You're in the middle of a perfect FaceTime call with your best friend who just moved across the country. They’re laughing, the lighting is weirdly great for once, and you go to hit that white shutter button to capture a Live Photo. But nothing happens. Or worse, the button is just a sad, translucent ghost of its former self.
It’s incredibly annoying. FaceTime Live Photos were supposed to make long-distance hanging out feel more "real," but when the feature stops working, you're usually left staring at a greyed-out icon with no explanation. Honestly, Apple doesn't make it super obvious why this happens. Sometimes it’s a setting you forgot, and other times it’s actually the person on the other end of the line who’s accidentally blocking you.
If you’re wondering why is FaceTime Live Photos greyed out, it usually boils down to a handful of specific software handshakes that didn't happen.
The Privacy Handshake (It’s a Two-Way Street)
The most common reason the button is greyed out isn't even a bug. It’s a privacy requirement. For a Live Photo to work, both people on the call must have the feature enabled in their own settings. If you have it on but your friend doesn't, the button stays grey. Apple designed it this way so people can't take "live" snippets of you without you specifically opting into the feature.
Think of it as a mutual agreement. If one person revokes consent by flipping a toggle, the whole system shuts down for that specific call.
To check this on your end (and to tell your friend to check theirs), head over to Settings, scroll down to Apps, and find FaceTime. Look for the toggle labeled FaceTime Live Photos. If it’s off, there’s your culprit. If it’s already on, but the button is still grey during a call, the person you're talking to almost certainly has theirs turned off. You'll have to ask them to go into their settings and flip the switch.
Restrictions and the "Screen Time" Wall
Sometimes the setting itself is greyed out inside your Settings app, which is a whole different level of frustration. If you can’t even toggle the switch to "On," you’re likely looking at a Screen Time restriction.
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This happens a lot with corporate-managed phones or devices set up with parental controls. If the Camera app or FaceTime is "restricted," the Live Photo functionality is often the first thing to get clipped. You can check this by going to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allowed Apps. If "Camera" or "FaceTime" are toggled off here, the Live Photo feature won't just be greyed out; it might be completely non-functional.
The iOS 26 Glitch Factor
Let's be real: sometimes software just breaks. With the rollout of iOS 26, some users on Reddit and Apple Support forums have reported that FaceTime Live Photos are acting buggy even when settings are correct. There’s a known issue where the system "forgets" your preferences after an update.
A weirdly effective fix? The "Double Toggle."
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- Go to Settings > Apps > FaceTime.
- Turn FaceTime Live Photos OFF.
- Turn FaceTime (the whole service) OFF.
- Restart your iPhone.
- Go back and turn everything back on.
It sounds like tech-support voodoo, but it forces the FaceTime daemon to re-register your privacy tokens with Apple's servers.
Hardware and Region Limits
Not every Apple device is invited to the Live Photo party. If you're using an ancient iPad or an older iPhone that doesn't support the "Live" part of photos, you're out of luck. Also, keep in mind that FaceTime Live Photos aren't available in every country. If you or the person you're calling is in a region where FaceTime features are legally restricted (like certain parts of the Middle East), the button will stay greyed out regardless of your settings.
Storage and the "Ghost Photo" Problem
Sometimes the button isn't greyed out, but the photo never appears in your library. This is the "Ghost Photo" glitch. Check your iPhone Storage under General settings. If you’re sitting at 127.9 GB out of 128 GB, your phone won't even try to save that Live Photo. It needs a little "buffer" space to process the video-and-image combo that makes up a Live Photo.
Also, make sure you've opened the Photos app at least once since your last restart. The FaceTime app needs to know where the library is "living" to drop the file off.
Quick Checklist to Fix Greyed Out Photos
- Ask the other person: Are they sure their "FaceTime Live Photos" toggle is green?
- End the call: You can't usually change these settings while the video is active. Hang up, fix the toggle, and call back.
- Check Mac Settings: If you’re on a MacBook, the setting is under FaceTime > Settings > FaceTime > Allow Live Photos to be captured during video calls.
- The iCloud Sync: Sometimes disabling and re-enabling iCloud Photos in your settings can jumpstart a stalled photo library.
Essentially, if the button is grey, the "handshake" failed. Most of the time, it's just a friend who accidentally turned off their settings or a minor software hang-up that a quick reboot will solve.
If you've verified that both sides have the setting on and you've got plenty of storage, try a hard reset. On newer iPhones, that's a quick tap of Volume Up, Volume Down, then holding the Side Button until the Apple logo appears. That usually clears the cache and gets the shutter clicking again.
Next Steps for You
Check your Screen Time settings first to ensure no "Content & Privacy Restrictions" are blocking your camera. Once you've cleared that, send a quick text to the person you usually FaceTime with and ask them to send a screenshot of their FaceTime settings page. It's the fastest way to see if the "block" is on their end or yours.