I'm a guest — how to upload photos
No app, no account and no password. Scan the code, enter your name and pick your photos — the rest takes care of itself.
Five steps from QR code to uploaded photo
It all happens in your phone's normal browser. All you need is the link or the QR code from the organizer.
- Step 1
Scan the QR code or open the link
Point your phone's normal camera at the QR code on the table, the poster or the screen, and tap the notification that appears. If you got a link in the chat or the invitation instead, just tap it. Both routes lead to the same page.
- No app needed. Your phone's camera reads QR codes as it is.
- Camera won't read the code? Type the address printed underneath it into your browser instead.
- The page opens in your usual browser — Safari, Chrome or whatever you use.
- Step 2
Enter your name
At the top of the page you fill in your name. That's so the organizer knows who contributed which photos — especially valuable when a hundred photos need sorting the next day. Nothing else is required.
- No email address, no password and no sign-up.
- Write the name people at the party would recognise, not your full legal name.
- Your name shows alongside your photos for the organizer.
- Step 3
Pick photos or take one on the spot
Tap Choose files to pick photos from your camera roll, or Take photo to shoot one right there. You can select several at once — uploading thirty photos in one go works just as well as one at a time.
- Photos and videos both work, including iPhone's HEIC format.
- There's a maximum size per file, shown under the upload buttons. If a video is too big you're told immediately.
- Got photos left in your camera roll from earlier in the evening — bring them along. They're often the best ones.
- Step 4
Press Upload and let the phone work
Once you've picked your files, press the upload button. Your phone prepares the photos and uploads them one by one, with a counter showing how far it's got. Keep the page open until it says everything is uploaded.
- Picked a lot of photos? It takes a while — and it's faster on wifi than on mobile data.
- Switching apps midway can make the phone pause the upload. Leave the screen on until the counter finishes.
- A few left behind? Select them again and upload once more. The same photo twice does no harm.
- Step 5
Look in the gallery — or wait for the review
If the event gallery is open, you'll see your photos alongside everyone else's right after uploading, and you can save someone else's photo if you like. If the organizer turned on moderation you get a message saying the photos are reviewed before they appear — they've arrived, they're just waiting for approval.
- A private event shows no gallery at all. Your photos still reached the organizer.
- You can come back to the same link all evening and upload more. Bookmark it.
- Regret a photo? Ask the organizer to remove it — they can delete individual photos.
When something doesn't work
Nearly every problem at a party comes down to connection, file size or a phone that went to sleep. Here's the troubleshooting in the order that usually fixes it.
The QR code won't scan
Hold the phone still about half an arm's length from the code and let it focus. If it's dark at the table, turn on your phone's light or move the sign closer to a light. Glossy and laminated signs reflect candlelight straight into the lens — tilt the sign a few degrees and the reflection disappears.
Still nothing? The address is printed in text under the code. Type it into your browser and you'll land on exactly the same page.
The upload stalls or crawls
Lots of guests uploading at once makes mobile data sluggish in a packed venue. Join the venue wifi if there is one — it's almost always a noticeable difference.
Upload in batches if you have a huge number of photos. Thirty at a time is fine; three hundred in one go is asking for trouble mid-party.
Keep the screen on while uploading. Phones like to pause background work when the screen goes off or you switch apps.
The file is too big
There's a maximum size per file, shown under the upload buttons on the page. Photos rarely come close to it, but long high-resolution videos do.
If a video is too big: trim it in your phone's editor and upload the shorter version, or send it to the organizer directly instead.
My photos aren't showing in the gallery
The usual explanation is moderation: the organizer approves photos before they appear, and that can take until they get a moment. If you saw the message about photos being reviewed, they arrived.
The other explanation is that the event is private. Then there's no public gallery at all — only the organizer sees the photos, exactly as intended.
It says uploading is closed
The organizer can pause uploading, and the album can be full if a lot has been uploaded. You can usually still see the gallery, just not add new photos.
Tell the organizer if you still have photos. They can reopen uploading or take the photos another way.
What happens to the photos afterwards?
The photos land in the organizer's event album. They can show them on a big screen during the evening, download everything afterwards and share it back with the guests.
If you'd rather a photo didn't stay, just tell the organizer and they can remove it. And if you want to keep a photo from the gallery yourself, you can save it for as long as the event is online.
Common questions from guests
What tends to come up at the table.
Do I have to download an app?
No. Everything happens in your phone's normal browser. You scan the QR code with the camera or open the link, and upload right there on the page.
Do I need to create an account?
No. You just enter your name so the organizer knows who the photos came from. No email, no password and no sign-up.
Who sees my photos?
The organizer always sees them. Other guests see them if the event gallery is open — but not if the organizer chose a private event, and not until they're approved if moderation is on.
Can I upload videos?
Yes, photos and videos both work. There's a maximum size per file shown under the upload buttons — long high-resolution videos may need trimming first.
Does it work with iPhone photos in HEIC?
Yes. HEIC works just like JPEG, and the photos are converted automatically so the organizer can open them on any computer.
Can I delete a photo I uploaded?
Not yourself, but tell the organizer and they can remove it. It's the same person who put up the QR code.
Can I upload photos after the party?
Yes, as long as the organizer hasn't paused uploading and the album isn't full. Save the link and you can add photos the next day too — that's when many people find the best ones in their camera roll.
Does it cost me anything as a guest?
No. The organizer pays for the event. For you as a guest it's free, and you don't have to hand over anything beyond your name.
Read next
More on how Digipic works — including if you're thinking about your own event.
Collecting photos from a party of your own?
Create an event, put up the QR code and let your guests upload — no app, no account.