Camera and media capture
Live Photos
Most people call this photos that record a moment of movement.
A Live Photo captures a second and a half of video either side of the shutter, which lets you choose a better frame later or turn it into a short loop.
This setting is present on your iPhone.
- We have this path on file but have not yet confirmed it against an official source.
Where to find it - iOS 18 and later
- Settings
- Apps
- Camera
- Preserve Settings
- Live Photo
What it does
The extra frames roughly double the storage a photo uses. You can pick a different key photo, trim the clip, or turn the whole thing into a still.
What changes
When it is on
Each photo carries a short clip.
When it is off
Photos are plain stills and take less space.
Should you turn it on?
Good reasons to turn it on
- Pick a better frame after the moment has passed.
- Loop and Long Exposure effects need it.
Good reasons to turn it off
- Roughly double the storage per photo.
- Shared photos sometimes move unexpectedly for the recipient.
Battery
No real change
Privacy
Depends how you use it
Performance
No real change
Cellular data
Costs you something
Storage
Costs you something
Out of the box: On, and it turns itself back on unless Preserve Settings is configured.
Where this setting used to live
Apple moves settings between releases. This is every location we have on file.
-
iOS 18 and later
Settings > Apps > Camera > Preserve Settings > Live Photo
-
iOS 13 to iOS 17
Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings > Live Photo
Questions people actually ask
- How do I turn Live Photos off for good?
- Turn it off in the Camera, then turn on Live Photo under Camera, then Preserve Settings.
If it is not working
- To keep it off permanently, turn on the Live Photo switch under Preserve Settings.
- Converting to a still in Photos frees the extra storage.