Guest or account

There are several ways into a Photogala gallery – pick the one that fits. They all get you there; they only differ in whether your contributions stay tied to this one device or travel with you.

Quick decision guide:

• Just want to look around or upload a few photos? → Enter as guest. No email, no sign-up.
• Want to keep your contributions, carry on across devices, or join several events? → Sign in with an account.

The entry point is a single-column welcome screen titled Welcome to Our Gallery. Below it sits the main button, whose label changes depending on the step. If you are signed out, a second button labelled Sign In with Account appears underneath, separated by an or divider.

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The entry point: a main button plus – when you are signed out – Sign In with Account.

The quick way: enter as a guest

Perfect when you do not want to reach for your inbox and just want to get going. Depending on how the host protected the event, it takes one or two short steps.

1. Open the gallery. Scan the QR code at the event or open the shared link. If the event is password protected, you first see the Gallery Password field with the placeholder “Enter shared password”. Type the code the host handed out – or use the camera icon inside the field (Scan QR Code) to scan an access QR directly. If the event is set to open access, this step is skipped entirely and you go straight to the next one.

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   For password events, enter the code first or scan it with the camera icon.

2. Tap Continue. In the first step the main button reads Continue. This validates the code and takes you to the name step.

3. Choose your display name. In the Your Display Name field (example “e.g. ShutterBug42”) you enter a nickname. This is optional: leave it empty and you get a random nickname (“Leave empty for a random nickname”). Generate rolls a name like “ShutterBug” plus a four-digit number. Change Code takes you back to the password step if you mistyped.

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   Enter a nickname or roll one with Generate – leaving it empty gives a random name.

4. Tap Enter as Guest. The main button now reads Enter as Guest – one tap and you are in the gallery.

If it gets stuck

• “Invalid password. Please try again.”: the code you entered is wrong. Check upper/lower case and retype it, or scan the QR again.
• For security, a password passed in a link (?p=…) is removed from the address bar immediately – that is normal.
• If a short security check appears (“We need one extra security check before continuing.”), let it run. Content blockers or a VPN can trigger it; disable them briefly if in doubt.

What “guest” means

Guest access lives in this device and this browser. Clear your browser data or switch phones and it is gone. You still collect uploads, points, and achievements – but tied to this device, until you secure them with an account (see below).

With an account: sign in via email link or password

An account is worth it when you want your uploads, points, and achievements to stay, when you want to continue on a second device, or when you join several events. Signing in is email-first: you enter just your address and Photogala automatically detects how your account is set up.

1. Open sign-in. On the entry screen, tap Sign In with Account (it only appears when you are signed out). If you are already in the gallery as a guest, use the avatar at the top right → Sign In (see Switching from guest to account).

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   The sign-in dialog: Continue with Google at the top, then the email field with Continue.

2. Optional: use Google. At the very top of the dialog is a Continue with Google button. One click and sign-in runs through your Google account – no password and no email link.

3. Enter your email and Continue. Type your address in the Email field and tap Continue. While Photogala looks it up, it briefly shows “Checking…”. It then automatically decides which case applies:

   • Account with a password → a Password field and a Sign in button appear. Forgot your password? Tap Forgot password?. Using the email chip with Change, you can enter a different address.
   • Passwordless account → you land on Check your inbox: “We sent a login link to {{email}}. Click it to sign in.” Open your inbox (including the spam folder) and tap the link – see the next section. Use Use a different email to fix a typo.
   • No account found → No account found. Tap Create an account to set one up directly (see Create a new account).
   • Linked only to Google → Use your social login. Use the Google button at the top instead.

Confirming the email login link

If you have a passwordless account, the link arrives by email. Important: you must actively click it – otherwise an automatic preview scanner in your inbox burns the one-time token.

1. Tap the link in the email. It opens the Log in to your account page with a note that the link can only be used once.

2. Tap Sign in. Only this click actually signs you in. After that you are in.

Tip

No email arriving? Check the spam folder. If needed, request a fresh link with the correct address via Use a different email. If it says “This link is invalid or has expired. Please request a new one.”, the link was already used or too old – request a new one.

