What a Live Photo really is

A Live Photo isn't a single image but two things in one: a still plus around 1.5 seconds of motion with sound, recorded before and after the shutter. Technically two files sit together: an image file (often HEIC, see HEIC explained) and a short video file (MOV). The Photos app manages both as one unit — which is why it feels like a single photo that comes alive when you press it.

Why it's just a photo elsewhere

The motion is an Apple feature that other systems don't know. As soon as a Live Photo goes to a non-Apple device or many platforms, only the still is transferred — the motion stays behind. In most cases that's actually convenient (you want to share a photo). Only if you want to keep the motion do you have to convert actively.

First pick the best still

An underrated advantage: because a Live Photo contains many frames, you can change the key photo afterward. In the Photos app, edit the Live Photo and move the key-frame marker — that way you pick the sharpest or nicest image from the whole sequence. Exactly the right trick when someone blinked or looked away at the actual moment of capture. The chosen still is then what gets transferred when sharing.

Converting to a still

If the motion bothers you (because the MOV wastes storage or causes confusion when sharing), a Live Photo can be saved as a normal photo: in the Photos app via "Duplicate → Duplicate as Photo," or set the Live effect to "Off." What's left is an ordinary still with no video attachment.

Converting to a GIF or video

If you want to keep the motion and make it universally shareable:

  1. On the iPhone directly: open the Live Photo, tap "Live" at the top left, and choose "Loop" or "Bounce." That creates a looping motion image you can save as a video that plays anywhere.
  2. Turn it into a GIF: then convert the saved video into a GIF if you need an auto-looping format without a player (chat, README) — the route is in Create a GIF from a video. For your own website, though, an animated WebP or video is smaller.

In short

  • Live Photo = still + short video, managed as one unit.
  • Outside Apple, usually only the still arrives.
  • Change the key photo to rescue the blink-free moment.
  • For motion: save as video, convert to GIF if needed.