Filenames on live photos change during AirDrop from iPhone to Mac

Hi everyone.

Issue: Filenames of photos don't match what the filename is on the phone after transferring the photo using AirDrop from the phone to the mac.

I'm on the latest iOS version, but running Mojave 10.14.6 (can't upgrade yet due to getting some old files out of Aperture still).

Found these other three questions, but didn't really see the answer, so I'm posting a new question.

First - the links to the other threads...

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8149719

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250184591

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251098958

The solution in the first post 8149719 seems just wrong to me. I've never had to worry about an existing filename issue with photos being transferred to my mac. So that "solution" doesn't even make sense to me.

The solution in the second post 250184591 "random file names..." isn't a solution for me. I am not importing the photos into Photos app and don't use iCloud photo library - plus the Shared album approach seems really to defeat the purpose here.

The third post where Leonie provides an explanation never seems to have been completely explored, so I thought I would add to the conversation with some findings.

Generally speaking I use Image Capture to move images from my iPhone to a permanent storage folder on a disk drive, then I manually import that folder into Photos (I know that duplicates my photos, but this way I have an original, never messed with, never in an application, etc. version of the picture just in case - more of a back up strategy in reality).

Every once in awhile, I take some pictures that I just need to email to someone or store for a warranty repair item or something like that. In that case, where the picture is just going to used and then deleted, I transfer the picture from my phone to the mac using AirDrop.

If I take a series (let's say 5 for this example) pictures, then transfer them to the mac using AirDrop, the photos generally would come over with the same filename as what shows in Image Capture. HOWEVER - this is not the case if the images are "live photos" - in this case, the filenames are randomly assigned to the image file on the mac. They have absolutely no rhyme or reason on the numbering sequence. This is an issue if you are sending the set of 5 pictures to someone to review in order they were taken. I also noticed that the "options" when doing AirDrop don't change the result in any way. If the pictures are NOT LIVE, the filenames on the mac after using AirDrop match exactly the "real" filename that the phone assigned when the image was captured (as verified using Image Capture).

I can't figure out why the LIVE images would come over with different filenames when compared to standard images. Does anyone else think this is a bug somewhere in the AirDrop process? I get the privacy choices in the options field (location or all metadata), but they don't persist between subsequent AirDrop "sessions" - which is also a bit of a pain as well, but I can deal with that if needed.

If I use Image Capture to move the images to the mac, the filenames match the phone exactly (a live photo adds the .MOV file in addition to the image file).

Just seems like odd behavior overall. Thoughts? Is this a bug that should be fixed? Or a "feature" some developer thinks is a good idea (if so, what is the thinking here)?

Also wondering out loud if this behavior is the same in Catalina and in the betas of Big Sur?

Thanks everyone.

Dane