MomentStays留刻
Android Motion Photos ⇄ Apple Live Photos, on your Mac
Your story, still at the very moment. The original frame, restored across devices.
Three things it keeps
Nothing that matters is lost
- Cover frame
The frame you chose
- Matched to the exact frame by its original timestamp
- Missing timing is reported, never guessed
- Want it sharper? Some photos offer high-res candidate frames, with the motion unchanged
- Audio & video
Never re-encoded
- Original audio and video samples, just rewrapped
- Checked sample by sample before output
- Note: Apple HEIC → Android JPEG re-encodes the still: different format, and Android’s HEIC support is limited
- HDR
Kept, or clearly flagged
- Ultra HDR gain maps kept with their parameters
- Unsupported HDR is flagged, never faked
- Note: Apple gain maps converted for Android may not be bit-exact
- Note: High-res candidate frames carry no HDR gain map
How it works
Three steps
- 1
Add
Files, folders, or your Photos library
- 2
Convert
Pick a direction and format, batches welcome
- 3
Keep
Straight into a Photos album, or save as files
Supported formats
| Direction | From | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Android → Apple | Google-compatible, Huawei/Honor, Samsung (incl. some HEIC), OPPO, vivo | Live Photo (JPEG/HEIC + MOV) |
| Apple → Android | Google/generic, Xiaomi, Samsung, Huawei/Honor, OPPO, vivo | Motion Photo (JPEG) |
| Apple → Android | Samsung | Motion Photo (HEIC, original encoding) |
FAQ
Can’t I just copy the file to my iPhone?
No. The formats differ, so it shows up as a still photo
Will I lose quality?
Video and audio: never, they’re rewrapped and verified. Android → iPhone keeps the photo as is; if you pick a high-res candidate cover instead, that frame is decoded to JPEG without the original HDR. iPhone HEIC → Android JPEG must re-encode the still (Android’s HEIC support is limited), and the HDR gain map may not carry over losslessly
Are my photos uploaded?
No. Everything happens on your Mac
Can I convert back to Android?
Yes. Choose Apple → Android and the recipient’s phone brand
Is it free?
Yes, free and open source (GPL-3.0). Sponsoring on GitHub is welcome, never required
Get MomentStays
One DMG. Nothing else to install
- Tested on Intel / macOS 12; Apple Silicon testing in progress
- Not notarized: if macOS blocks the first launch, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway
Build from source
git clone https://github.com/LinoFish/MomentStays.git cd MomentStays bash scripts/build_app.sh # Intel bash scripts/build_app.sh --universal # Universal open dist/MomentStays.app