How to enable or disable Live Photos during FaceTime calls

Our devices give us plenty of ways to capture precious moments. From taking photos to recording videos, we can easily save seconds or minutes to cherish later. And if you find yourself using FaceTime even more than before, you may want to save snapshots of those calls.

One way is to record FaceTime calls on your iPhone and Mac. But if you don’t want to record an entire lengthy call yet capture a moment or two, you can snag Live Photos instead. This tutorial shows you how to start as well as stop Live Photos from being captured during your FaceTime calls on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

FaceTime Disabled Live Photo iPhone

Enable or disable Live Photos in FaceTime

Live Photos on a FaceTime video call is controlled by a simple setting in your iPhone or iPad Settings app or Mac’s FaceTime Preferences. Follow along as we guide you through it.

On iPhone and iPad

Here’s how to change FaceTime Live Photos setting:

1) Open the Settings app and tap FaceTime.

2) Scroll toward the bottom, and you’ll see the toggle for FaceTime Live Photos. In case you’re new to iPhone, green is on and gray is off when you slide the toggle.

If you opt to turn on FaceTime Live Photos, this allows others to capture photos of you during calls. So obviously, if you want to prevent this, turn the toggle off.

FaceTime Enabled Live Photo iPhone

Capture Live Photo during FaceTime

To snap a Live Photo during a FaceTime call on iOS, tap the capture button at the bottom. If you don’t see the button, tap the screen, and it will show up.

If your caller has this setting disabled, you’ll see a message letting you know.

FaceTime Capture Live Photo iPhone

On Mac

Here’s how to change FaceTime Live Photos setting on Mac:

1) Open FaceTime and click FaceTime > Preferences from the menu bar.

2) Select the Settings tab, and toward the bottom, check or uncheck the box for Allow Live Photos to be captured during Video calls per your preference.

FaceTime Enabled Live Photo Mac

Again, if you don’t want the caller to be able to take a Live Photo of you during a call, be sure to uncheck the setting.

Capture Live Photo during FaceTime on Mac

To snap a Live Photo during a FaceTime call on Mac, click the capture button. If you don’t see the button, click the screen, and it will show up.

FaceTime Capture Live Photo Mac

If the setting is disabled, you’ll see a message asking if you want to enable it. Remember, it must be enabled on both devices.

FaceTime Disabled Live Photo Mac

If you and your friends or family want the ability to snap some Live Photos during your FaceTime calls, this is a great feature. And just remember, if you want to prevent others from capturing your face during the calls, it’s easy to disable it.

What are your thoughts on the Live Photos during FaceTime calls feature?

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