Getting your Live Photo files into Photos

Keep the JPEG and MOV together

The primary ZIP contains one .pvt directory package plus a report and README. The package holds a JPEG, a MOV and metadata.plist. Keep that package intact. It is a directory with a manifest, not a ZIP renamed to .pvt. We use this interoperability layout based on open-source implementations; it is not described here as a published Apple export standard.

The plain pair ZIP under Individual files contains the JPEG and MOV separately for other importers. Matching internal identifiers associate them; renaming files cannot create a valid pair. Do not select the report JSON or README as media.

Save the iPhone package through its name menu

Use the primary Download Live Photo button or Sample C below. The top filename-menu route passed on an iPhone 17 Pro simulator running iOS 26.5. A physical iPhone tester used the bottom-right Share > Save Image action and reported that no photo was added. After clarifying the top filename-menu route, the same tester confirmed that Save to Photos imported it as a Live Photo. Press-and-hold motion playback was also confirmed; the model and iOS version have not been recorded.

1. Download the iPhone package ZIP and open Downloads in Files.
2. Tap the ZIP to extract it. Open the extracted folder, then open the item ending in .pvt. Some versions of Files hide that extension.
3. If the toolbar is hidden, tap the preview once. Tap the filename / small down arrow at the top center of the preview. This opens the name menu; it is a different control from the bottom-right Share button. In our simulator the name menu identified the item as a Live Photo.
4. Choose Save to Photos from that name menu. This is different from selecting two loose files or using the generic Share > Save Image action.
5. Open Photos. Check for one item with LIVE, the selected cover, and movement when you press and hold it.

Files import: separate items in our simulator test

We downloaded Sample A in Safari, extracted it in Files, selected its JPG and MOV together, and chose Save 2 Items. Photos created a plain photo and a video rather than one Live Photo. The following steps reproduce that test; they are not a recommended working import method. A physical iPhone may behave differently, and still needs testing.

1. Download the ZIP or transfer it to a location accessible in the Files app, such as iCloud Drive.
2. In Files, tap the ZIP to extract it, then open the extracted folder.
3. Tap Select and choose both the matching JPG and MOV in the same selection. Leave the conversion-information JSON unselected.
4. Open the share menu and note the available Save action. Our iOS 26.5 simulator showed Save 2 Items.
5. Open Photos and inspect the result: one item or two, a LIVE indicator, motion playback, and the cover image.

Compare with importing through Photos on a Mac

For a Mac comparison test, choose the plain pair ZIP under Individual files, extract it and select both the JPEG and MOV together in Photos > File > Import. Check for a single Live Photo before transferring or syncing it further. Mac Photos library import has not yet been verified for this MVP.

If it is recognized on the Mac, iCloud Photos can be used to sync that library to an iPhone configured for the same iCloud Photos library. Sync settings, available storage, and network access affect this step. Copying files into iCloud Drive alone is not the same as importing them into iCloud Photos.

AirDrop can transfer files between a Mac and iPhone, but its destination and treatment of a file pair need to be checked on the receiving device. AirDropping a ZIP does not by itself prove that the pair reached Photos as a Live Photo.

Transferring the files from Windows

Windows does not provide Apple's AirDrop workflow. You can place the ZIP in iCloud Drive, or use a supported USB or file-transfer method that makes the original files accessible on the iPhone. Verify that both media files arrived without being converted or renamed by another service.

Transfer the primary iPhone package ZIP intact, then follow the package steps above on the receiving phone. A successful transfer alone is not a Photos import. No Windows-to-iPhone end-to-end transfer has been verified for this MVP.

If Photos shows a still image or two separate items

Only the still image arrived: with the iPhone package, use Save to Photos from the preview name menu. With a plain pair, check for the matching MOV; saving the JPEG alone does not include movement. Return to the original download rather than trying to recreate the missing file from a thumbnail.

Two items appeared: the loose-resource Save 2 Items route did this in our simulator test. Use the iPhone package ZIP instead, open the .pvt item, and choose Save to Photos from the name menu. Do not assume the generic Share > Save Image action has the same behavior.

The MOV plays in Files but Photos has no LIVE indicator: ordinary video playback confirms that the MOV can be read, not that the photo library recognized a pair. Check the item type and motion in Photos separately.

Only Save Image appears: check whether you opened the bottom-right share sheet or the top filename menu. A physical-device test of the share sheet added no photo. If the top filename menu also lacks Save to Photos, record its contents, your device model and iOS version. Do not assume that repeating the same download will add a missing action.

The result is silent: that is expected in this version. The converter deliberately omits audio. A playable Live Photo also does not guarantee that iOS will accept it as an animated lock-screen wallpaper.

What we have checked, and what remains unverified

In macOS checks, ImageIO reads the generated JPEG identifier and AVFoundation reads the matching MOV identifier. AVFoundation also reads the timed still-image metadata in the standard output. The macOS PHLivePhoto API accepts both our standard sample and the comparison sample without that timed track.

On an isolated iPhone 17 Pro simulator running iOS 26.5, the system media importer created a single Live Photo from a generated pair. Photos displayed LIVE and played its motion on a long press. Sample A also imported as a single Live Photo through that importer. This developer import mechanism is not available to a website.

A different, previously unimported portrait pair saved through its .pvt preview name menu created one new Live Photo. Photos displayed LIVE, the chosen cover and motion during a recorded long press. The loose-pair Save 2 Items route still produced separate items. A physical iPhone tester has since confirmed Live Photo import through Save to Photos. The same tester confirmed press-and-hold motion playback. Mac Photos library import, iCloud Photos sync and wallpaper playback remain unverified.

Useful feedback includes your device model, iOS version, how the files reached the device, the import steps, whether Photos created one or two items, the LIVE indicator, and motion playback. Do not include personal videos or photos in a public report.

Try a checked sample first

These short color-bar samples passed macOS ImageIO, AVFoundation and PHLivePhoto checks. They are useful for separating import problems from problems with a source video. Sample A also imported as one Live Photo through the iOS 26.5 simulator's system importer. Saving that same pair from Files created separate photo and video items. The package name-menu route has since been confirmed to import as a Live Photo by an iPhone tester.

Start with Sample C: a portrait package saved through its preview name menu as one playable Live Photo in our iOS 26.5 simulator test. Extract the ZIP, open the extracted folder and its .pvt item, tap the name at the top, then Save to Photos. An iPhone tester confirmed Live Photo import through Save to Photos after initially using Save Image in the bottom-right share sheet, which added no photo. The same tester also confirmed press-and-hold motion playback.

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