Open the Live Photo in Photos, tap Share, leave the LIVE badge in the corner of the photo switched on, then choose Messages or AirDrop and send it to an Apple device. Mail always sends a still. For anyone not on an Apple device, tap the More button and choose Save as Video, then send that video instead.
Which ways of sharing keep a Live Photo moving?
Sharing between Apple devices keeps the motion; most other routes send a still. Apple’s rule is short: for devices or services that do not support Live Photos, a Live Photo is shared as a still photo. That line comes from the iPhone User Guide page Share photos and videos on iPhone.
Here is what the official sources say about each route:
| How you send it | What arrives | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Messages to an iPhone or iPad | A Live Photo. The recipient opens it, then presses and holds to play | Apple |
| Messages to a Mac | A Live Photo that plays once when opened | Apple |
| AirDrop to an iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Vision Pro | A Live Photo, as long as LIVE is on in the share sheet | Apple |
| A still image, always | Apple | |
| A Live Photo, if the Live Photo icon is on and you do not edit the picture | ||
| A text to a phone that does not support Live Photos | A still photo | Apple |
| Any app that only accepts images | A still photo | Apple |
The two Apple rows about Messages and the Mail row are from Apple’s support article Take and edit Live Photos, published in September 2026. If you are not sure what a Live Photo contains in the first place, start with what a Live Photo is: it is a still image paired with a short clip, and the clip is the part that gets dropped. Apple does not give AirDrop its own line about Live Photos; that row follows from the general rule, since AirDrop only sends to Apple devices.
How do you send a Live Photo in Messages or AirDrop?
Send it from the Photos app and check the LIVE badge before you choose where it goes. The steps:
- Open the Photos app and open the Live Photo.
- Tap the Share button.
- Look at the upper-left corner of the photo in the share sheet. LIVE should be switched on. If it is off, tap it.
- Choose Messages or AirDrop, pick the person or device, and send.
That is all there is to it. The recipient on an iPhone or iPad taps the photo to open it and then presses and holds to see it move. On a Mac it plays through once, and the LIVE button in the bottom-left corner of the photo replays it.
Two details in the share sheet are worth knowing. Tap Options at the top and you can pick a file format: Automatic lets iOS choose the best format for the destination, Current prevents a conversion, and Most Compatible may convert files to JPEG or MOV. The same screen has All Photos Data, which sends the original file with its edit history and metadata. Apple notes that this switch works with AirDrop only.
If two iPhones are next to each other, there is a faster route. Keep the Live Photo open on your screen, make sure both phones are unlocked with AirDrop turned on, bring them close together and tap Share. The photo is added to the other person’s Photos library.
How do you send only the still photo?
Turn LIVE off in the share sheet. Apple’s instruction is to tap LIVE in the upper-left corner of the photo before you share it. The other person receives one frame, with no motion and no sound.
The frame they get is the key photo. If that frame is a blink or a blur, fix it before you share: the steps are in our guide to changing the cover photo of a Live Photo.
This switch only affects the copy you send. Your own photo stays a Live Photo. If you want to remove the motion from your own copy too, open the photo, tap Edit, tap the Live Photo button, then tap the Live button at the top of the screen. Apple’s guide Edit Live Photos on iPhone describes the result plainly: the Live Photo becomes a still of its key photo.
Does WhatsApp keep the motion?
Yes, with two conditions. WhatsApp announced support for Live Photos on iOS and Motion Photos on Android in its feature roundup of September 29, 2025, and its help center confirms that WhatsApp supports Live Photos.
The conditions are in WhatsApp’s help article How to edit photos and videos:
- The Live Photo icon must be on. WhatsApp shows a Live Photo icon, drawn as circles inside a dotted circle, that you tap to turn the motion on or off before sending.
- Do not edit the picture in WhatsApp. The article says that if you edit a photo, Live Photos will be turned off. Cropping, drawing or adding text sends a still.
The same article says you can tap the mute icon to turn off the audio in your Live Photo, which is useful when the background sound is not something you meant to share.
One more limit: WhatsApp says it is not possible to edit media when you share to WhatsApp directly from another app on iPhone. If you want to check or change the Live Photo setting, start inside WhatsApp and attach the photo from there, instead of starting in Photos. WhatsApp’s help pages do not describe exactly what the recipient sees on every device, so send one to yourself or a friend before you rely on it.
When should you send a video instead?
