Guest access
Can guests take event photos without downloading an app?
Learn how Occur guest access works through QR invitations, an iPhone App Clip or an Android browser, and what the organizer still needs.
At a glance
Occur guests can join through an invitation without installing the full app. The organizer creates events in the iPhone app. Guests enter a name and use an App Clip on supported iPhones or the browser on iPhone and Android.
A guest should be able to understand the invitation before committing to a download. But no app download does not mean no steps: opening the invitation, entering a name, allowing the camera and completing uploads are still part of the experience.
This guide explains the separate requirements for Occur organizers and invited guests, so you can plan around the phones people actually bring.
The organizer and guests have different requirements
| Role or device | How Occur works |
|---|---|
| Event organizer | Uses the full iPhone app with an authenticated account to create and manage events. |
| Guest on a supported iPhone | Opens the invitation through an App Clip when Apple makes it available, or uses the browser. |
| Guest on Android | Opens the invitation in a browser and uses the event camera and gallery there. |
| Full app user | Signs in to an account before accessing events in the full app. |
There is no separate Android app, and guests cannot create or manage events from the web. If the person organizing the event has only an Android phone, that is an important constraint when choosing Occur.
On iPhone, an App Clip can open the guest experience
An App Clip is a small part of an iPhone app that Apple can make available for a specific task. For Occur, that task is joining an invited event and taking photos, without installing the full app first.
Availability depends on the device and how the invitation is opened. Plan for the browser route as well, and test the actual printed QR code. When a guest instead chooses the full app, that app requires sign-in.
On Android and in the browser, allow camera access
The guest opens the event invitation, enters a display name and joins. The browser then needs camera permission so the guest can take photos. Denying that permission prevents the event camera from working until the permission is changed.
If an invitation opens inside another app's embedded browser and the camera does not work there, try opening the same invitation in the phone's regular browser. Test this before the event rather than assuming every embedded browser behaves the same way.
Keep the experience open until uploads finish
An internet connection is needed to join. After joining, captured originals are saved on the device before upload. If reception drops, leave the browser or App Clip open and finish the pending uploads when the connection returns.
Clearing website data, using private browsing or removing the guest experience can affect local access and pending files. Saving a photo locally is not the same as confirming that it reached the shared album. Arrange reliable connectivity and finish uploads before clearing anything.
Explain the invitation in one clear sentence
Tell guests that the QR opens an event camera, rather than leaving them to guess whether it is a menu, a payment page or an album to browse. Explain the reveal timing and who can view the photos as part of the invitation.
For a wedding or large party, have one person test the guest journey on both platforms. Keep the event link handy for anyone who cannot scan, and direct guests with questions to the organizer or Occur support.
A shared disposable camera for your event
Create on iPhone. Invite guests by QR code or link. Choose your camera style, gallery visibility and reveal timing.
The iPhone app is coming soon to the App Store. These guides describe the experience we are preparing for launch.
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