Apple to remove home button in upcoming high-end iPhone, report says

The home button is headed to the trash bin, if a report by Bloomberg is to be believed. According to the report, Apple is ditching the button to make room for a larger screen in one version of the next iPhone. Instead of a home button, users will perform actions using on-screen gesture controls involving a sort of dock of icons.

If true this would be the biggest change in iPhone design since the launch of the device in 2007.
The home button has been a staple in iPhone design since the beginning. It’s used to wake a device, return to the app grid, and, more recently, for Touch ID fingerprint recognition. All those tasks would be performed differently if removed. However, the Bloomberg report carefully states only the high-end version of the upcoming iPhone is losing the home button, which jibes with other rumors from the past few months.

Instead of pressing a home button, users would interact with a thin software bar that can be moved around for different actions. Drag it to the middle of the screen to open the phone, or if in an app, activate the multitasking menu. Users can change apps or go back to the home screen, Bloomberg says. And it shouldn’t end there. If this report is true, Apple likely has cooked up all sorts of logical interactions for this software bar.

Apple has been foreshadowing the removal of the home button for some time. For the iPhone 7, it replaced the button with a non-moving version that simulated a click through with tactile response. The iPad also recently gained an app menu reminiscent of OS X’s dock. Bloomberg uses this as an illustration of the upcoming iPhone changes.

This is just part of what’s set to be a radical redesign of the next iPhone. Other rumors state the iPhone could mute notifications when you’re looking at it, include face scanning technology that works even when the phone is on the table, and include a screen that fills the frame of the phone except for a little notch that houses sensors, cameras, and earpiece.

It’s rumored that Apple is preparing to launch three versions of the next iPhone. It’s unlikely all versions will lose the home button for several reasons. The iPhone is Apple’s best-selling device and the removal of the home button is likely to be met with controversy. There’s no reason to rock the boat for everyone. Plus, the high-end version of the next iPhone will likely have much slimmer margins than an upgraded iPhone 7. Apple has long used incremental updates combined with bi-yearly design changes to keep margins healthy and it’s unlikely that will change. However, following this formula, the home button will disappear from all versions in following releases in 2018 or 2019.

Whatever it looks like we’ll be onsite when Apple unveils the next iPhone on September 12 with complete coverage.

Apple sets iPhone event for September 12 at new Steve Jobs theater

Apple just sent out invites for its annual iPhone event, which is taking place on September 12 at its new Cupertino HQ, at the Steve Jobs Theater it built there specifically to host special events. It’s expected that Apple will reveal a brand new iPhone with a nearly bezel-free design on the day.

TechCrunch previously reported that the event would fall on this day, confirming WSJ’s sources. This will be the first ever event at Apple’s new headquarters, and the dedicated theater, which is actually built partly underground with an entry in a glass covered rotunda at ground level.

At the event, we’ll likely see the new iPhone, which sources say is a premium priced option to be sold alongside updates to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus (likely 7s and 7s Plus models). Reports also suggest we’ll see an updated Apple Watch, possibly sporting its own built-in LTE connection, as well as a new 4K-capable Apple TV.

We’ve seen a lot of evidence about what’s coming, through the HomePod firmware leak, and reports including one from Bloomberg this week that outlines exactly how the iPhone interface will work without a home button, but Apple should still have plenty to reveal that we haven’t seen at this event, including at least a few amazing ARKit demos.

The iPhone 8 rumor mill is heating up

The iPhone 8 rumor mill is heating up. It's been variously suggested that the late-2017 iPhone will feature wireless charging, augmented reality and no physical buttons at all; some sources even think the curvy 'teardrop' design of the next model will make it closely resemble the original iPhone.

In this article, we round up all the rumours about the iPhone 8: its UK release date and onsale date (a leaked internal memo points to an announcement on or close to 17 September), UK price, tech specifications and new features. We also cover leaked photos and videos, and designers' concept illustrations.

For advice on the current iPhone range, read our iPhone buying guide and best cheap iPhone deals UK. Or, if you'd like to look even further into the future, read iPhone 9 and beyond: From graphene to motion charging. We also look at new iPhone rumours here: iPhone 7s rumours.

Header/thumbnail image is a concept illustration by Handy Abo Vergleich.
Release date

The iPhone 8 is expected to be released in September 2017, just as the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus came out in September 2016, and a recent leak suggests a launch on or close to 17 September. Mind you, multiple sources had previous suggested delays, which we'll discuss afterwards. Read next: Where will the iPhone 8 be made?
Internal memo hints at 17 September launch

An internal company memo, instructing AppleCare staff when they can and can't take holidays, has been leaked - and gives strong hints about the iPhone 8 launch date, or at least its launch window.