Send a video whenever you cannot be sure the other side supports Live Photos. A video plays everywhere, and Apple suggests this route itself: the Edit Live Photos guide says you can turn a Live Photo into a short video “to share with people not on Apple devices.”
To make the video, open the Live Photo in Photos, tap the More button in the top-right corner and tap Save as Video. A new video appears in your library and the original Live Photo is untouched. The full walkthrough, including what to do when the option is missing, is in Live Photo to video.
Use this table to decide:
| Your situation | What to send |
|---|---|
| The other person uses an iPhone, iPad or Mac | The Live Photo, by Messages or AirDrop, with LIVE on |
| The other person is on Android and you both use WhatsApp | The Live Photo in WhatsApp, unedited, with the Live Photo icon on |
| You do not know what phone they have | A video made with Save as Video |
| You are sending by email | A video, because Mail sends a Live Photo as a still |
| You are posting somewhere that only takes images | The still, or a GIF made from the Live Photo |
| You want it to repeat without a press and hold | Apply Loop or Bounce first, then share; see how to loop a Live Photo |
Why did the Live Photo arrive as a still?
Almost always one of five things went wrong. Check them in this order:
- LIVE was off in the share sheet. It is easy to tap the badge by accident while scrolling through photos to add more. Open the share sheet again and look at the corner of the photo.
- You used Mail. Apple says a Live Photo shared by Mail is sent as a still image. There is no setting that changes this.
- The other device or service does not support Live Photos. This is Apple’s general rule, and it covers a lot of cases: phones that are not Apple devices, websites, and many chat apps.
- You edited it in WhatsApp. Any edit turns the Live Photo off for that message.
- The photo was no longer a Live Photo. If Live was turned off in the edit screen, or the effect was set to Live Off, there is only a still to send. In Photos, go to Collections, scroll to Media Types and tap Live Photos to confirm it is still listed there.
It is also possible that the motion arrived and the other person does not know how to play it. A Live Photo looks like a normal picture until someone presses and holds on it. Tell them to open it and hold a finger on the screen.
What about a Live Photo you made from a video?
It behaves like any other Live Photo. Once it is saved in your Photos library, the same share sheet, the same LIVE badge and the same limits apply.
That gives you a choice other people do not have: you still hold the original clip. If the person you are sending to cannot play a Live Photo, send them the trimmed video and keep the Live Photo for yourself, for example as a Live Photo wallpaper.
If you have not made it yet, the free video to Live Photo tool trims a clip to between one and three seconds and lets you pick the cover frame in your browser, without uploading the file. Pick that cover frame with sharing in mind. It is the image people see before they press and hold, and it is the only thing they see when the motion gets left behind. More how-tos like this one are listed on the guides page.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my Live Photo send as a still picture?
Three causes cover most cases. The LIVE badge on the photo was switched off in the share sheet, you sent it by Mail, or the app or device on the other end does not support Live Photos. Apple states that a Live Photo is shared as a still photo to devices and services that do not support the format. Send it again with LIVE on, or send a video.
Can you send a Live Photo to an Android phone?
Not reliably as a Live Photo. Apple says devices that do not support Live Photos receive a still photo. Two options keep the motion: send it through WhatsApp, which supports Live Photos on iPhone and Motion Photos on Android, or use Save as Video in the Photos app and send the resulting clip, which plays on any phone.
Does a Live Photo keep its sound when I send it?
Yes, unless you muted it. A Live Photo records audio along with the motion, and the sound travels with it when the motion does. To send it silent, open the photo, tap Edit, tap the Live Photo button and tap the sound button at the top of the screen. Tap the same button again later to bring the sound back.
How does the other person play the Live Photo I sent?
On an iPhone or iPad, they tap the photo in Messages to open it, then press and hold to play it. On a Mac the Live Photo plays through once when it is opened, and clicking the LIVE button in the bottom-left corner of the photo plays it again. If nothing happens when they press and hold, only the still arrived.
Does AirDrop keep a Live Photo's motion?
AirDrop sends photos between Apple devices, and it is the only sharing option that offers All Photos Data, which sends the original file with its edit history and metadata. Leave the LIVE badge on in the share sheet before you tap AirDrop. If the badge is off, only the still key photo is sent, the same as with any other sharing option.
How do I send only the still from a Live Photo?
Open the photo, tap Share, then tap LIVE in the upper-left corner of the photo so it is switched off, and send it. The recipient gets the key photo with no motion and no sound, and your own copy stays a Live Photo. To change which frame is sent, set a new key photo first.
By the AliveShot team · Last updated