Are your event photos private? What the host actually controls
If you are going to ask guests to shoot all night, you should know where those photos go. The short answer with a shared roll: only the people you invite can see it, nothing is public, and you decide how long it lasts. Here is the longer answer.
Who can see a shared roll
A shared roll is not a social feed. There is no public page, no discover tab, and no way for a stranger to stumble onto it. The only people who can see the photos are the guests who joined your specific event by scanning your code. If they were not at the event, they were not handed the code, and they cannot see a thing.
The photos stay hidden until you say so
On a roll with a timed reveal, even the guests who took the photos cannot see them until the reveal time. Everything sits sealed during the event. This is a privacy feature as much as a fun one. Nothing is floating around online while the party is still happening.
You can read how the reveal works on the reveal page.
What the host controls
- Who joins, through the code you share and no one else.
- When the photos unlock, from an hour after to a week later.
- How long the roll stays available before it closes.
- Whether there is a live preview or a full seal until the reveal.
The host is the one with the keys. Guests can add photos and, after the reveal, save them, but they are not running the roll.
Can guests save or share the photos?
After the reveal, guests can download the full resolution photos from the roll, which is the point. What happens to a photo once someone saves it is up to that person, the same as any photo they take. What a shared roll gives you is control over the collection itself: it is private, it is invite only, and it is not posted anywhere by default.
A good habit before any event
Tell guests plainly how it works. A single line on the code sign does it: private roll, photos unlock later, only for people here tonight. People shoot more freely when they know where the photos are going, and they trust the host who told them.
Common questions
Are the photos ever public?
No. A shared roll has no public page. Only guests who joined your event with the code can see it.
Can I delete the roll after the event?
Yes. The host controls how long the roll stays available and can close it.
Do guests need an account to join?
No. Guests join by scanning the code and shoot from the browser. Only the host uses the app.
We build Rollio, the shared roll of film for the whole party. We spend our days thinking about how people capture the events that matter, and we write about what we learn.
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