Apple iPhone and iPad users resort to Facetime for their video calling needs as it’s consistently the most seamless app natively available, with several useful features. However, people have been reporting issues related to Facetime photos not saving since iOS 12, and the issue seems to have carried on through iOS versions.
In this article, we’ve explained why Facetime photos are not saving and nine ways to fix the issue.
Why are FaceTime Photos not saving?
While one of the major reasons for Facetime Photos not saving is often cited as the iOS version of the device as iOS 11 and earlier versions, don’t support all features of Facetime live photos. You need to be using at least iOS 12 to use Facetime photos seamlessly. Another reason for the error could also be the difference in iOS devices of the sender and recipient on Facetime.
Other than this, temporary bugs and glitches with your device’s iOS version or Facetime app could also be causing the issue.
Also read: Why is my Facetime not working?
How to fix FaceTime Photos not saving error?
We’ve listed nine potential fixes for the Facetime photos not saving issue on iPhone or iPad.
Restart your iPhone
One of the first things you should do is try and restart your iPhone to see if that resolves the issue. Restarting your device can solve many seemingly random issues that would otherwise be quite tricky to debug.
Disable and re-enable FaceTime
You can try disabling Facetime from the settings are re-enabling it to check if the live photos start saving again.
- Head over to the settings and tap Facetime.
- Disable the Facetime toggle and then enable it after a few minutes.
Now try making a Facetime call again, and this should hopefully have had fixed your issue.
On macOS
If you’re on a Mac, open the Facetime app, head over to Preferences and uncheck Enable this account. Wait for a few minutes and check the option back again.
Also read: How many times does FaceTime ring?
Sign out of FaceTime and sign back in again
Signing out of Facetime and signing back in again can help freshen things up and hopefully resolve any issues you’re facing on the way. Here’s how.
- Head over to settings and tap FaceTime.
- Tap your Apple ID
- Choose Sign Out.
Once you’re logged out, log back in again using the same Apple ID and check if you can make Facetime calls now.
On macOS
Open the Facetime app and head over to the Preferences from the menu bar. Click on the Sign Out button at the top of the window and confirm the action. Once you’re logged out, log in again to see if Facetime works.
Disable FaceTime restrictions
If you’re not able to see the Facetime icon at all on your device or aren’t seeing any content associated with it, including live photos, chances are it’s getting trapped in some screen time or content restrictions by accident. Follow these steps to fix this.
- Head over to the settings and tap Screen Time.
- Tap on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- Head over to Allowed Apps.
- Make sure that the Facetime and Camera apps are enabled.
On macOS
On a Mac, head over to System Preferences followed by Screen Time. Select Content & Privacy from the sidebar, and under the Apps tab, check the Facetime and Camera apps.
Enable/Disable FaceTime Live Photos
You can only take Facetime live photos if all the participants in the video call have the feature enabled. Apple allows people to disable Facetime live photos feature to stay in control of their privacy.
If someone on the Facetime call has disabled the feature, you’ll get a ‘Facetime photos must be enabled on both devices’ message.
Open iPhone/iPad settings and follow the steps mentioned below to toggle Facetime live photos to be captured during a Facetime video call.
- Scroll down and tap on Facetime.
- Then tap on the toggle button beside Facetime Live Photos to enable the feature.
If all the participants have got this feature enabled and still you’re facing the Facetime photos not saving error, disable the feature and enable it again.
Also read: How to use FaceTime on Android?
Enable/Disable iCloud Photos
If you’ve enabled iCloud backups for Photos and nothing has fixed the issue so far, you can try toggle the iCloud Photos feature.
Open iPhone/iPad settings and follow the steps mentioned below to toggle Facetime live photos to be saved to your iCloud account.
- Scroll down and tap on Photos.
- Then scroll down and tap on the toggle button beside iCloud Photos — disable it and enable it again.
Check for iOS updates
Another potential reason for iMessage waiting for activation error could be a bug in iOS. More often than not, developers realise this quickly and release patches or subsequent updates to fix such issues.
Follow these steps to ensure that you have the latest iOS version installed on your phone.
- Head over to the settings and tap on General.
- Tap on Software Update.
- Ensure that you’re on the latest update available. If not, update your device immediately.
Hard reset iPhone or iPad
Hard reset can help eliminate temporary bugs with your iPhone or iPad’s software that could be causing the Facetime issue.
Check out our article here to learn how to hard reset iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
Keep in mind there are slight variations in the steps followed for different models of Apple’s devices. We’ve mentioned three different ways to hard reset your Apple device, depending on the model.
Check Live Photos Album
Facetime live photos can’t be accessed directly from the app itself. However, if you’re unable to find them in the camera roll of the Photos app, check out the Live Photos folder in Albums.
- Open the Photos app.
- Tap on Live Photos under Media Types in the Album tab.
Also read: No app found to open URL: 2 Quick Fixes
