Test your album without messing it up
A test upload is a real upload. From the second it starts, it holds 1 of the 60 contributions on the free plan and its own megabytes out of your 5 GB. Nothing about it is a rehearsal.
Delete it in your dashboard when you’re done and both come back — the slot and the storage. That’s the whole trick: run the test on the album you’re actually using, then take the evidence out.
Does a test upload count against my limit?
Yes, and it counts from the moment the upload starts rather than when it lands. Your album reserves 1 contribution slot plus the exact size of the file before the phone is given anywhere to put it. On the free plan that is 1 of 60 contributions and a bite out of 5 GB.
The reservation is the reason a half-finished upload still shows in your count for a while. Cancelling it from the phone hands the slot straight back.
- Scan your own code. The guest page has no sign-in, so your phone shows you exactly what a guest gets.
- Send a video, not a photo. A photo passes on every plan. A video is what finds the length limit you bought.
- Delete it from the dashboard. That hands back the slot and the megabytes in one move.
Can I delete the test and get the slot back?
Yes. Deleting a file in your dashboard returns both the contribution slot and the megabytes it was holding, so a deleted test ends up costing you nothing. It leaves the album the same second, because the album only ever shows files marked ready.
The record stays in your account, marked deleted, and no guest can reach it. Pressing delete twice is harmless and never gives you a second slot back.
| What you press | Album | Your slot | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delete | Gone from it | Comes back | Comes back |
| Hide | Gone from it | Still used | Still used |
| Nothing | Everyone sees it | Still used | Still used |
Hiding is for a guest photo you want to keep but not show. For your own test, delete is the cheaper press.
What should I send as the test?
Send a video. A photo passes on every plan, so it proves close to nothing, while a video is where the plan you bought actually bites. The free plan cuts a clip at 30 seconds, and the paid plans allow 300, 600 and 900 seconds as you go up.
Files are read by their contents, not their name. Renaming a clip to .mp4 gets it past nothing, so test with something straight off a camera roll.
Can I practice in the sample album instead?
No, and it’s worth knowing before you try it. The sample album sitting in a new account is read-only on purpose, and the dashboard turns down every change to it — including deleting anything you put in. A test you can’t take back out is worse than no test.
It also can’t be upgraded, so it will never show you how a paid plan behaves. Run the test on the event you’re really holding.
Why does the page say the album isn’t open yet?
Because a paid event waits for its payment before it opens. Until the money lands the event sits in draft, and the code still resolves: a guest reaches a page carrying your event name and the line that the album isn’t open yet. A free event goes live the second you create it.
So either test after you pay, or start the event free, test it, and upgrade later. Scanning a draft code is still a clean way to prove the code points at the right event.
Does testing weeks early shorten the album?
No. The clock is anchored to your event date, not to the day you set the album up and not to the day you tested it. A party on May 9, 2026 keeps its full window running from that date forward, whether you built the album in March or over breakfast that morning.
The 1 case that behaves differently is a date already in the past, and then the clock starts as you create it. Warnings reach you 14, 3 and 1 day before the album closes.
My test never showed up in the album. Now what?
Check your moderation setting first. With review switched on, a new file stops at processing and waits in your review queue instead of walking into the album, which is the queue doing its job rather than a fault. Approve it and it appears.
There’s no failed state to hunt for. A file that never finishes processing also sits at processing, so the 2 look identical from outside and the queue is always the first thing to rule out.
Common questions
Can I test from my own phone?
Yes. The guest page has no sign-in and can’t tell who is scanning, so your phone shows the same thing a guest gets.
Does deleting the test really free the slot?
Yes. The contribution slot and the storage both return the moment you delete it, on every plan.
Should I hide the test instead of deleting it?
Hiding pulls it out of the album but keeps the slot in use. Delete it if you want the slot back as well.
How many test uploads do I need?
1 photo and 1 video. Together they take under a minute and cover both limits worth checking.
Can I test before I pay?
Only partly. A paid event stays in draft until the payment lands, so the upload page will read as not open yet.
Create your first event
The fields you have to fill in, and the ones that can wait.
When to create it, how long it collects
Open the window before you test, not after.
Which event type should I pick?
The 1 field on the form with no edit button later.
QR code photo sharing for weddings
What a wedding album looks like once 80 phones fill it.
The test went sideways and you can’t tell why
Send us the album name and what your phone showed on the screen. That pair settles most of these in 1 reply.