Watch Faces How to make a Live Photo or video your Apple Watch face
In Watch Faces, pick a video under Background > Video, move the slider to where the motion should start and tap Use as animated face. Then export with Save as Live Photo and choose that Live Photo for the Photos face in Apple's Watch app. It plays for up to 3 seconds when you raise or tap the watch.
★ 4.2 (5) Can you set a video as an Apple Watch face?
Not as a long video, but as a short moving picture, yes. The Photos face can play a Live Photo: a still image paired with a short clip, such as a dog jumping into a lake. Watch Faces cuts up to 3 seconds from the point you choose, fits it to the watch screen and saves it as a real Live Photo in your library.
How to make a video Apple Watch face, step by step
- Open the Designer tab and tap your watch size at the top, for example 45mm.
- Tap Background, then Video, then Pick Video to Extract Frame, and choose a video.
- The Pick a Frame sheet opens. Drag the slider to the moment where the movement should begin; the label shows the time to one decimal, such as 2.4 s.
- Tap Use as animated face. The hint reads 3 seconds from this point. Tap the face on your Watch to play it.
- Tap the three-dot menu, then Export, then Save as Live Photo.
- In Apple's Watch app on your iPhone, set up the Photos face and choose the new Live Photo.
Which 3 seconds do I get?
The clip starts at the slider position and runs for 3 seconds, or until the video ends if that comes first. It is re-encoded with no sound, at no more than 30 frames per second, at the watch's @1x size.
| Slider position | Clip used | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 0.0 s | 0.0 s to 3.0 s | 3.0 s |
| 2.4 s | 2.4 s to 5.4 s | 3.0 s |
| 8.6 s | 8.6 s to 10.0 s | 1.4 s |
| Source video | Clip on the watch |
|---|---|
| 23.976 fps (film) | 24 fps |
| 29.97 fps | 30 fps |
| 59.94 fps | 30 fps |
| 120 fps (slow motion) | 30 fps |
On the 45mm preset the clip is 396×484 pixels, center-cropped like a photo. Pick a moment where the action happens in the middle of the frame.
Live Photo Apple Watch face not working?
- Pick a video background first — a Live Photo needs motion. means the background is a photo or a still frame. Go back to Video and use Use as animated face.
- Photos access is needed to save the Live Photo. means Watch Faces needs permission; allow it to add photos in the iOS Settings app.
- The clip is only 3 seconds and silent, on purpose. A longer or louder moment in your video will not come through, so don't pick a clip that depends on sound.
- Time position and text color from the designer are not part of the Live Photo. The watch always draws its own time.
You can also send the animated design as a .watchface file, and Install on Apple Watch will try to add it directly. That direct install relies on an Apple feature that stopped working on watchOS 26, so the Live Photo is the route the app itself recommends.
Free or Premium?
Making the animated background is free. Save as Live Photo counts as one of the 5 free exports per calendar month; Premium removes the limit. The clip is always @1x, on both plans.
Questions and answers
How do I turn off the Live Photo on my Apple Watch face?
Can the video face have sound?
Can I make it longer than 3 seconds?
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- How to design your own Apple Watch face with colors and gradients
- How to share an Apple Watch face as a .watchface file
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