Joining an event

To view an event’s photos and add your own, you join the gallery once. It all happens right in your browser – no app and no account needed. In the vast majority of cases a single tap on the link is all it takes, and you’re already in.

The shortest path

If the host has chosen “Open Access”, no form appears at all: you open the link, briefly see “Preparing gallery…”, and land straight in the gallery. You then get a random nickname automatically, which you can change later. Only when a password is required do you need to type something yourself – we’ll walk through that step by step below.

How to reach the gallery

There are three ways to the gallery, all leading to the same place:

• Open the link – The host shares a link (for example via WhatsApp, email, or on an invitation). Tap it and it opens in your phone’s or computer’s browser.
• Scan the QR code – Point your phone’s camera (or a QR app) at the posted code. It opens the same link. More on this under Scanning a QR code.
• Type the address – If the host gave the event a short handle, the address is short enough to type by hand: it contains that handle with an at sign in front, for example @anna-and-tom-wedding. The full address is printed on every invitation and poster.

There is no event search

Photogala has no public directory and no search for events. You cannot look up the couple’s name or the date. Without a link, a QR code or the exact address you cannot get in – that is intentional and protects every guest’s photos. If you have misplaced the link, ask the host.

Sometimes the code is already built in

The host can embed the access code directly into the link or the QR code. Then joining is fully automatic, with no input at all – even when the event is actually password protected.

This is decided per QR code: besides the event-wide default there is a switch Embed password in link on every tool QR code. So one poster may let you straight in while another asks for the code.

The classic join, step by step

When the host requires a password, a short welcome screen guides you through two steps: first the access code, then your display name.

1. Open the welcome screen. After tapping the link or QR code, the “Welcome to our gallery” screen appears. For events with custom branding it shows the host’s colors and logo – but the flow stays the same.

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   The welcome screen greets you right after opening the link.

2. Enter the access code (only when a password is required). Type the code into the Gallery Password field (placeholder “Enter shared password”). Confirm with Continue or simply press the Enter key. You’ll usually find the code on the invitation, a place card, or a poster.

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   Step 2: the Gallery Password field. The camera icon inside it starts the QR scanner – then you do not have to type anything.

3. Choose a display name. In the next step, enter under Your display name how you’d like to appear in the gallery (for example ShutterBug42). Leave the field empty and you’ll get a random nickname like “FlashMaster1234” automatically – the hint Leave empty for a random nickname sits right below it.

4. Enter. Tap the large button. If you’re not signed in, it reads Enter as guest. A moment later you’re in the gallery.

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   The button to enter is highlighted – tap here to join.

Little helpers on the name step

Above the name field you’ll find two handy buttons:

• Change code (pencil icon) – jumps back to the access code in case you mistyped.
• Generate (dice icon) – rolls a fresh random name into the field until you like one.

And instead of typing the code manually, you can tap the camera icon (scan QR code) inside the password field: the inline “Scan QR code” scanner points at a code and fills the field automatically.

When the button label differs

Depending on the situation the confirm button is labeled differently – it always means the same thing:

• Enter as guest – when you’re not signed in (the normal case).
• Continue to gallery – when you’re already signed in with a Photogala account.
• Enter Gallery – in the quick password mode, where only a single field appears.

While it’s loading you briefly see a spinner with “Loading…”.

The welcome dialog

Not every join goes through the welcome screen. If you come in one of the fast ways – open access, a tool QR code, a personal link – you have not picked a name at all yet. In that case a small dialog shows up in the gallery and catches up on it.

What it looks like. Above the heading Great to have you here! sits a sparkles icon, below it the explanation that your name appears with your photos and posts. Then comes the field Your name (placeholder “e.g. Anna”).

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This is how the dialog catches up on the name – here after joining through a tool QR code.

What you can do in it:

• Type a name. While you type, Photogala checks in the background whether that name is already taken in this event. If it is, a warning appears – and below it up to three suggestions as small buttons. Tapping one puts that suggestion into the field.
• Surprise me – instantly creates a friendly random name (in the style of “FlashMaster4823”).
• Let’s go – saves the name. While it saves, the button reads One moment….
• Later – closes the dialog without setting a name. The app remembers that for this event on this device: the dialog will not come back. You can still add your name any time in your profile, see Profile and nickname.

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If the name is taken, the red warning appears – below it the free suggestion Photo booth entrance2, which a tap moves into the field.

When the dialog appears – and when it does not

• Only on the normal gallery pages. On tool pages (seating plan, menu, RSVP form …) Photogala deliberately does not ask for a name – you are meant to use your tool first.
• Only when you have no name yet. If you already chose one when joining, or got one automatically, the dialog never appears.
• Even without having joined. On open events the dialog can take you in directly: you type your name and Let’s go makes you a guest in one step.
• Not with quick access. If the host turned on quick access, the dialog stays away – unless the event requires a name (see below).
• Not after a “Later”. Once you dismissed it, that decision holds for this event on this device.

When the host requires a name

Some hosts – typically for company parties and club events – switch on the option Guests must choose a name. The same dialog then changes:

• It cannot be dismissed: no Later, no closing via the backdrop.
• There is no Surprise me – a generated name is exactly what this setting opts out of.
• Let’s go stays greyed out while the field is empty.
• The dialog also appears if you tapped “Later” earlier, or if the event uses quick access.

For hosts

The setting lives under Settings → Access in the Guest experience section. Without it, nameless guests automatically receive a generated nickname. See Moderation & safety.

The personal link from your place card

If your place card or personal invitation carries its own QR code, that is not a normal event link but your link. When you scan it, this happens:

1. You are recognised in the background. Photogala connects the session with your entry in the host’s guest list. You do not have to confirm anything.

2. The access key disappears from the address bar. It is treated like a password and removed from the URL right away – so it stays out of forwarded links and screenshots. (The only exception: on the RSVP form it stays, because that page needs it itself.)

3. Your real name is already in the welcome dialog. It is prefilled and stays editable – anyone who accidentally scanned their neighbour’s card simply types their own name over it. If the name is already taken, Photogala automatically inserts the next free variant so you can save straight away.

The personal link keeps working inside the tools too: in the menu you see your own dish, in the seating plan your seat is highlighted. If you later scan a different card, the most recently scanned code wins. More on this under Find your seat.

Joining through a tool QR code

Some QR codes do not lead into the gallery but straight into a tool – the RSVP form, the seating plan or the menu, for example. Then joining runs invisibly in the background:

• You see no name form. Photogala quietly creates a guest session and shows you the tool right away.
• You are only asked for a name later, once you switch to the gallery – through the welcome dialog above.
• Exception: if the event requires a password and it is not embedded in the QR code, the code step comes first. The name step still stays away.

More about the tools under Event tools.

When the invitation appears instead of the gallery

If the host enabled the digital invitation, one and the same event address shows two different things – depending on who opens it and when:

• You have never been in this event. While the invitation is active, you land on the invitation instead of the home screen. That is deliberate: someone who only looks at the invitation is not turned into a guest and appears in no participant list.
• You have joined before. Then the date decides: before the event day the address leads to the invitation, from the event day on to the home screen with the gallery.
• Hosts, admins and moderators are never redirected – they always land on the home screen.

If you want the home screen despite an active invitation, append ?view=home to the address. Everything else under The digital invitation.

Prefer to sign in with an account?

If you’re not signed in, below the main button you’ll find an or divider and the Sign in with account button. That opens the sign-in dialog.

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Sign in with account takes you to login via Google or email.

An account is worthwhile if you want to be recognized across devices – for example when you take photos on your phone and continue later on your laptop. If you’re already signed in and have a nickname set, you skip the name step automatically. More on this under Profile and nickname.

Why do I (not) see a password field?

Whether and which field you see when joining is decided solely by the host via the access mode (under Settings → Access). There are three modes:

• Open Access – “Anyone with the link can view.” You get in without any input. The host decides whether you start as a Viewer (view photos and like them) or a Contributor (upload photos and complete tasks).
• Password Protected – “Guests need a code to enter.” You have to enter the access code (for example wedding-2024).
• Completely Private (Advanced) – Only custom invitations work; the default code is disabled. Here you need a personal invitation link from the host.

