LockimateGuide ·
What Is a Live Photo? How iPhone Live Photos Work
A Live Photo is an iPhone photo that also records about 1.5 seconds before and 1.5 seconds after you tap the shutter, saved as a still image paired with a short video clip so the picture can play back as motion.
Apple introduced Live Photos with iPhone 6s and iOS 9 in September 2015. The Camera app has them on by default, which is why so many photos in an iPhone library carry the small Live badge.
How a Live Photo Works
A Live Photo is two files that iOS keeps together as one item:
- A still image — a HEIC file on current iPhones (older iOS versions used JPEG). This is the key frame you see in your library.
- A MOV video clip — the motion around the shot: roughly 1.5 seconds before the shutter and 1.5 seconds after, about 3 seconds in total. The clip usually looks softer than the still because it's recorded at a lower resolution.
The two files are paired by a content identifier written into both. That shared ID is how Photos, iCloud and the wallpaper picker know the video belongs to the still. Separate them — or let an app rewrite one half — and you're left with an ordinary photo and an unrelated video.
The 1.5 s + 1.5 s window is the capture spec. How much of it gets played back depends on where you view it (see below). The exact metadata a file needs for iOS to accept it as a wallpaper is covered in native Live Photo format; to test a file you already have, use the Live Photo check tool.
A Live Photo also records audio. You can mute it in the Photos editor.
Only have the still half of the pair? Lockimate generates the matching motion for you — no reshoot, no editing skills needed. Turn a favourite photo into a Live Photo.
Try it freeHow to Take a Live Photo (and Turn It On or Off)
- Open the Camera app in Photo mode.
- Check the Live Photo button — the concentric-circles icon at the top of the viewfinder. When it's on, it's highlighted; when it's off, it's shown with a line through it. Tap it to switch.
- Take the shot, and keep the phone steady for a moment afterwards — the camera is still recording the "after" half.
- Open the photo in Photos and touch and hold it to watch the motion.
By default, the Camera app turns Live Photo back on each time you open it. To make your last choice stick, go to Settings → Camera → Preserve Settings and turn on Live Photo. The turn Live Photo on or off guide covers this step by step.
Two capture limits worth knowing:
- No 48 MP Live Photos. Live Photos can't be shot at 48 MP. If you switch to the 48 MP (or ProRAW) format on iPhones that have it, Live Photo is turned off for that shot.
- Video mode doesn't make Live Photos. A Live Photo only comes from Photo mode. To use an existing clip, you have to convert the video into a Live Photo.
Where a Live Photo Animates
In the Photos app. Touch and hold the photo to play the clip. It plays once, with sound if your phone isn't muted.
On the Lock Screen, as a wallpaper. On iOS 17 or later you can set a Live Photo as your Lock Screen wallpaper with the Live option on, and it plays when the screen wakes. This works on every iPhone model except iPhone SE. iOS 16 removed Live Photo wallpapers; iOS 17 brought them back. The Home Screen shows the still.
Lock Screen playback isn't the full 3-second clip. Apple publishes no duration for it. In our own device testing, iOS plays roughly the final ~2 seconds leading into the key frame, slowed down, once — a short burst of motion that settles onto the still. It doesn't loop. Low Power Mode stops wallpaper animation, so turn it off if your wallpaper suddenly stays still.
To set one up, see how to make a live wallpaper on iPhone. For how the camera format and the wallpaper feature relate, see live wallpaper vs Live Photo.
Elsewhere. Other Apple devices signed into the same iCloud Photos library keep the motion, and AirDrop to another Apple device keeps it too. Many third-party apps and social platforms post only the still frame. Android has no native Live Photo format.
Live Photo vs Video vs GIF
| Live Photo | Video | GIF | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Files | Still image (HEIC/JPEG) + MOV clip, paired | One MOV or MP4 file | One .gif file |
| Length | About 3 s captured (1.5 s before + 1.5 s after the shutter) | Any length | Usually a few seconds, looping |
| Sound | Yes (can be muted) | Yes | No |
| Still frame | Full-quality key photo | No separate still | No separate still |
| iPhone Lock Screen wallpaper | Yes, animated (iOS 17+, not iPhone SE) | No — must be converted to a Live Photo first | No |
| Plays on | Apple devices | Everywhere | Everywhere |
The Live Photo is the only one of the three that iOS will animate natively on the Lock Screen. A video or GIF has to be converted into a genuine Live Photo pair first. iOS 26 also adds Spatial Scenes, a separate wallpaper type — a still photo that shifts in 3D as you tilt the phone, with no recorded motion at all.
Live Photo Effects: Live, Loop, Bounce, Long Exposure
The Photos app can play any Live Photo in one of four ways (Loop, Bounce and Long Exposure arrived in iOS 11):
- Live — the default; the clip plays once when you touch and hold
- Loop — the clip repeats continuously
- Bounce — the clip plays forward, then in reverse, repeatedly
- Long Exposure — blends the frames into a single still, blurring anything that moved (water, light trails)
Open the Live Photo in Photos and pick the effect from the Live menu. Effects are non-destructive — you can switch back at any time. Trimming the clip, changing the key photo and muting are covered in how to edit a Live Photo on iPhone.
Making a Live Photo From a Still
A screenshot, a scan, a download or a photo taken with Live off has no video half, so it can't animate. Lockimate fills that gap: it generates motion for any still photo with AI and saves a genuine Live Photo (paired HEIC + MOV) to your library, ready to set as a Lock Screen wallpaper with the Live option on. Generation takes about 2–3 minutes, and your first wallpaper is free.
For motion ideas, see the best moving wallpapers for iPhone.
FAQ
How long is a Live Photo?
The camera captures about 3 seconds: roughly 1.5 seconds before you tap the shutter and 1.5 seconds after. That is the capture length. As a Lock Screen wallpaper, iOS plays only a short part of it — Apple publishes no duration; in our device testing it is roughly the final ~2 seconds leading into the key frame, slowed down, played once.
What file format is a Live Photo?
Two files that iOS treats as one: a still image (HEIC on current iPhones, JPEG on older ones) and a short MOV video. Both carry a matching content identifier, which is how iOS knows they belong together.
Which iPhones can take Live Photos?
Every iPhone from iPhone 6s (2015, iOS 9) onward can capture Live Photos. Using one as an animated Lock Screen wallpaper is narrower: it needs iOS 17 or later and works on every iPhone model except iPhone SE.
Why doesn't my Live Photo wallpaper move?
Check that you're on iOS 17 or later, that the phone is not an iPhone SE, that the Live option was on when you set the wallpaper, and that Low Power Mode is off — Low Power Mode stops wallpaper animation. Also make sure the file is a genuine Live Photo; many apps strip the video half when you save or share.
Can I take a Live Photo at 48 MP?
No. Live Photos can't be shot at 48 MP. On iPhones with a 48 MP camera, switching to the 48 MP (or ProRAW) format turns Live Photo off for that shot.
Can Android phones play Live Photos?
Android has no native Live Photo format, and Android lock screens can't use one as a wallpaper. The still image opens as a normal photo anywhere that supports HEIC or JPEG.
Can I turn a regular photo into a Live Photo?
Apple has no built-in tool for it. An app like Lockimate generates the motion with AI and saves a real Live Photo (paired HEIC + MOV) to your library in about 2–3 minutes; the first wallpaper is free.
What's the difference between a Live Photo and a live wallpaper?
A Live Photo is the file format. A live wallpaper on iPhone is a Live Photo set as your Lock Screen with the Live option on. See live wallpaper vs Live Photo for the full comparison.