The Live Photos feature on iPhone provides some added context to your still photos by capturing video and sound for a moment before and after taking the photo. The final result is a 1.5-second clip along with the still photo. Live Photos look similar to GIFs and can be saved as videos with full sound.
The feature can be a fun way to save special memories. You can save cute videos of laughing babies or puppies with tails wagging while having their photo taken. However, there are also some downsides to Live Photos such as storage and privacy issues. If you want to turn off Live Photos here is what you need to do.
How to Turn Off Live Photos
Live Photos are turned on by default on the iPhone. There are two ways to turn them off; they can be turned off temporarily for one photo session or permanently in the Settings app.
To turn off Live Photos for one photo session:
- Open the iPhone Camera app.
- Toggle the Live Photos icon at the top to turn off Live Photos.
The Camera app turns Live Photos on again automatically next time you open the camera app.
To turn off Live Photos permanently:
- Open the Settings app.
- Choose Camera from the menu list.
- Select Preserve Settings from the menu.
- Toggle the Live Photo setting off.
Why You Might Want to Turn Off Live Photos
There are a number of reasons why you may want to turn off Live Photos on your iPhone. One major reason is that Live Photos take up more space on your phone. A Live Photo takes up about twice the space of a standard still photo, and this can add up quickly if you take photos with your iPhone frequently. If you’re low on storage space, turning off Live Photos can help you save space when taking photos.
Live Photos are not ideal for all forms of photography. If you’re taking photos in low light, you may want to turn off Live Photos for better image quality.
There have also been privacy concerns raised regarding Live Photos. Live Photos record before and after you snap a photo and record sound. Many people have accidentally caught things on camera that they didn’t want to by moving the phone after taking the picture while the Live Photo was still recording.
The sound recorded with the Live Photo is also not played back when viewing a Live Photo in your camera roll, so there is also some concern in sending Live Photos to others without listening to the sound first. To hear the sound recorded you must unmute your iPhone and playback the whole Live Photo.
Lastly, concerns have been raised based on the sound and video recording obtained before the photo is taken. When Live Photos are on and the Camera app is open, the iPhone is constantly recording in order to obtain that pre-photo video and sound. The video and sound recorded is only saved to the device if a photo is taken. However, users may feel uncomfortable knowing that they are being recorded continuously.
iPhone Privacy Concerns
Privacy is of the utmost concern for many iPhone and consumer tech users. The Live Photos setting is a fun option to capture even more of the memories behind your photos, but if you aren’t careful you may catch something in the background that you hadn’t planned to.
Double-check your iPhone settings to see what other settings you may have on that could lead to privacy concerns.