is rejected with a message, so add photos first.
4. Choose Replace (show only the iCloud album) or Add to current (mix it with photos already on the tablet, Google Photos, Dropbox, OneDrive or a NAS).

That is it. There is no Apple ID sign-in on the tablet and no password to type.

How new photos reach the frame

A frame on a shelf is never touched, so the refresh interval decides when new photos appear. PicDock re-reads an iCloud shared album every 15 minutes while the slideshow runs. It also checks sooner when you come back to the app.

If iCloud does not answer for a while, the frame keeps the list it already has: an empty or failed response is treated as a temporary fault, not as "all photos deleted". Photos are downloaded on demand and kept in an on-device cache of up to about 500 MB, oldest removed first.

Privacy: what "Public Website" means

Public Website means anyone who has the link can view the album in a web browser, without signing in. It is not listed or searchable, but it is not password-protected either. So:

• Use a dedicated album with only the photos you want on the frame.
• Do not post the link publicly.
• Switching Public Website off disables the link immediately (the frame then stops receiving the album).

PicDock's optional face filter ("only photos with people") runs on the tablet itself; photos are not sent to us.

What PicDock cannot do with iCloud

Plainly, as of September 2026:

• No videos from iCloud. The iCloud source shows photos only; videos in the album are skipped. PicDock plays videos from the tablet's storage or a NAS, not from iCloud.
• No private libraries. Your full iCloud Photos library, regular (non-shared) albums and shared albums with Public Website off cannot be shown. Apple offers no public way for Android apps to read them, and we do not ask for Apple ID passwords.
• One iCloud album at a time. Connecting a second link replaces the first. You can still combine that album with other sources.
• It is labelled beta. Apple has no official API for this; PicDock uses the same web endpoints the album's public page uses. If Apple changes them, the source can stop working until we update the app.
• Resolution is Apple's. PicDock picks the largest version iCloud serves, but Apple stores shared-album photos at reduced resolution, so they are not full camera originals.

Other honest options

• An iPad or Apple TV. If there is a spare iPad or an Apple TV in the house, Apple's own devices show shared albums natively, without a public link. That is the simplest route for an all-Apple family.
• Just a web browser. The public link opens in any browser, including on an Android tablet. It works for looking through the album, but it is a web gallery, not a frame: no clock, no always-on handling, and you will be tapping the screen.
• Move the sharing somewhere else. If the family is willing to switch, Google Photos, Dropbox or OneDrive shared folders work on Android without a public link. See our comparison of Android photo frame apps for which apps read which services.

What it costs

The Google Play version of PicDock is free to download, and the free version includes every photo source, iCloud shared albums included. Optional Premium adds extras such as more transitions, forecasts and clock designs: US$19.99 as a lifetime one-time purchase, or a yearly or monthly subscription (prices shown in the app and vary by country). For Fire tablets there is a separate Amazon Appstore version, a paid app at US$4.99 with all features and no in-app purchases. Full details: PicDock facts page.

FAQ

Can an Android tablet show an iCloud shared album?

Yes, if the album owner turns on Public Website for the shared album. A frame app that understands those links can then play it. In PicDock you choose the iCloud Shared Album source and paste the link. No Apple ID sign-in is needed on the tablet.

Do new photos from the iPhone appear automatically?

Yes. PicDock re-reads the album every 15 minutes while the slideshow runs.

Are videos in the shared album shown?

Not in PicDock. The iCloud source shows photos only and skips videos.

Can I show my whole iCloud Photos library?

No. Only shared albums with Public Website turned on work. Put the photos you want on the frame into a dedicated shared album.

Is a public iCloud album link safe?

Anyone with the link can view the album without signing in. Use a dedicated album, do not post the link publicly, and turn Public Website off at any time to disable the link immediately.

In short

iPhone family, Android frame: make a dedicated iCloud shared album, turn on Public Website, send the link to the tablet, and paste it into a frame app. You get photos (not videos) that update by themselves. If you have an iPad or Apple TV to spare, that route needs no public link at all.

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