Create a new account

You create an account via Sign up – either in the footer of the sign-in dialog (“New to Photogala?” Sign up.) or via the Sign Up button on your profile page.

1. Switch to sign-up. Tap Sign up. You can also use Continue with Google here instead of choosing a password.

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   Sign up: email, password, and confirmation – or use Google straight away.

2. Enter email and password. Type your Email and a Password. A live indicator shows the password strength; very weak passwords, or ones that contain your email, are rejected.

3. Confirm the password. Repeat it in the Confirm Password field. If it matches, “Passwords match!” appears; otherwise “Passwords do not match!” and the button stays disabled.

4. Tap Sign Up. Done – your account is created and you are signed in.

Switching from guest to account (later)

Started as a guest and now want to secure your contributions? No problem – your existing uploads, points, and achievements are kept and merged into the account.

1. Option A – via the profile menu. Tap the avatar at the top right. For guests, the Account section shows a Sign In entry. It opens the sign-in dialog where you sign in or register.

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   Via the avatar at the top right: guests find Sign In here.

2. Option B – via your profile page. Open your profile. There you find the Sign Up button with the note “Store your progress and sync across all devices effortlessly.” A tap starts sign-up.

Managing your account

As soon as you have a registered account, you get a dedicated area for everything account- and security-related: email address, password, signed-in devices, the Google link, timezone, language, notifications – and deleting the account.

Requirement: a registered account

Account Settings exist only for registered users. As a plain guest you see a Guest Account banner with a Register Account button instead of the tabs – and the profile menu does not show the entry at all. Register first (see above).

Where Account Settings live

There are two ways in – both open the same Account Settings dialog with the subtitle “Configure your account preferences and settings”.

1. Option A – profile menu. Tap the avatar at the top right and pick Account Settings in the Management section.

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   In the profile menu, Account Settings sits in the Management section – signed-in users only.

2. Option B – profile page. Open your profile. Where guests see Sign Up, signed-in users find the Account Settings button.

The tabs at a glance

Tab	What you do there
General	Change your email address, timezone, language, connect or unlink your Google account
Security	Set or change your password, manage active sessions, delete your account
Billing	Payment history and invoices – only appears when your account has payments
Notifications	Email notifications on/off, plus every single in-app notification type

Tip

The Billing tab only shows up when your account has actually paid for something. As a plain guest of someone else’s event you will never see it.

Changing your email address

Your email is your sign-in identity – which is why the change runs through a confirmation in the new inbox.

Change Email opens the form for the new address. The highlighted Send Verification Email button sends a link – only clicking that link actually changes the address.

1. Open Account Settings, tab General. Under Account Information you see your Current Email.

2. Tap Change Email. A form unfolds, with the note that, for security reasons, changing your email requires verification.

3. Type the new address into New Email Address and, below it, your existing password into Current Password. The eye icon reveals what you typed.

4. Tap Send Verification Email. You then see Verification email sent, telling you an email is on its way to the new address.

5. Open the new inbox and click the confirmation link. Only then does the change take effect.

A pending change

While the confirmation is outstanding, the General tab shows the amber box Pending Email Change: “You have requested to change your email to {{pendingEmail}}. Please check that email inbox for a verification link.” Below it you see when the request expires.

Important: while a change is pending, the Change Email button is gone. If you want a different address after all, cancel the running request first with Cancel in the amber box, then start over.

No password, no email change

If you have only ever signed in with a login link or with Google, the Change Email button is greyed out (tooltip “Password required to change email”). Below it: “For security reasons, you need to set a password before changing your email.” So set a password in the Security tab first (next section).

Setting or changing your password

This section sits at the top of the Security tab and expands when you tap it. Its name depends on whether you have a password at all:

In the Security tab, Change Password expands the fields. The highlighted button below finishes the job – it reads Update Password, or Set Password when you are setting one for the first time.

• Set Password – you have none yet. That is the normal case if you have always signed in via a login link or with Google. You then set a new password; no old one is asked for.
• Change Password – you already have one and are replacing it. In that case an extra Current Password field appears.

1. Account Settings → Security tab → tap Set Password or Change Password so the section expands.

2. Only when changing: enter your Current Password.

3. Enter the New Password. Right below, a coloured bar shows the password strength and lists concrete complaints as long as the password is too weak. If it contains your email address, it is downgraded.

4. Repeat it in Confirm New Password. If the two do not match, it says “Passwords don’t match” and the button stays disabled.

5. Tap Set Password or Update Password. A short confirmation appears at the top: “Password set successfully” or “Password updated successfully”.

Tip

If you currently sign in with Google, Photogala shows this note here: “You’re currently using Google to sign in. Setting a password will allow you to also sign in with your email and password.” So a password is an additional way in, not a replacement – and it is the prerequisite for changing your email address or unlinking Google again.

If you cannot get into your account at all, Forgot password helps.

Active sessions: sign out other devices

Further down the Security tab sits Active Sessions – the list of every device currently signed in to your account. The note reads: “These are the devices that are currently logged into your account. If you see any unfamiliar sessions, log them out immediately.”

Every entry shows:

• a device icon (phone, tablet, desktop, or a question mark for unknown),
• browser and operating system,
• the location with a country flag (falling back to the IP address or “Unknown location”),
• Last active with how long ago that was.

Your own session sits at the top, highlighted and marked with the Current chip – it cannot be signed out from here.

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The Security tab: your own session at the top with the Current chip, Log out all others next to the heading.

1. Sign out a single device. Tap the X at the right edge of the row. The confirmation Logout Session? explains that the device will have to sign in again. Confirm with Logout.

2. Sign out all the others. Logout All Others sits next to the heading (it only appears when other sessions exist). The confirmation is Logout All Other Sessions? – your current device stays signed in, everything else is thrown out.

3. Paging through many devices. If there are more sessions than fit on one page, Previous and Next appear at the bottom, along with “Page {{current}} of {{total}}”.

Tip

If you are only signed in on this one device, a green box says: “You’re only logged in on this device”. That is exactly what you want to see when you are checking a suspicion.

Connecting or unlinking your Google account

In the General tab you find the Connected Accounts section with the Google Account row. Below it, the current state: Connected or Not connected.

The Connected Accounts section shows the current state in the highlighted Google Account row; the button beside it links or unlinks signing in with Google.

• Connect: tap Link. A small Google window opens. After you confirm, your Google account is linked and you can sign in with it from then on. If the window is blocked, Photogala reports: “Popup blocked. Please allow popups for this site.”
• Unlink: tap Unlink. The confirmation Unlink Google Account? warns that you will no longer be able to sign in with Google. Confirm with Unlink.

Unlinking can be blocked

If Google is your only sign-in method, the Unlink button is disabled – otherwise you would lock yourself out. The tooltip says so directly: “You cannot unlink this account because it is your only login method. Please set up a password or link another account.” So set a password first.

Note

If an account with a password already exists for your Google address, Photogala asks for that password once while linking (dialog Link Google Account, button Link Account). That makes sure both accounts really are yours.

Timezone and language

Both settings also live in the General tab.

Timezone. A searchable picker (“Search timezones…”) listing every timezone with its current UTC offset. The in-app description: “Your timezone is used to display dates and times correctly in emails and notifications.” In short: it decides which local time Photogala uses when it shows you a date or time – for example in reminders and notices about deadlines.

Tip

The first time you open it, Photogala picks up your browser’s timezone automatically. If it says Detected from your browser in green underneath, the value already matches your device – nothing to do. Travelling, or a device set to the wrong zone, is the typical reason to adjust it by hand.

Language. Right below: “Choose your preferred language for the application interface.” The language you pick here is stored in your account and therefore applies on your other devices too. Every way to switch language is covered in Changing the language.

