problem with displaying a Live Photo in Messages app on iPhone

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Level 4

1,206 points

problem with displaying a Live Photo in Messages app on iPhone

Can any of you tell me if you've experienced any same or similar problem and/or if you know the cause and/or solution? The full-frame display of a received photo in the Messages app on the iPhone 5s as well as the iPad Air only shows the word Photo and, below that, the phrase Live Photo in black text on a gray background. Said photo is one of hundreds of similar photos received from an associate's iPhone 6s sent via iMessage. So this particular iMessage conversation goes from the present time back several months and contains hundreds of photos, Live Photos and otherwise, received from one and the same iPhone 6s that they were recorded on in the first place. It displays in its conversation bubble with the Live Photo star-burst icon like all the other Live Photos but it won't "play" and when I touch on that, the full-frame display frame does open but the frame only contains the word Photo and, below that, the phrase Live Photo on a gray background. Happens on the iPhone 5s as well as the iPad Air (both on iOS 10.1.1.) No such problem with any other photo or Live Photo in this or any other iMessage conversation!

iPhone 5s, iOS 10.1.1, Live Photo, Messages, iMessage

Posted on Nov 25, 2016 11:09 PM

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Answer 1

braden85

Community Specialist

Dec 16, 2017 10:46 AM in response to Toot Uncommon

Hi Toot Uncommon,

It sounds like you're having trouble playing back a Live Photo. Let's see if we can isolate the issue.

Let's start out by restarting your iPhone if you haven't already. Follow these steps:
Restart your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

Since you received this photo in a message, let's try to save the photo to your camera roll and see if the behavior happens in Photos as well.

If that doesn't solve the issue, also try having them re-send the image.

Let us know if any of this helps.

Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.

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Answer 2

Dec 16, 2017 6:40 AM in response to Toot Uncommon

Lol too much info. iPhone 7 up to date and can’t play Live Photo’s sent via messenger. I previously was able to do this as late as this past summer. Bottom line: why won’t Live Photo’s go thru on my text messages??

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Answer 3

Toot Uncommon Author

Level 4

1,206 points

Nov 29, 2016 3:18 AM in response to braden85

Ok. I tried all that to no avail but I figured out the problem. The sender has lately been adding some very entertaining graphical flairs and text banners to a lot of her photos with some kind of photo editing app. It turns out that this is the one and only Live Photo I’ve received that has been so-edited. So that editing technique or app, although not causing any problems with the regular still photos I receive from her, apparently made this Live Photo incompatible with Quick Look view in Messages app on iPhone 5s and iPad Air. I’m attaching a screen capture of the resultant Quick Look view of the subject Live Photo. To clarify, the subject Live Photo appears "in line" within the iMessage conversation in the Messages app as normal as ever for a Live Photo but you cannot play the Live Photo or save it as a Live Photo to Photos from there since you have to open it in Quick Look to do either. (If you save a Live Photo directly from the in-line iMessage conversation, what actually gets saved is a regular still photo i.e. the de facto still frame of the Live Photo.) Which is no big deal any way but here is the good news. The same Live Photo works as right as rain in Messages and Photos on the Mac as well as with iCloud Photo Library which I happen to use across the board. So I was able to save it as a full-blown Live Photo to Photos/iCloud Photo Library via Messages app on the Mac (keeping in mind you have to do this via Messages Quick Look wherein you click on “Open in Photos” in order to save the full-blown Live Photo.) Via iCloud Photo Library, I subsequently also have the full-blown Live Photo in Photos on the iPad and iPhone as well! How sweet it is!

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