If you turn off Live Photos in the iPhone Camera app, you may notice that it turns itself back on the next time you open the camera. The fix is a small setting that tells your iPhone to remember your last camera choice.
To keep Live Photos off, enable Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings > Live Photo. Then open Camera, switch Live Photo to Off, and the camera should remember that choice the next time you use it.
Quick answer
- Open Settings and go to Camera > Preserve Settings.
- Turn on the Live Photo switch. This tells Camera to preserve your last Live Photo setting.
- Open the Camera app in Photo mode.
- Open the camera controls, choose Live, and select Off.
- Close and reopen Camera to check that Live Photo remains off.
Why Live Photos turn back on
Live Photos capture a short moment of movement and audio around the time you take a picture. Apple enables the feature by default on supported devices, so a still-photo setting may reset when you leave Camera.
The Preserve Settings menu lets Camera remember choices such as the last camera mode and Live Photo setting. The confusing part is that the Live Photo switch in Preserve Settings must be turned on to preserve your choice of Live Photo being on or off. It does not force Live Photos to stay enabled.
Apple explains this behavior in its guide to saving camera settings.
Turn Live Photos off in the Camera app
First, set Live Photo to Off in the camera itself. The control looks different depending on your iOS version.
On iOS 26
- Open the built-in Camera app and select Photo mode.
- Tap the Camera Controls button, or swipe up from the Photo mode area to open the controls.
- Tap Live.
- Choose Off, then tap outside the controls to close them.
Apple documents the current controls in its Live Photos camera guide. If you prefer to keep the Live Photo control visible on the camera screen, go to Settings > Camera > Indicators and turn on Live Photo.
On older iOS versions
On some earlier versions, the Live Photo button appears directly on the Camera screen instead of inside the controls menu. Tap the Live Photo icon until it shows the crossed-out or Off state. If you cannot find it, check the Camera controls or the Indicators setting described above.
Make the Off setting stick
- Leave Camera and open Settings.
- Scroll down and tap Camera.
- Tap Preserve Settings.
- Turn on the Live Photo switch.
- Return to Camera and set Live Photo to Off using the steps above.
Now close Camera and open it again. The Live Photo control should still show Off. If it is on, double-check that you enabled the Live Photo option under Preserve Settings—not just the Live Photo control in Camera.
If Live Photos still turn on
- Check the correct switch. In Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings, Live Photo should be on so the camera remembers your last choice.
- Make sure you are in Photo mode. Live Photo controls may not appear in every camera mode.
- Look inside Camera Controls. On newer iOS versions, the control may be in the expanded menu rather than visible beside the shutter button.
- Check the format setting. Apple says Live Photos are unavailable while ProRAW or HEIF Max is enabled on supported models.
- Restart and update. If the setting still does not persist, restart the iPhone and install any available iOS update before trying again.
If the control is missing, go to Settings > Camera > Indicators and enable Live Photo to show the control on the camera screen.
Turn an existing Live Photo into a still image
Turning Live Photo off only affects new captures. To remove the motion effect from a photo you already took:
- Open the Photos app and select the Live Photo.
- Tap Edit.
- Tap the Live Photo button in the editor.
- Tap Live at the top to turn the effect off, then tap Done.
The photo becomes a still image using its key photo. Apple provides these steps in its Live Photo editing guide.
Keep privacy in mind when sharing
Because a Live Photo can include movement and sound, check it before sharing if you intended to send only a still picture. You can convert it to a still image using the editing steps above. Photos may also contain other information, such as location metadata; our guide to photo EXIF data explains what that information can reveal.
The Live Photo setting controls the built-in Camera app’s capture behavior, not which apps have camera permission. To review app access separately, see our guide to protecting your smartphone privacy.
Frequently asked questions
Does turning on Preserve Settings mean Live Photos are on?
No. It means Camera remembers your last choice. If you set Live Photo to Off in Camera, Preserve Settings keeps it Off the next time you open the app.
Will turning Live Photos off delete old Live Photos?
No. It changes how new pictures are captured. Existing Live Photos remain in your library unless you edit or delete them.
Can I turn Live Photos back on later?
Yes. Open Camera, choose Live in the camera controls, and select On or Auto. Preserve Settings will remember that choice too.
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Do Live Photos record sound?
Yes. A Live Photo captures a short moment around the shutter press, including audio. If you do not want that extra motion or sound, use the still-photo setting.
Once Preserve Settings is enabled and Live Photo is switched off in Camera, your iPhone should keep taking ordinary still photos until you choose to turn Live Photos on again.
