Head over to Tumblr if you want to share Live Photos from your iPhone on the web

By Andy Boxall September 21, 2016

ios auotmatic scene modes smartcam leak cell phone camera iphone feat — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Tumblr has become the first social website where you can share those fun Live Photos taken with your iPhone, following the introduction of Live Photo sharing through its app last year. The timing is fortuitous, as with the iPhone 7 and iOS 10, Apple has added new editing features to Live Photos, so you can ensure the pictures you do post look great.

Identifying Live Pictures on Tumblr is similar to doing so in the Camera Roll on the iPhone. Just look out for the circular icon in the top corner. However, while 3D Touch is used to animate Live Photos on the iPhone, that’s obviously not going to work elsewhere. To see the picture in all its glory on Tumblr, just click and hold.

Easy, but not quite as easy as a GIF, which auto-plays when viewed, and that will remain a problem for wider adoption of Live Photos outside of sharing between iPhone-owning friends. Aside from Tumblr, Facebook also supports Live Photo sharing, but the animated part can still only be seen on a device running iOS 9 or above.

In iOS 10, Apple has added an edit feature for Live photos, with both a crop feature and a chance to adjust the length of the animation. There’s also the opportunity to add a filter to Live Photos. Additionally, for the hardcore Live Photo fan and if Apple’s own stabilization system doesn’t quite do the job, then Google Photos has a feature called Motion Stills to steady the shot. It also lets you export Live Photos as short videos.

Finally, in an effort to help spread Live Photos around the web, Tumblr has open-sourced the code that makes it possible to share the photos online, ready for any developer to use. It’s also hard at work creating an Android version too.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Senior Mobile Writer

Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

Mobile

I found an amazing new way to use my iPhone 15 Pro Max

The back of a Natural Titanium iPhone 15 Pro Max.

When Apple announced the iPhone 15 Pro series last September, there was one feature I was more excited about than anything else: the Action button. Gone was the useless ring/silent slider. In its place was a button we could customize to our exact liking.

I've been using the Action button on my iPhone 15 Pro Max ever since I got it, and for the last few months, it's been programmed to open the camera app. It's convenient, but it's also nothing particularly exciting. Recently, though, I found a new and unexpected way to use my iPhone's Action button — and it's kind of blowing my mind.
Supercharging the Action button

Mobile

One of the most iconic iPhone accessories is back — and it’s great

Mophie Juice Pack for iPhone 15 Pro.

In the early days of the iPhone, one of the most popular accessories was the Mophie Juice Pack battery case. This was one of the first and original battery cases for the iPhone that would extend the battery life of your phone to help you get through the day. It was essential when traveling, as you’d likely go through your iPhone’s battery much faster and might not be near an outlet.

The Mophie Juice Pack became a staple for many people and spawned numerous copycats, but once Apple introduced MagSafe with the iPhone 12 line, it seemed like the need for battery cases dissipated. In fact, it has been a few years since Mophie last released a Juice Pack case for the iPhone. But the Mophie Juice Pack has finally returned, and it’s currently available for the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
The return of a classic

Mobile

Are you having iPhone alarm problems? A fix is coming soon

A person holding the Apple iPhone 15 Plus.

If you’ve slept through an important meeting or missed your alarm lately, it may not be entirely your fault if you’re an iPhone user. For weeks now, iPhone users have been reporting on social media that their devices are no longer ringing.

Today, The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern finally confirmed this. According to Stern, Apple has confirmed that it’s aware of the issue causing some alarms not to play a sound and is working on a fix.
iPhone alarm issues explained
The iPhone alarm problem seems to be tied to Apple’s Attention Aware features. For those unfamiliar, it’s a feature that lowers the volume sound of your alerts and alarms if you’re looking at your device and avoids dimming the screen, similar to how Samsung phones keep the screen on if they see you looking at your screen.