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“I took this incredible live photo of the morning birds at the sunrise. I want to share that with my friends on WhatsApp, but it always turns into a still image! I desperately need to find a way to send these live photos without losing their magic. Is there any solution?”

Compared with regular photos, their live version captures a few seconds of movement and sound, making moments feel more real and memorable. Many people want to share these live photos with others, but they usually find that the photo loses its motion once it is sent. This makes it seem like a regular still image instead of the moving version they expected to share.

Consequently, the motion and sound that made the photo feel special are no longer there. Thus, this article will explain how to send live images on WhatsApp without breaking their motion. We will explore various workarounds and their detailed steps for transferring these moving photos. In addition, you will discover a bonus tool for tracking the hidden activity of other people on WhatsApp.

In this article

Part 1. What Are Live Photos?

Live photos are a type of image that includes a short video and features sound. They capture what happens just before and after the photo is taken, usually about 1.5 seconds on each side. When you view a live photo, you see a short, moving scene instead of only a still image. This makes live photos helpful in capturing genuine expressions or natural sounds around the moment.

what are live photos

This feature is available on some phones that support motion capture in the camera, usually iOS devices. Yet, the big struggle with these photos is that most people don’t know how to send a live photo on WhatsApp. Since most messaging apps don’t allow sending such photos, users mostly have to rely on workarounds.

Part 2. Is It Possible to Send Live Photos on WhatsApp?

It is impossible to send live photos directly through messaging applications without breaking their motion. Hence, when someone selects a live photo to share, it automatically turns into a still image. In addition, the short video part and the sound are lost during the process.

However, there are a few hacks to learn how to send live photos on WhatsApp, like turning them into GIFs. These formats keep the motion and allow others to see the moving image just like you intended. They also work on Android and iPhone, even if the app does not fully support the original Live Photo feature.

Part 3. How to Send Live Photos on WhatsApp as GIFs

One helpful way to send such photos is to turn them into a GIF format, as most applications support it. It is a moving image that plays in a loop but does so without sound. The format keeps motion and allows sharing in apps that don't support such photos. Therefore, follow these steps to learn how to send live photos as GIFs in WhatsApp:

Step 1. Press the "Camera" icon beside the text box to open your conversation with the other person. Next, use the "Image" icon to reach the live photo and tap and hold it for a moment. Choose the "Select as GIF" option to proceed with the process.

continue to select as gif

Step 2. Once the image is selected, press "Next" and the "Send" button to complete the procedure.

choose live photo and send whatsapp

Part 4. How to Send a Live Photo on WhatsApp via the Photos App

Another simple option is directly transferring the video to someone on the messaging application through the Photos app. This method shares the photo in GIF format, even if their device doesn't use a device that supports live images.

Additionally, the method avoids extra steps and simultaneously sends the same photo to multiple people. Users can learn how to send live photos on WhatsApp on iPhone with these steps:

Step 1. In your Photos application, open the live photo and tap the "Live” button to reveal a drop-down menu. Afterward, choose "Loop” from the options and press the "Share" icon. From the options that appear, you need to choose "WhatsApp."

adjust loop and share whatsapp

Step 2. Once you reach the messaging application, choose the targeted contact and press the "Next" button. Finally, pressing the "Send" button will share the live photo with the selected person.

select contacts and tap send

Pro Tip. Catch Hidden WhatsApp Activity – No One Will Tell You This Method

Now that you know how to send a live photo on WhatsApp, let’s move on to the bonus part and discuss the advanced activity tracking tool. WaLastseen is an advanced tool that allows users to track the last seen of people they want, even if they have disabled it. In addition, the tool provides notifications when the other person comes online through its mobile application.

The app poses no privacy concerns since it provides relevant online stats using publicly available data. Furthermore, WaLastseen lets users know how long the tracked contacts stayed online. With its features, you can track multiple people simultaneously and compare the chat probabilities between two contacts. Similarly, you can even download their statuses using this tracking tool's built-in feature.

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Track WhatsApp contacts' last seen status.
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Get instant online and offline notifications of them.
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Analyze their WhatsApp daily usage.
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Compare chat probabilities of two contacts.
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Key Features
  1. Clone WhatsApp: It assists in accessing multiple messaging accounts on a single device without restrictions.
  2. Offline Tracking: WaLastseen keeps recording the online activity even when you don’t have internet access.
  3. Different Categories: To better manage your tracked contacts, you can divide them into various categories.
Pros
  • You can find out exactly how many times the other person came online within a specified duration.
  • The tool is accessible through browsers so desktop users can track their friends' activity.
Cons
  • After the free trial, you must purchase a subscription plan to continue using WaLastseen.
Simple Guide to Catch Hidden WhatsApp Activity with WaLastseen

With the above features, WaLastseen becomes an excellent choice for parents to stay informed about their kids' activities. So, after learning how to send live photos on WhatsApp, let’s now see the steps to use WaLastseen:

Step 1. Install WaLastseen and Grant Permissions

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Track WhatsApp Last seen data

Open the tracking application and press the "Add Contacts" button to begin using it. Afterward, hit "Allow" from the bottom-up menu to grant access to the saved contacts on your phone.

allow permissions and add contacts

Step 2. Select the Contact and Confirm Its Data

Tap the "Add" button beside the contact's name to start tracking them. On the following screen, confirm their “Phone Number” and “Name” and press the “Start Tracking” button to complete this step.

track contacts after adding them

Step 3. Buy the Premium Plan to Continue Tracking

Before continuing to the tracking screen, the app will ask you to purchase the subscription plan. Hence, pick any plan and hit the “Buy Now” button to purchase the subscription. Afterward, tap the “Profile” icon on the tracking screen and head into the “Activity” tab to get detailed insights.

monitor activity from timeline

Conclusion

To conclude, although live photos are a great way to capture moments, messaging apps usually do not support them. Hence, they are converted into still photos while sharing with others. Still, there are workarounds, like converting them to GIF format, to learn how to send live photos on WhatsApp. The article also shared how you can use WaLastseen to identify your friends' hidden online activity.

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Track WhatsApp Last seen data

FAQ

  • Q1. Can I convert a live photo into a GIF using third-party apps?
    Various applications available for smartphones allow you to easily turn a moving picture into a GIF. Apps like Lively and intoLive allow you to convert your images to other formats, adjust loop settings, and even add effects.
  • Q2. Will the sound from a live photo be included in the GIF?
    Sound is never included when converting a live photo to a GIF because this format does not support audio. Although live photos initially contain movement and sound, only the visual part is saved when they are converted into GIFs. To share motion and sound, you need to save the live photo as a video instead of a GIF.
  • Q3. Are live photos supported on all phones?
    This feature is not supported by every phone and is mainly found on iPhones and a few newer Android models. Some Android phones offer similar features under different names, like "Motion Photos," but they may work differently and not be fully compatible with other devices.
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Stay in the know with your cared ones.
See the online/offline status even of users who have set it to hidden.
Get to know the online/offline status for not one but multiple contac.
Get online/offline notifications in real-time without any delays.
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