Notifications

The Notifications tab controls what actually reaches you: one switch for Email Notifications and, grouped into categories below it, every single notification type for the in-app bell. Details in Notifications.

Deleting your account

Deletion is deliberately tucked away and runs in two stages.

Advanced Settings reveals Account Management. The highlighted Delete Account entry first opens a confirmation dialog where you have to type your email address.

1. Account Settings → Security tab → expand Advanced Settings at the very bottom. Inside it sits the Account Management area with the Delete Account link.

2. Stage 1 – checking your events. Photogala first looks (“Checking for events you own…”) whether you are the sole owner of any event.

   • If you are not, the green box No events to handle appears and you can continue straight away with Proceed to Delete Account.
   • If you are, you get Events That Need Your Attention with the list of those events including their media and uploader counts. For each event you have to decide: Transfer or Delete Event. Only once every event is handled does Proceed to Delete Account become clickable – otherwise it says “Please transfer or mark all events for deletion before proceeding”.

3. Stage 2 – confirm. You get Delete Account Confirmation: “This action cannot be undone. All your data will be permanently deleted. Please type your email address to confirm.” Type your email address exactly into the field – only then does Confirm Delete become active.

Sole owner? Hand it over first

If you choose Transfer, Select New Owner opens a list that contains registered event users only (guests cannot own an event). After picking someone you confirm with Transfer to {{name}}; the row turns green and counts as handled.

If you choose Delete Event instead, the event goes away with your account – including every photo your guests uploaded there. When in doubt, ask someone to take the event over.

Everything else, and what happens to your data afterwards: Deleting your account.

Example

You have only ever signed in with a login link and now want to move to your new address.

On the General tab, Change Email is greyed out and the tooltip reads “Password required to change email”. So head to the Security tab first: for you the section is called Set Password (no “Current Password”, because you don’t have one yet). You type your new password twice, keep an eye on the strength bar below it and confirm with Set Password.

Back on the General tab, Change Email is now active. You enter the new address under New Email Address, your freshly set password under Current Password, and send it off with Send Verification Email. Until you click the link in the new inbox, the tab shows the amber Pending Email Change box – and the Change Email button stays gone that whole time. If you mistyped the address, cancel the pending request with Cancel in the amber box and start again.

Signing in as the host

Host access works differently from guest access. If you want to manage or unlock your own event, see Accessing your event. A magic link for unlocking an event lands, after confirmation, on the event list (/admin) – that is the host path, not the guest gallery. If you cannot get back into your account, Forgot password helps.

Moderator and admin areas

Authorised users reach extra entries via the avatar at the top right, in the Management section: Moderation, Admin Portal, Partner Dashboard, and Administration Portal. For plain guests, this spot only shows Sign In.

When something is missing or stuck

Troubleshooting

• No “Sign In with Account” button? You are probably already signed in – then the profile menu shows Sign Out instead of Sign In. Or the host restricted access.
• No password field when entering? The event is set to open access – you do not need a code.
• “Invalid password”? Recheck the code or QR and mind upper/lower case.
• Magic link not arriving? Check the spam folder; request a new one via Use a different email; the link is single-use and expires.
• Security check failing? Disable a content blocker or VPN briefly and try again on the same network/browser.
• No “Account Settings” entry in the profile menu? You are browsing as a guest. Register – the entry then appears in the Management section.
• “Change Email” is greyed out? You do not have a password yet. Set one in the Security tab first.
• “Change Email” has disappeared entirely? A change is already running. Cancel it with Cancel in the amber Pending Email Change box.
• “Unlink” on the Google account is disabled? Google is your only sign-in method. Set a password first.
• “Confirm Delete” stays grey? The email address you typed does not match your account address exactly.

The host controls the access type

Whether an event is open, password protected, invite only, or completely private is set by the host under Settings → Access. Details in Inviting guests.

Related topics

• Your profile and nickname
• Notification settings
• Changing the language
• Deleting your account
• Forgot password
• Accessing your event (host)
• Gallery access modes