According to the good folks over at Android Authority, Google will soon make it easier for users migrating to Android to import their iPhone Live Photos.
Live Photos quickly became one of iOS’ signature features when it was introduced in 2015. While appearing to be a still photo, a Live Photo is basically a short video clip, giving users the ability to see more than a single-frame still photo can capture. Unfortunately, the format is difficult to migrate to Android, meaning the Live Photos do not transfer well.
In one of their APK teardowns, the folks at AA have discovered that Google is working on a new feature of its Data Transfer Tool that will support importing Live Photos and automatically converting them to Google’s competing Motion Photos format. Significantly, the imported photos will be stored directly on the phone, rather than being processed in the the online Google Photos like past versions, which could be a problem for Google One accounts with limited storage.
The update should remove one more barrier for iPhone users that may be looking to switch it up a bit.