The memo, posted by Benjamin Geskin (who is responsible for several other leaks referred to in this article), names 'black out days', when staff must be present, between 17 September and 4 November. This suggests that the launch announcement will come on or very close to 17 September, and that the following eight weeks represent the product's highest-demand period, when staff will be most urgently needed in the office.


"Black Out Days are days in which we expect call volume to be at the highest, and we need all hands on deck," reads the memo. "Advisors and Leaders will be restricted from requesting days off for Paid Time Off (PTO) and Unpaid Time Off... Absences are unacceptable."

As a worried member of the Macworld team pointed out, 17 September is a Sunday, and it would be extremely unusual for an iPhone to be announced on a weekend. So our suspicion is that the iPhone 8 will actually be unveiled in the week of 18-25 September.

One other caveat: the memo adds that "these dates are subject to change", so things may not be set in stone. But we'd be surprised if the plans weren't reasonably firm at this point.
Delays until October, November... or even 2018

September is looking a good bet, then. But not everyone thinks Apple's plans are proceeding smoothly. Multiple sources had previously been suggesting that Apple's iPhone 8 may be delayed until November, or even 2018... and it's still possible that we'll get the announcement in September as discussed above, but that one or more of the handsets won't become available for months afterwards.

In a research note, Deutsche Bank analysts state that "key component shortages and technical challenges could delay the release of a high-end iPhone 8 device this fall," according to a Business Insider report. While IHS Markit analyst Brian Huh claims Samsung is having trouble meeting demand for the OLED displays ordered by Apple - BGR suggests the delay is because the display will incorporate the home button and Touch ID.

Digitimes has predicted that "production for the new OLED iPhone is unlikely to start until September due to the redesigned fingerprint ID solution", and KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has stated that the expected new 3D camera system will cause delays: "Unless production of the OLED iPhone (expected to begin in September) gets pushed back, there is virtually no time to make changes to the 3D camera system." (Both via Business Insider.)

ST Microelectronics, the company tipped to make this component for Apple, are - according to SlashGear's sources - struggling to hit volume targets and have requested additional time, although it's unclear at this point if the reported "small fire" at ST Microelectronics' manufacturing plant is a factor in all this.

Fubon Securities analyst Arthur Liao claims that Apple and its suppliers are working to resolve overheating issues in wireless charging modules, according to this Nikkei report. And Yuanta Investment Consulting's Jeff Pu points to delays with the OLED display, suggesting the new iPhone won't be available until November.
What will the next iPhone be called?

The big question is whether the company will skip the iPhone 7s generation this time around and move straight to the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus - or if Apple will release an iPhone 8 alongside the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus, with the iPhone 8 getting the flagship features.

This would be a break from the norm. Apple releases a full-version iPhone update every other year - such as iPhone 4, iPhone 5, iPhone 6 - and a more limited 'S' update in between - iPhone 4s, iPhone 5s and 5c, iPhone 6s. So, based on previous behaviour, we ought to get an iPhone 7s and an iPhone 7s Plus in September. But it's possible that Apple won't continue the S strategy for much longer.

The 'tick-tock' system is a risky policy. When the average user hears that the new iPhone hasn't even been considered worthy of a full version number upgrade, they'll be put off from spending money on it. Not to mention that an S update is more confusing for buyers.
iPhone 8

In October 2016 a little extra weight was added to the 'iPhone 8 in 2017' theory. According to Business Insider, an Apple employee in Israel who solders components spoke to them about the next iPhone and referred to it as the iPhone 8 "unprompted in our conversation".

Making predictions about the upcoming performance of Apple stock, analysts at Credit Suisse forecast that the iPhone 8, to be released on the iPhone's 10-year anniversary in 2017, will skip the 'S' generation in recognition of its major updates.

How To Enable Dark Mode And Night Shift In iOS, MacOS & Apple TV

Dim the colours on your Mac, iPad and iPhone for better nighttime viewing,

With Dark Mode on Mac and Apple TV, and Time Shift on the iPad and iPhone you can reduce eye strain and improve your nighttime viewing experience, here's how this is how to go about it with ease.

