How to use an iPad as a photo frame

How the iPad shows the photos on its own

The Photos app can show an album as a slideshow (source 1). Put the photos you want to show in an album of their own first. These steps are for iPadOS 27.

1. 1.Open the Photos app on the iPad, and tap Collections.
2. 2.Open the album, tap the More button, and tap Start Slideshow.
3. 3.Tap the screen, tap Customize, and tap Loop.
4. 4.Under Customize, you can also choose music or how long each photo shows.

The album can also be a shared album that the rest of the family adds photos to. Read how to make a shared album for iPhone and Android.

How to keep the screen on

The iPad locks on its own when nobody uses it. Go to Settings, then Display & Brightness and Auto-Lock, and choose how long it waits (source 3).

With Guided Access, the iPad stays in one app, so nobody ends up in another app by mistake (source 4).

1. 1.Go to Settings, then Accessibility, and turn on Guided Access. There you can also choose Display Auto-Lock, which applies while Guided Access is on.
2. 2.Open the app to show, for example Photos.
3. 3.Triple-click the top button, or the Home button on an older iPad, and tap Start.
4. 4.To end it, triple-click again. On iPadOS 18 and older, you double-click. Enter the passcode, and tap End.

Is the iPad too old?

You see the model and the version in Settings, under General and About. Under Software Update, you update to the newest version the iPad can get (source 5).

Which version the iPad can get depends on the model. If you want to use an app instead of the slideshow, check in the App Store which version the app needs.

A photo frame suits when nobody should tap

A digital photo frame sits on the shelf and shows the photos on its own, and the family sends photos to it from an app. With Frameo, the app is free, and Frameo+ costs $1.99 a month (source 6).

If you already have an iPad, you do not have to buy anything. See all the ways to share in the guide to sharing photos with your family.

How to do it with skokk

We make skokk, an app where the whole family posts photos and short videos to the same group. On the iPad, skokk can show the photos in simple mode, one at a time, with big buttons.

The photos do not change by themselves. The viewer taps “Next photo” or “Back”, and once the group is unlocked, “Like” is there too. A video starts on its own, without sound.

skokk needs iPadOS 16 or later, and these models can get it (source 5).

• •iPad (5th generation) and later
• •iPad mini (5th generation) and later
• •iPad Air (3rd generation) and later
• •all iPad Pro models

The app is not in the App Store or Google Play yet. When it is, you set up the iPad like this.

1. 1.Get skokk on your phone, and make a group for the family.
2. 2.Send the invite to whoever will have the iPad.
3. 3.Get skokk on the iPad, and tap the link in the invite.
4. 4.Sign in with Vipps or Apple. The first time you sign in with Apple, you also enter the phone number and the code you get by text message.
5. 5.Go to Profile, and turn on Simple mode under Settings.

For each photo, you choose whether it disappears after 2 days or 5 days, or stays forever. Let everyday photos drift by, and keep the ones that are extra special.

Photos are free, and video, “Like” and comments cost NOK 200 a month per group. If the photos should change by themselves, the slideshow or a photo frame suits you better.

Sources

We checked the sources in October 2026.

1. Apple: Make a slideshow on iPad. support.apple.com/en-us/guide/ipad/ipadd2c69f4d
2. Apple: Play videos and slideshows in Photos on iPad (iPadOS 16). support.apple.com/en-us/guide/ipad/ipadd2c69f4d/16.0
3. Apple: Set a passcode on iPad (Change when iPad automatically locks). support.apple.com/en-us/guide/ipad/ipad997daf9f
4. Apple: Use Guided Access on iPhone or iPad. support.apple.com/en-us/111795
5. Apple: iPad models compatible with iPadOS 16. support.apple.com/en-us/guide/ipad/ipad213a25b2/16.0
6. Frameo: Plus & Premium. frameo.com/plus