The Live Photo feature on iPhones is a great photography trick that captures a short video and attaches it to your still images. While looking at pictures on your iOS device, you can press and hold an image that has been clicked using Live Photo and view a 1.5 sec video with audio recordings. You also have the option to save the Live Photo as a video itself. Moreover, Live Photos look like GIFs and can be sent in the same format using third-party instant messaging apps. However, you do not always want a video attached to your photos, so, here’s how to turn off Live Photos on your iPhone.
How To Turn Off Live Photos
Live Photos are turned on automatically on an iPhone via default settings in the camera app. But, you can turn off Live Photos by tapping on the Live Photos Icon from within the app. Open the Camera app > tap on the Live Photos Icon. Since the settings are turned on automatically, the Live Photo Icon will be highlighted in a circled yellow shade. Once you turn it off, the circle will appear gray in colour with the crossed line across it. However, this is temporary and when you open the camera app again, Live Photos will automatically activate.
However, you can permanently preserve your last used settings and keep Live Photos off. Head to Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings > Toggle switch to On (Green) position next to Live Photos. By using the Preserve Settings for the camera app, your last used options will be saved bypassing the default settings. Remember, if for some reason you turned on Live Photo, the camera app will record your last setting, and next time you open the camera Live Photos will be activated. So, keep a check on the Live Photos icon.
Why You Need To Turn Off Live Photos on the iPhone
Like mentioned above, Live Photos create a short one and a half second video for us to visualise the memory attached with an image. Along with capturing a video of moments before and after the still image, Live Photos also record the sound. While it’s great to visualise a photo, it can be a privacy concern.
For instance, if you want to share an image with someone which is in the Live Photo format, you may unintentionally send an embarrassing audio recording. Furthermore, with Live Photos turned on, your camera app switches on the microphone, I am sure you wouldn’t want to be in a position knowing that your phone is actually recording everything. Moreover, Live Photos take up twice as much space than a still image. If you are running short of space on your iPhone, it is best to stick to still images rather than Live Photos.