Apple brought Night Shift, which reduced the level of blue light being emitted by the iPad and iPhone, to iOS 9.3 and it’s a feature rumoured to be coming to MacOS soon.
The colour-shifting technology reduces the blue light that is emitted from the iPad and iPhone screen - and when it comes to macOS the Mac screen.
This blue light is said to keep us awake and cause eye-strain and headaches. The Night Shift technology reduces this blue light, making the screen colours appear warmer and more yellowy. Night Shift is thought to help those suffering from insomnia because the blue light affects our circadian rhythms. It’s why we generally sleep at night and stay awake in the daytime. The problem is that because we all lay in bed looking at our iPads and iPhones all night we can’t sleep because the blue light being emitted is telling our brings it’s still daytime. It also has to be said that looking at a the bright screen of our iPhones and iPads once we have turned off all other light sources, coupled with the fact that we are likely to be reading small black text on a white background, is sure to be damaging to our eyes.
There is also a technology called Dark Mode that arrived on the Mac in OS X Yosemite back in 2014, but Night Shift, should it arrive on the Mac, will do much more than Dark Mode which turns the menu bar and dock dark grey on your Mac and the text on those elements of the interface becomes white.
Dark Mode is nevertheless a popular feature (particularly with designers who tend to perfer to tone down the interface). Dark mode isn't available on the iPad and iPhone, yet (it's rumoured to be coming at some point). There are some workarounds to get Dark Mode on the iPhone and iPad however, and we discuss them below.

Is Night Shift the same as Dark Mode?

No. Dark Mode turns the menu bar and dock dark grey on your Mac and the text on those elements of the interface becomes white. It was introduced in OS X Yosemite back in 2014, and like Night Shift was designed to reduce eye strain. It isn’t possible to schedule this feature though.
Night Shift adjusts the colour over all, while Dark Mode just changes some elements of the interface.

In this tutorial we will cover the following:

• How to turn on Night Shift on the iPhone and iPad
• How to turn on Night Shift on the Mac
• How to turn on Dark Mode on the Mac
• How to enable Dark Mode on the Apple TV
• What is Theatre Mode?
• How to turn on Dark Mode on iPhone & iPad?
• How to turn on Low Light Filter in iOS
• When is Dark Mode coming to the iPad & iPhone?

Does Night Shift work?

It’s hard to say if Night Shift will help you sleep if you have difficulty dropping off. And as for reducing eye strain, it’s probably just as bad that we read tiny text on our iPhones, making us all near sighted. The best way to sleep well at night is probably to leave your iPhone, iPad or Mac in another room…

How to turn on Night Shift on the iPhone and iPad

Step 1: Update your iPhone or iPad

If your iPad or iPhone is running software that predates iOS 9.3 you will need to update in order to use Night Shift. Go to Settings > General > Software Update to see what version of iOS you are running and to update if necessary.
If your iPhone or iPad is too old to run iOS 9, there is an app called F,lux, but it requires you to jailbreak your phone, but we don’t recommend that (although we do have this article about

Step 2: Schedule Night Shift on iPad & iPhone

Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Nightshift. From here you'll be able to setup a schedule, where you'll be able to add a custom time frame or have the iOS device automatically determine your location and have Night Shift enabled when its Sunset and Sunrise.
   
 Some people have reported that this option is not being shown to them and this is because location services aren't being picked up by your time zone. To fix this, go into: Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services and then find Setting Time Zone and ensure that's toggled on.

Step 3: Turn on Night Shift on iPad & iPhone

Alternatively, you can manually enable Night Shift until tomorrow and adjust the Colour Temperature through the slider, with More Warm being easier on the eyes an Less Warm perhaps being a good option on a very sunny day.
If you wish to quickly enable it, Apple has conveniently added it to the Control Center which can be accessed in any app, homescreen or lockscreen by simply swiping up from the bottom of your screen. Simply tap the centre light icon to enable Night Shift. We do suggest going into the settings and manually adjusting the level of warmth you wish have, so that your device remembers the setting when you want to quickly toggle it on. Read next: iOS 9 features & update advice.

How to turn on Night Shift on the Mac

Step 1: Download the macOS Sierra beta

As with the iPhone and iPad, Night Shift on the Mac is designed to help reduce eye strain if you are prone to using your Mac late at night. The feature is coming to macOS Sierra soon - in fact it’s already available in the beta preview of macOS 10.12.4 (mac OS Sierra Beta 4) so you can try it out now if you have joined Apple’s beta seed program.

Step 2: Turn on Night Shift on the Mac

If you are running the Mac OS Sierra beta 4 you will be able to enable Night Shift on your Mac, here’s how:
Click on Notification Centre over on the top right of your Mac. (You can also open Notification Centre by swiping to the left from the right side of your trackpad).
The option to turn on Night Shift should have joined the Do Not Disturb option at the top of Notification Centre, if it’s not there scroll down a bit.
Switch Night Shift from On from Off to enable Night Shift.

