The Live Photo function in FaceTime works exceptionally well for capturing special moments during video calls with others. For the most part, it is incredibly comfortable to use; Simply press that Shutter icon to quickly take a Live Photo. But eventually, you will encounter situations where FaceTime Live Photos doesn’t work or save images on your iPhone, iPad or Mac.
There are several reasons why FaceTime does not allow you to take or save Live Photos. Privacy restrictions, outdated system software, and FaceTime glitches are often the usual suspects. So, let’s take a look at the best ways to solve them.
Enable FaceTime Live Photos
Taking FaceTime Live Photos is undoubtedly fun. However, not everyone enjoys embarrassing moments captured in Live Photo form. So there is a built-in setting to help prevent this. And to make things fair, FaceTime also stops people who block Live Photos from taking any Live Photos.
Therefore, when you try to take a Live Photo, you may notice the message ‘FaceTime Photos must be enabled on both devices to use this feature’ flashing on the screen. In such a case, both you and the person you want to Live Photograph should check the FaceTime Settings and enable FaceTime Live Photos (if disabled) on your respective devices.
Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad, and then find and tap FaceTime. On the next screen, scroll down and turn on the switch next to FaceTime Live Photos.
When using FaceTime on Mac, click FaceTime (with FaceTime on) in the menu bar, then click Preferences. Under the Settings tab, check the box next to ‘Allow Live Photos to be taken during video calls’.
If you’re the only one who has FaceTime Live Photos disabled, you should be able to fix the problem quickly. However, asking other people to enable FaceTime Live Photos can be a bit of a stretch, as often the functionality is down for some reason. Unfortunately, there is no other way around this restriction.
Update iOS or iPadOS System Software
Apple briefly removed FaceTime Live Photos in iOS 12.1.1 in response to a security-related vulnerability in group calls. They finally brought the functionality back after they fixed the issue.
However, this means that both you and the person you’re talking to must have at least iOS 12.1.4/ipados 13.0 or higher to use FaceTime Live Photos. Same goes for Mac. Both people must have macOS 10.13.6 High Sierra / 10.14.4 Mojave or later installed on their Macs.
In case you need to take Live Photos of another person in a group video call, you both need iOS 13.0, iPadOS 13.0, or macOS Catalina 10.15 or later.
To check your OS version on iPhone and iPad, go to the Settings app, tap General, then About. If you need to update your device, return to the previous screen and then tap Software Update.
On a Mac, open the Apple menu, then click About This Mac to check the current macOS version. If you need to update your Mac, go to Apple menu > System Preferences, then tap Software Update.
Note: On Macs running macOS High Sierra and earlier, go to the Mac App Store, then tap Updates to bring up the latest compatible updates for your Mac.
Check Live Photos Album
FaceTime Live Photos cannot be accessed over FaceTime. Instead, the operating system saves them to your Camera roll of the Photos app. If you can’t find them among other photos on your iPhone, switch to the Albums tab and then tap Live Photos.
On Mac, tap the Live Photos tab in the sidebar of the Photos app to filter your Live Photos, which should include those from FaceTime.
Note: After you end a FaceTime call, give your Live Photos a few seconds to appear in the Photos app.
reboot device
In cases where you took Live Photos and they don’t appear in the Photos app, restart your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. This may fix temporary issues with FaceTime Live Photos not working properly.
Note: To turn off an iPhone or iPad with Face ID, press the Volume Up button and then the Volume Down button. Watch immediately by holding down the side button.
After restarting your device, start a FaceTime call and try to take a Live Photo again.
Open iCloud Photos
If you’re having issues with FaceTime not saving your photos to the Photos app even after the device restarts, try turning iCloud Photos off and back on. The forum chat points to a possible fix for FaceTime Live Photos to work properly again.
Go to the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad, tap Photos, then turn off iCloud Photos. Wait a few moments and then re-enable iCloud Photos.
If you’re using FaceTime on a Mac, open the Photos app, then click Preferences in the menu bar.
Under the iCloud tab, uncheck the box next to iCloud Photos. After a while, tick the box again.
Toggle FaceTime
Disabling and re-enabling FaceTime on your device can also help fix persistent problems with FaceTime Live Photos. Go to the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad, tap Facetime, then turn off the switch next to FaceTime. Wait for a while and then re-enable FaceTime.
On a Mac, click FaceTime (with FaceTime open) in the menu bar, then click Preferences. Under the Settings tab, uncheck the box next to Enable This Account. Wait a moment and tick the box again.
You can also ask the person you want to take their Live Photo from to disable and enable FaceTime on their device.
Live in Motion
Problems with Live Photos in FaceTime can be a bit annoying to solve as some fixes apply to everyone in the call. Make sure you take the time to patiently review them and hopefully you’ll be able to start taking FaceTime Live Photos soon.
Next: Have you finally managed to take Live Photos on FaceTime? Click the link below to learn how to edit them.
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