Apple’s Live Photos are set to experience a second wind: Apple has released documentation on a new Javascript API to help developers implement compatibility on the web at large.
Apple first introduced the format – an image/video hybrid format – with the iPhone 6s in 2015. New devices had the ability to take a still image which, when pressed, would playback a short video clip from just before and just after the main image was captured.
Micro-blogging website Tumblr was quick to implement the format within its website. However, despite Tumblr releasing its own documentation on how it implemented the format, few followed suit. Outside of the Apple ecosystem across iOS and macOS, Live Photos saw little light of day.
However, Apple has responded (albeit more than a year and a half later) with an official JavaScript API that will enable developers to add Live Photos to the web and have their playback customized.
Apple notes:
“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.”
The result for consumers and Apple users is that not only will they begin to see more Live Photos across the web, much of their own Live Photo captures won’t languish only on their own devices.
Until now, numerous apps have arisen that will help users trim, edit and stabilize their Live Photos, as well as converting them to GIFs to share online. However, the quality of Live Photos is far higher than a GIF, and Apple’s latest move shows a more active approach to helping Live Photos find a place on the wider web.
Keep reading: Get more out of Live Photos with these 3 great apps