Step 3: Schedule Night Shift on the Mac

You can also schedule Night Shift on your Mac by going to System Preferences > Displays and clicking on the new Night Shift tab.
In the drop down menu that appears you can choose the Sunset to Sunrise option or crate your own custom schedule.
How to use Night Shift to change colour tones on your Mac
It’s also possible to change the colour tone of your Mac using Night Shift. Go to System Preferences > Displays and click on Night Shift. Next select Manual in order to turn on Night Shift until sunrise tomorrow morning. As with the iPad and iPhone you will get the option to use the slider to change the warmth of the colour temperature.

How to turn on Dark Mode on the Mac

To turn on Dark Mode on a Mac go to System Preferences > General and choose Use dark menu bar and Dock.
 macOS should now be running in Dark Mode. Remove the tick from Use Dark Menu Bar and Dock to return to regular mode.

How To Use Chromecast On iPhone Or Mac

Wirelessly connect your iOS or macOS device to Chromecast for TV and movies on the big screen with Ease.

While Apple’s AirPlay is a great way to connect your iPhone, iPad and Mac to your TV for wireless media playback, it isn’t the only option available. Google offers Chromecast, a budget-friendly alternative to AirPlay that also enables wireless media playback via iOS and macOS, along with Windows and, of course, Android. But how do you use Chromecast on your iPhone or Mac? Don’t worry, here we’ll explain everything you need to know about connecting an iOS or macOS device to Chromecast. Read next: How to use AirPlay in iOS 10
What is Chromecast?

Before we go into the specifics of connecting an iOS or macOS device to Chromecast, let’s first explain what Chromecast is, and why you might not need to head out and buy one. Chromecast was introduced way back in the summer of 2013, and enabled a way for users to wirelessly stream content to their TV, much like Apple’s AirPlay – but there are a few differences between the two.

First up, there are some limitations on using Chromecast with iOS when compared to Android. While many Android phones offer a way to mirror the device’s display to Chromecast, it’s currently not possible for iOS users. We expect this is in part due to limitations set by Apple’s App Store regulations, and of course that Apple wants iOS users to use its own built-in option, AirPlay.

However, Google’s Chromecast does have a few benefits not offered by Apple. The most notable is that you can multitask while casting, allowing you to perform other tasks while streaming your favourite TV show from Netflix. You can even let the device go to sleep while streaming, and it shouldn’t interrupt playback on the TV.

Google released an updated version of Chromecast back in 2015, and can be found from the likes of Currys PC World, Argos, John Lewis and of course Google for only £30. For those that want a little more, Google also offers the 4K HDR-enabled Chromecast Ultra for £69.

But before you go out and buy one, it’s probably worth checking your TV owner’s manual first as many recent smart TVs offer built-in Chromecast at no extra cost. It also comes as standard on some media streamers, like the 4K-enabled Nvidia Shield that our sister site PC Advisor recently reviewed.

Once you’ve got your hands on a Chromecast, setup is as easy as plugging it into your TV and following the on-screen instructions. It’s once the setup has been completed that things start to get a little more interesting. 

Read next: How to watch any video on Apple TV
How to use Chromecast on iPhone

So, you’ve got your Chromecast set up – now what? While AirPlay is built into iOS, Google must approach Chromecast support in a different way. While there’s a Chromecast app available for iOS, it only offers the ability to edit settings on the Chromecast itself – connect to a different WiFi network, etc. Instead, Chromecast playback is offered on a per-app basis, with the developer of the app having to specifically code in Chromecast support.

Which iOS streaming apps offer Chromecast support? While there’s a growing list, here’s a few of our favourites:

1.     Google Play Movies and TV
2.     Spotify
3.     Netflix
4.     BBC iPlayer
5.     YouTube
6.     Now TV
7.     BBC Sport
8.     BT Sport

We’ll be using Netflix as an example to explain how to connect your iOS device to Chromecast, but rest assured that the process is almost identical across all supported apps.

So, first things first, download the Netflix app and sign into your account. Once signed in, you should notice a Cast icon in the top-right hand corner of the app - it looks like a TV with waveforms in the bottom-left hand corner, and is hard to miss. If you can’t see the icon, make sure that your Chromecast is powered on and is connected to the same WiFi network as your iPhone.

 

How to use Chromecast on Mac

While iOS Chromecast support is fairly straight forward, the waters are slightly muddier when it comes to Mac support. Don’t worry, we’ll explain everything, but before we go any further it’s probably worth mentioning that you must use Google Chrome to Cast via Mac, so download that if you haven’t already got it. There’s no other alternative, sorry Safari users!
Some website offer native Chromecast support, including the likes of Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Movies and Google Play Music. Those that offer native Chromecast support offer a Cast icon within the site itself, as opposed to the one featured on Chrome’s toolbar. If you try to use the Cast button on the toolbar when a website has native support, it’ll direct you to use the Cast button on the site instead.

