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Apple Photos Import

Import photos from an iCloud Shared Album into your BrandCast content library. Once imported, photos are available for use in slideshows and layout zones. No Apple account sign-in is required — the import reads from a public shared-album link.

How it works

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Apple Photos import is a one-shot operation. BrandCast reads the photos from your iCloud Shared Album link at import time and places them in your content library. There is no ongoing sync — if new photos are added to the album later, run the import again to bring them in.

No sign-in required: The import reads from a public shared-album URL. Anyone with the link can contribute photos to the album — you control what gets imported.

How to import photos from Apple Photos

Section titled “How to import photos from Apple Photos”

Step 1: Create a shared album in Apple Photos

Section titled “Step 1: Create a shared album in Apple Photos”
  1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
  2. Go to Albums and click the + button to create a new album, or open an existing album.
  3. Tap or click Share > Shared Album and turn on Public Website.
  4. Copy the shared album URL — it ends in .me/... and looks like https://www.icloud.com/photos/....

Step 2: Import into BrandCast

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  1. Go to Content > Media tab in BrandCast.
  2. Click Add and select Import from Apple Photos.
  3. Paste the iCloud Shared Album URL.
  4. Click Import to bring the photos into your library.

Imported photos appear in your content library immediately and are ready to use.

Using imported photos

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After importing, photos appear as individual images in your media library. From there you can:

  • Add them to a slideshow
  • Drop individual photos into layout zones
  • Use them as area backgrounds

Keeping content fresh

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When your team adds new photos to the shared album, run the import again from Content > Media > Add > Import from Apple Photos. Only new photos are added — previously imported photos are not duplicated.

Tip: Create a dedicated shared album in Apple Photos just for your displays. That way, your team knows exactly where to add new content, and you stay in control of what gets imported.

Troubleshooting

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Import fails or no photos appear. Verify the shared album URL is correct and that the album has Public Website enabled. Open the URL in a browser to confirm it’s accessible — if it prompts for a password, the album is not public.

Only some photos imported. Large albums may time out on the first attempt. Run the import again; BrandCast picks up where it left off without duplicating already-imported photos.

Photos appear in the wrong order. Photos are imported in the order they appear in the album. Reorder them in Apple Photos before importing, or arrange them in BrandCast after import.

What’s next?

Section titled “What’s next?”