What it means
A named invitation grants a specific Google Account access to an album. Link sharing lets anyone holding the link view it, including people to whom an invitee forwards it. Both are useful, but the link is not a membership list. Google lets an album owner turn link sharing off and remove collaborators separately. Removing a person can also remove their contributions from the album.
A real-world example
A family album starts with three named relatives, then someone enables a link for one guest. Months later that link appears in a public chat, so strangers may view images even though the original invite list still looks small.
What to do
Audit both link sharing and named people. Turn the link off when no longer needed, test it from a separate signed-out session and review collaborators individually.
The distinction that matters
Revoking access cannot undo downloaded or screenshotted copies. Removing someone and disabling a link are different actions, and an image can be shared elsewhere. Only the album owner can change some controls. A QR code is another way to distribute the same link, not a separate permission boundary. If a former invitee added images, removal may also remove those contributions, so preserve wanted material with permission before altering the audience.
Google shared album controls