The QR code usually carries the code already

Even with Password Protected you rarely have to type anything: hosts can have the access code embedded straight into QR codes and invitation links. The checkbox for it is Include default invitation code in QR code (Settings → Access) and it is ticked by default. Scan such a code and Photogala checks it in the background, skips the password field and takes you straight to the display-name step. If you are signed in and already have a nickname, you land in the gallery right away. For security the code disappears from the address bar immediately.

There are two cases where it is not embedded: with Completely Private it never is, and the host can untick the box. Then the password field appears as usual — type the code or scan it with the camera icon inside the field.

For hosts

Are you a host yourself and want to configure access? See Inviting guests and Moderation & safety.

Changing the language on the gate

You can switch the display language even before joining: at the bottom of the welcome screen you’ll find the globe icon with a language picker. The change takes effect immediately. Details under Changing the language.

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Use the globe icon to switch the language right on the gate.

Example

The QR code on the table card, 8:15 pm.

You point your phone camera at the code and tap the address that pops up:

1. Welcome to our gallery appears, in the couple’s colors. The Gallery Password field wants the access code — usually printed small on the same card. Instead of typing it you can also tap the camera icon in the field and let it scan the code.
2. Continue → step 2: under Your display name you enter “Lisa M.”. Leave the field empty and you will be “FlashMaster1234” in the gallery — fun, but your friends will have a harder time finding your photos.
3. Enter as Guest, done. If the button reads Continue to gallery instead, you are already signed in with an account — same result.

The person next to you has a different experience: they scanned their place card, i.e. their personal link. They never see the welcome screen, land straight in the gallery, their real name is already filled into the welcome dialog, and their seat is highlighted in the seating plan.

If your preferred name is taken: the dialog reports This name is already taken. and offers up to three free variants — one tap puts a suggestion into the field.

Troubleshooting

Common hurdles when joining

• “I see no field at all and I’m in right away.” – That’s normal: the host doesn’t require a code (Open Access).
• “I see a password field but don’t have a code.” – Ask the host. The code is often on the invitation, a place card, or a poster.
• “Invalid password” despite the correct code – Watch for capitalization and hyphens (codes often look like happy-moment-123). See also Forgot password.
• The link contained a code, but the field is empty. – By design: for security reasons the app removes the code from the address bar immediately. It was already checked in the background. The key of a personal link disappears the same way.
• The name is reported as taken. – Within one event each name may only exist once. Tap one of the suggestions or use Surprise me.
• The welcome dialog won’t close. – Then this event requires a self-chosen name. Enter one and tap Let’s go.
• I land on an invitation instead of the gallery. – The digital invitation is active. From the event day on, the same link shows the gallery; to get there right now, use ?view=home.
• The QR scanner won’t start. – Allow the browser camera access (“Starting camera…”). Alternatively, just type the code manually.
• Security check / captcha. – For unusual access an invisible security check may appear. Message “The captcha could not be loaded”? Disable content blockers or try a different browser or network.
• Invitation expired or used up. – If an invitation link has expired or reached its usage limit, the app jumps back to the code step. Request a fresh link from the host.
• “Connection lost” / server unreachable. – Check your internet connection and tap the retry button.

What happens after joining?

Done – you’re in the gallery. From here you can dive right in:

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After joining you land on the gallery home screen. ① the profile button top right, ② the host’s welcome text, ③ Upload Image, ④ Solve Photo Task, ⑤ the Find your seat card – it only shows when the seating plan is switched on.

• Viewing and navigating the gallery – find your way around the grid, albums, and menus.
• Uploading photos – share your own shots with everyone.
• Solving photo tasks – earn points with little photo challenges.
• Profile and nickname – change your display name anytime.
• Event tools – schedule, menu, seating plan and more.

For moderators and admins

If you’re a moderator or admin of the event, you join via the same screen. You reach your extra areas afterward through the profile menu at the top right: there, under “Management”, you’ll find Moderation and Admin Portal. More on this under Roles and permissions.