How to See FaceTime Photos

FaceTime is an iOS feature that disappeared for a brief time from the iOS 12, only for Apple to reintroduce it in the 12.1.1 version. This option allows you to take a picture of a person you’re video chatting with.

When you take a FaceTime photo, you’ll capture a live image. This means that the device will capture a few seconds before and after the image, making it more of a short video.

This article will look into the steps you need to take before you can capture FaceTime live photos, and we’ll also cover how to see them and what to do if something doesn’t work.

Step 1: Turn on FaceTime Live Photos

You have to enable FaceTime live photos before you can find them on your phone. To turn this feature on, you should follow these steps:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap the FaceTime menu (camera icon).
   
3. Toggle the FaceTime live photos menu on.

You need at least iOS 11 installed on your device for this feature to work. If you can’t find it on your iPhone or iPad, you have an earlier version of the operating system. In that case, you should try to update your device, and if that doesn’t work, you need to get a more recent one.

If you want to take a FaceTime photo, both users need to enable this feature. If the person you’re communicating with disabled the live photo option, you won’t be able to take a picture. This helps ensure people’s privacy – if you don’t want anybody to take live photos of you while on FaceTime, you should disable this feature.

Note that nobody can take a FaceTime live photo of you without your knowledge. Once somebody captures a live image, you’ll receive a notification.

Step 2: Capture a Live Image

When you successfully enable the FaceTime live photo feature, you’ll be able to take a live image of your conversations. Follow these steps:

1. Open the FaceTime app.
2. In the search box at the top, type the name, email, or phone number of the person you’re planning to chat with.
3. Tap the camera button on the right to start a FaceTime video chat.
   
4. Wait for the contact to answer.
5. Tap the shutter button on the bottom left of the screen to capture an image.
   

If you see a notification that says “Facetime needs to be enabled on both devices,” the person on the other side didn’t allow the live photos in their settings.

Step 3: Find FaceTime Live Photos

Once you manage to capture a FaceTime live photo, you should look for it on your device. Your device should store them in your Photos app by default. Just go to the app menu, and tap the Photos app. You should find all the live photos that you’ve captured here.

If you can’t find your images in the Photos app, check if you have any third-party storage apps turned on, as your device might automatically store the live photos there. Also, if you don’t have enough storage memory, you won’t be able to capture new images.

Live Photos Not Working?

If your FaceTime live photos feature isn’t working, and it’s not because of the reasons mentioned above, there are a few ways to fix the issue.

Reset Facetime

Sometimes this app can glitch or get buggy, especially after a new update. To fix this issue, you should just deactivate it, and then activate it again.

1. Go to the Settings app.
2. Tap the FaceTime menu.
3. Toggle the FaceTime option off.
4. Toggle Live Photos off.
5. Wait for a moment.
6. Toggle them both on again.

Once you restart the app, it should start working normally. If not, proceed to the next step.

Force Restart Your Device

If you force restart your iPhone, it will automatically shut down and restart the system, which should deal with any bugs. To restart the system, here’s what you need to do:

For iPhone 7 and later:

1. Hold the Volume Down and Power buttons at the same time for half a minute.
2. Release once the Apple logo displays again.

For iPhone 6S and lower:

1. Hold the Power button and Home button for 30 seconds.
2. Release when the logo appears on the display.

An Alternative to Live Photos

There’s another method that you can use to capture FaceTime images, and that’s the screenshot method. You can use the screenshot hotkey (Home button + Lock screen) and the device will automatically capture the image on your screen. The person on the other end won’t be notified in this case.

So be careful when using FaceTime. Even if you disable the live photo feature, there’s a way other people can capture an image of you.

Capture the Moment

FaceTime lets you decide when other users can capture your live photos. But you can’t stop the person you’re having a video chat with from taking screenshots, so FaceTime isn’t the best option if you want total privacy.

Do you always keep your FaceTime live photo feature on? If not, why? Share your opinions in the comments below.