Apple Announces LivePhotosKit API for Embedding Live Photos in Websites - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Announces LivePhotosKit API for Embedding Live Photos in Websites

by

Apple today announced the launch of a new LivePhotosKit JavaScript-based API that's designed to make it easy to embed Live Photos taken with Apple's latest iPhones into websites.

livephotosdev

This new JavaScript-based API makes it easy to embed Live Photos on your websites. In addition to enabling Live Photos on iOS and macOS, you can now let users display their Live Photos on the web.

Introduced alongside the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in 2015, Live Photos are designed to add life and vitality to the standard still photo by adding a bit of motion. A Live Photo captures an extra 1.5 seconds of movement before and after a shot, animating an image with movement and sound.

Live Photos can be captured using the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, SE, 7, and 7 Plus, and can be viewed on all devices running iOS 9, OS X El Capitan, and watchOS 2 or later.


Though Live Photos have been around since 2015, few social networks support them, and there have been limited ways for non-Apple users to view them. The addition of a LivePhotosKit API may help make Live Photos more popular.

Top Rated Comments

D.T. Avatar
121 months ago
My girlfriend took photos of her newborn nephew and was showing them off to family members and they were adoring the photos. Then she 3D Touched one photo and the baby boy came to "life" with sounds of him babbling and someone actually wowed and said that was amazing.

I couldn't have rolled my eyes any harder. I told my girlfriend she can keep 3D Touch and Live Photos, I'll stick to my superior OLED display.
So a family member had a better experience due to the technology, but you rolled your eyes and said some display hardware was better ... I see.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nrose101 Avatar
121 months ago
All I see are negative comments about live photos. Guess what you don't like them. DONT USE THEM. I personally love the feature!
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jasonklee Avatar
121 months ago
Another one: My father passed away last summer and recently I visited my brother and we got to talking about our old man and how much I missed him and I still have dreams of him and I wake up feeling sad. My brother showed me a photo he took of him shortly before he died, on the sofa, looking out the window. Then my brother 3D Touched it and in the Live Photo my father turns, notices the camera, and waves and smiles.

I looked up at my brother and sighed and told him what a gimmick Live Photos are and how Apple needs to think of better uses of their technology.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jasonklee Avatar
121 months ago
Live photos, probably the most gimmick of an iPhone feature ever.
My girlfriend took photos of her newborn nephew and was showing them off to family members and they were adoring the photos. Then she 3D Touched one photo and the baby boy came to "life" with sounds of him babbling and someone actually wowed and said that was amazing.

I couldn't have rolled my eyes any harder. I told my girlfriend she can keep 3D Touch and Live Photos, I'll stick to my superior OLED display.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
btrach144 Avatar
121 months ago
I'm shocked at how many people think live photos are worthless.

My child is constantly on the move, and live photos helps to capture how active she is. Considering our family members live far away, this neat feature helps to bring the pictures to life.

To each their own :)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
121 months ago
Well, I don't get it. I think it's pretentious that Apple tries to "humanize" technology. Like health and activity tracking. I question the pragmatic usefulness. What's the point of Live Photos? My brother and my girlfriend have a bunch of them. By far the dumbest photo is one where my dad is craddling my infant son, but in the Live Photo it shows my dad humming a lullaby to my him. Disgusting sentimental crap and not to mention, completely useless.

My girlfriend's father also passed around the same time as my father from the same cancer, and she has a Live Photo of her dad playing the guitar as her wallpaper and once in a while she'll 3D Touch the Lock screen to play the wallpaper. How is this USEFUL technology? A show of hands will reveal that most people find Live Photos are, indeed, a gimmick.

A REAL file system, a live weather widget, and a bigger battery are all way more important innovations than Live Photos.
The sarcasm is strong with this one. (Or at least I think it is)

Personally I think Live Photos are great.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra: Pre-Orders and Release Date

Thursday July 30, 2026 6:12 am PDT by
Apple has yet to reveal when the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra will be announced and released, but the dates usually follow a familiar pattern. Labor Day is September 7 this year. The last time the holiday fell on that day was in 2020, but the iPhone event that year was delayed until October due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, the last time Labor Day was on September 7 in a normal year was in ...
Apple Event Logo

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Wednesday July 29, 2026 11:39 am PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system that is essentially a mix of tvOS, watchOS, and iOS, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report this week, he said the operating system will feature a grid of icons, widgets, and apps, along with customizable clock faces. The new software platform is intended for Apple's long-rumored smart home hub. With built-in facial recognition,...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

iPhone 18 Pro: Twelve Changes Coming to Apple's Next Flagship

Thursday July 30, 2026 3:43 am PDT by
We're less than two months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a dramatic change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year,...

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors