Apple Releases New API to Bring Live Photos to the Web
Sure, the Live Photo feature seemed cool when Apple first released it, but what were you supposed to do with them? Just let them sit in your albums wasting space? Well, good news people! Developers can now integrate Apple’s Live Photos on to websites for all to see.
If you’re not already familiar, the Live Photo feature lets iPhone owners shoot short, video-like pictures with their device. Now iPhone users can share those ultimately funny moments seconds before and after the photo is taken.
Apple has recently introduced LivePhotosKit, a JavaScript API that allows Live photos to be embedded on a site, in the same way, a regular still or video can be added. It appears as a DOM element, much like an image or video tag, and playback can be controlled either by the developer and the site or by the viewer.
The LivePhotosKit player is compatible with Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Internet Explorer. This covers versions on iOS, MacOS, and Windows. However, for now, it’s only in beta for Chrome on Android.
Tumblr brought Live Photos to the web last year and had even shared their own code implementations as well. Their work may have been what inspired Apple to eventually build out their own API for developers.
No Comments