How to make a photo collage on iPhone

The short answer

Your iPhone doesn’t have a built-in collage maker, but you can create one quickly using the free Shortcuts app or a third-party app like Google Photos or Layout.

Using the Shortcuts app (no download needed)

The Shortcuts app comes pre-installed on every iPhone and can combine photos into a grid:

  • Open the Shortcuts app
  • Tap the + button to create a new shortcut
  • Add the action Select Photos and turn on Select Multiple
  • Add the action Combine Images and set the mode to In a Grid
  • Add the action Save to Photo Album
  • Tap Done, then run your shortcut and pick your photos

This gives you a simple grid collage saved straight to your camera roll.

Using Google Photos (free)

If you already have Google Photos installed, collages are built right in:

  • Open Google Photos and go to the Library tab
  • Tap Utilities, then Collage
  • Select 2 to 6 photos and tap Create
  • Choose a layout style and adjust as needed
  • Tap Save to download it to your phone

Using Layout from Instagram (free)

Layout is a lightweight, free app made by Instagram:

  • Download Layout from Instagram from the App Store
  • Open the app and select up to 9 photos
  • Choose a layout from the options at the top
  • Drag to reposition, pinch to zoom, or tap to mirror and flip
  • Tap Save when you’re happy with the result

Tips for better collages

  • Use photos with similar lighting so the collage looks cohesive
  • Crop photos to the same aspect ratio before combining them for a cleaner grid
  • Stick to 4-6 photos as too many images make each one hard to see
  • Pick a theme like a trip, event, or season to tell a visual story

It looks like the file write was blocked by permissions. Could you grant write access so I can save this to src/content/articles/how-to-make-photo-collage-iphone.mdx?