The Problem with Live Photos
When Apple introduced the Live Photos feature, it revolutionized casual smartphone photography by capturing 1.5 seconds of video and audio before and after you press the shutter button. This creates a wonderful Harry Potter-esque moving image. However, Live Photos have significant downsides. Because they are essentially small video files, they consume significantly more storage space than standard photos, quickly filling up your iCloud storage tier. Furthermore, if you are attempting to take a sharp photo in low-light conditions, the Live Photo video recording can introduce motion blur, ruining what would otherwise be a crisp still shot. If you find yourself constantly tapping the Live Photo icon to turn it off before every picture, you should disable it permanently.
Step 1: Turn Off the Feature in the Camera App
First, you must ensure the feature is currently turned off in your active camera session.
- Open the Camera app on your iPhone.
- Look at the top right corner of the screen for the Live Photos icon (it looks like three concentric circles).
- If the icon is yellow and does not have a line through it, Live Photos is active. Tap the icon once.
- A slash will appear through the circles, and a brief “Live Off” message will display on the screen.
Step 2: Preserve the Camera Settings
If you only complete Step 1, the Camera app will simply turn Live Photos back on the very next time you open the app. To make the change permanent, you must adjust the core iOS camera settings to remember your preference.
- Close the Camera app and open the main iOS Settings app.
- Scroll down the long list of apps and tap on Camera.
- Tap on Preserve Settings.
- Look for the toggle labeled Live Photo.
- Tap the switch to turn it On (the background will turn green).
What This Setting Actually Does
Turning on the “Preserve Settings” toggle for Live Photo does not turn the feature on or off. Instead, it tells the iOS operating system, “Whatever I chose to do the last time I had the Camera app open, remember that choice forever.” Because you manually turned off Live Photos in Step 1, your iPhone will now permanently remember that “Off” state. Every time you open the camera in the future, it will be set to take standard, high-quality still photos, saving you storage space and preventing motion blur.