This troubleshooting guide will help you figure it out and get the issue fixed so you can grab photos during your calls.
Why Do My FaceTime Photos Not Save?
If you’re having trouble with your FaceTime Live photos not saving or even not taking at all, it could be privacy restrictions, outdated software, or a glitch that is the cause. Fortunately, using the troubleshooting steps below, most of these issues are easily fixable.
How to Fix It When FaceTime Live Photos Are Not Saving
If Your FaceTime Live photos are not working, walk through each of these steps until you solve the problem, or at the very least until you figure out what the problem is, because if it’s a privacy setting, you might not be able to change it.
Ensure you and the other person (or people) on your call have FaceTime Live Photos enabled. If you can enable them on iPhone or if you’re using a Mac, with FaceTime open, go to the FaceTime menu > Preferences. Then make sure the option to Allow Live Photos to be captured during video calls option is toggled on (it will be green). Both parties have to have this feature enabled for this to work. If the person on the call doesn’t have them enabled on their device, you can’t capture or save photos. It’s a privacy setting that users can control. Although this is a privacy setting, it is automatically enabled on most Apple devices, so if someone taking pictures of you is something you don’t want to happen, you should turn off the option. However, be aware when others take pictures of you (or if you take pictures of them), both parties get a notification if someone has taken a picture. Make sure you have enough storage space. Your photos won’t save if you don’t have enough storage space. You may need to try freeing up some storage space and then try your FaceTime Live Photos again. Turn FaceTime off and then turn it back on. This action is essentially restarting FaceTime. Turn it off, give it about a minute, and then turn it back on. Once it’s fully functional, try the call and your FaceTime Live Photos again. Restart your device. If you and the person you’re trying to take pictures of both have the ability enabled, but you’re still unable to capture images during a call, you might need to restart your device. A quick restart on your iPhone or a quick restart of your Mac might fix the problem. If you can, ask the other person to restart their device so you know you’re both working from a fresh restart to rule out any issues that might occur on either side. Check your privacy restrictions. If your Camera or FaceTime apps are restricted, you won’t be able to take pictures during a FaceTime call, which also means you won’t be able to save them. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allowed Apps > make sure both FaceTime and Camera are enabled. Update your iPhone. The ability to capture FaceTime Live Photos was available before iOS 12, but it was removed and not added back until iOS 15. Make sure your iPhone is updated to the most currently available operating system, and then try your FaceTime Live Photos again. Try disabling and then re-enabling iCloud Photos. To do this, go to Settings > Photos > and toggle iCloud Photos off (the toggle will turn grey). Give it about 60 seconds, and then turn it back on. It might reset your photo sync so you can see the photos you’ve captured during a FaceTime call.
Where Did My FaceTime Photos Go?
If your FaceTime Photos are working, but you can’t find the photos you took, try looking in the Live album in your Photos app. It’s where FaceTime Life photos save by default. If they’re not there, you can check All Photos in the Photos app. And if you still can’t find them, then you might need to make a Genius Bar appointment to get additional help locating them.
Both parties have to have this feature enabled for this to work. If the person on the call doesn’t have them enabled on their device, you can’t capture or save photos. It’s a privacy setting that users can control.
If you can, ask the other person to restart their device so you know you’re both working from a fresh restart to rule out any issues that might occur on either side.
