How to Turn Off Motion Photo on Android and Samsung Devices
Motion Photo is one of those features that sounds great in theory — a brief video clip automatically captured alongside every still image — but quickly becomes a storage drain and an organizational headache for many users. If you've noticed your gallery filling up with animated thumbnails, or your photos taking up far more space than expected, Motion Photo is likely the reason. Turning it off is straightforward, but the exact steps depend on which device and camera app you're using.
What Is Motion Photo (and Why It Eats Your Storage)
Motion Photo (called Live Photo on iPhone or Action Photo on some older devices) works by recording a short video clip — typically one to three seconds — every time you press the shutter. The result is a hybrid file: a standard JPEG or HEIC image bundled with a compressed video segment.
The appeal is real. You can replay the moment, pick a better frame, or create a more dynamic memory. But the tradeoff is significant:
- Motion Photo files are two to four times larger than standard still images
- They generate thumbnail animations in most gallery apps, which can feel cluttered
- They complicate sharing — many platforms strip the video component, or display the file unexpectedly
- They can slow down photo editing workflows, especially if you're working with large batches
For casual snappers, none of that may matter. For anyone managing storage carefully or shooting high volumes of images, it adds up fast.
How to Turn Off Motion Photo on Samsung Galaxy Devices
Samsung is the most common Android manufacturer to enable Motion Photo by default. The setting lives inside the native Camera app, not in the system settings.
Steps for most Samsung Galaxy models (One UI 3.0 and later):
- Open the Camera app
- Make sure you're in Photo mode (not Portrait, Pro, or Video)
- Look for the Motion Photo icon at the top of the screen — it typically looks like two overlapping circles or a small filmstrip symbol
- Tap it once to toggle it off
- The icon will appear crossed out or change appearance to confirm it's disabled
On some older Samsung models running One UI 2.x or earlier, the toggle may instead be found by tapping the Settings gear icon within the camera app, then scrolling to find Motion photos and switching it off.
The setting is persistent — once disabled, it stays off until you manually re-enable it, even after restarting the device.
How to Turn Off Live Photos on iPhone
Apple's equivalent feature is called Live Photos, and it behaves the same way: a 1.5-second clip is captured before and after the shutter press.
To disable Live Photos for a single session:
- Open the Camera app
- Tap the Live Photos icon (the concentric circles icon) at the top right of the viewfinder
- A line through the icon confirms it's off for the current session
⚠️ Important distinction: On iPhone, this setting does not persist by default. Every time you close and reopen Camera, Live Photos reverts to on.
To make the setting stick permanently:
- Go to Settings → Camera → Preserve Settings
- Toggle on Live Photo
With Preserve Settings enabled, the Camera app will remember your last-used Live Photo state.
Turning Off Motion Photo on Google Pixel and Other Android Devices
Google's native camera app on Pixel devices offers a similar feature under a slightly different name. Look for "Motion" or "Top Shot" within the Camera app's settings or shooting mode options.
General steps for most Android camera apps:
- Open the Camera app
- Tap the Settings icon (gear or three dots/lines)
- Locate an option labeled Motion, Live, Action Photo, or similar
- Switch it off
Third-party camera apps like Open Camera or Adobe Lightroom Mobile don't use Motion Photo by default — this is primarily a feature of manufacturer-built camera apps.
Key Variables That Affect Your Experience 📸
Not every user will encounter the same settings or behavior. Several factors shape what you'll find:
| Variable | How It Affects Motion Photo Settings |
|---|---|
| Device manufacturer | Samsung, Google, Xiaomi each implement this differently |
| OS / UI version | Older Android versions may bury the toggle in different menus |
| Camera app version | App updates sometimes relocate or rename settings |
| Third-party camera apps | Usually don't include Motion Photo at all |
| iPhone model / iOS version | Persist behavior requires Preserve Settings, not just toggling |
What Happens to Existing Motion Photos
Disabling the feature going forward doesn't affect files already saved to your gallery. Existing Motion Photos remain as hybrid files.
If you want to convert existing Motion Photos to standard stills, most gallery apps offer this option:
- On Samsung Gallery: Open the photo → tap the three-dot menu → look for "Save as photo" or "Turn off Motion Photo"
- On Google Photos: The video component is preserved unless you explicitly export only the still frame
- On iPhone: Open the Live Photo → swipe up to see effects → select "Live Off" to save it as a still
Storage savings from bulk conversion can be meaningful if you have hundreds or thousands of Motion Photos accumulated over time.
The Part That Depends on Your Setup
Whether you should keep Motion Photo on or off — and which method works for your device — comes down to factors only you can assess: how much free storage you're working with, which camera app you actually use day to day, whether you're shooting on iOS or Android, and how you manage and share photos after the fact. The same toggle that's a minor nuisance to one person is a significant workflow issue for another. Your gallery, your device, and how you use them are the missing pieces here.