We’ll be using BBC iPlayer as an example for now, but as mentioned above, the process is fairly universal across all supported websites. Once you’ve found the TV show or movie on Netflix that you’d like to watch on your TV, start playing it locally on your Mac. You should notice a Cast button on the right-hand side of the media controls, next to the button to make the video full-screen. Click on it and select the Chromecast you’d like to Cast to.
Your Mac should then connect to the Chromecast and your selected TV show or movie should begin playback shortly after. As with iOS devices, your Mac will offer media playback controls via the Netflix website. Fun fact: you can still browse the web on other Chrome tabs, check emails or even put your Mac to sleep.

While that’s the best way to Cast media to your TV from your Mac, there is an option available for websites that don’t officially offer Chromecast support – although it’s not perfect.
Simply click on the three dots in the top-right hand corner of the Chrome browser to access the Settings menu, then select “Cast…” and the appropriate Chromecast to mirror the website to your TV. A Cast icon should appear in the toolbar, and should turn blue to signify that it’s connected to a Chromecast. FYI: you can right-click the icon and select “Always show icon” to keep it in your toolbar if required.

How To Back Up Your Apple Watch

How to back up an Apple Watch

Here's the easy bit: the Apple Watch constantly and automatically backs up to its companion iPhone, and it's easy to restore from the iPhone if the Apple Watch gets wiped for whatever reason. For most purposes, you don't need to do anything - the backups happen automatically and without any user action. The only way we know to manually trigger a backup is to unpair the Apple Watch from the iPhone, a process which causes a backup to be created on the phone (if it's in Bluetooth range), but which also wipes the watch - so don't do it lightly.
If you're worried about the iPhone itself getting wiped or lost, be assured that all of that Apple Watch data (with the possible exception of the Health and Activity data, which we'll come to next!) is backed up in turn whenever the iPhone is backed up - and we assume you do that regularly because you're a Macworld reader and therefore very clever and sensible.
You have to remember that the Apple Watch at this stage in its evolution is is many respects an iPhone accessory rather than a true standalone product (we hope that the Apple Watch 3 will be able to exist without being tied to an iPhone at all, but that's just a pipe dream at this point) and so everything on it is also stored on the iPhone.
The Apple Watch backup includes all settings (including the home screen app layout), app data (including Health and Activity fitness data, although this will only be included when you back up the iPhone if you encrypt the backup), music/playlists and photos. Please note that it does not include credit and debit cards used in Apple Pay, nor does it include the watch's passcode.

How to restore an Apple Watch from backup

After making sure your companion iPhone has been saved to an iCloud or encrypted iTunes backup, unpair the Apple Watch - which will create a new backup on the iPhone, as we said - and then repair it and set it up. Be sure to select 'Restore from Backup' instead of 'Set Up as New Apple Watch'; after this you can set up as normal.

How to back up Health & Activity fitness data

When you're backing up the companion iPhone to iTunes, remember to pick the encrypted option. If you do a non-encrypted backup, all your Apple Watch exercise data, achievements and running times will be lost. (An iCloud backup will be fine, too - it's just the unencrypted iTunes backup that causes a problem.)
You create an encrypted iTunes backup in the same way as an unencrypted one - either automatically or manually, only with the encrypt option ticked. The first time you do this there will be an extra step where you select a password. DOn't forget it! Not even Apple will know the password so you'll be stuffed if it slips your mind.

Help! I've lost my Apple Watch Activity data!

If you did an unencrypted backup when moving from one iPhone to another, wiped your Apple Watch and then paired it with the new iPhone and discovered all the exercise data had disappeared, don't panic: there's a solution.
The exercise data will still be stored on the old iPhone... assuming you didn't wipe it yet. Wipe the new iPhone, create another backup of the old iPhone (and remember to encrypt it this time), restore the new iPhone from that backup, wipe the Apple Watch and pair it to the new iPhone. After all that, you'll find that the badges and running times have all come back.

How to take Live Photos on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 7, how to view, share, edit and turn Live Photos into GIFs

Live Photos was introduced with the iPhone 6s along with a 3D Touch-enabled display and an improved camera - but what is Live Photos, and how do you use it? Here, we explain exactly what Live Photos is, along with our tips and tricks to get the most out of the software.

Live Photos tips: What are Live Photos?

Live Photos captures a second and a half of audio and video before and after you press the shutter for Harry Potter-like moving photos (that are actually low frame rate, 15fps videos).

Live Photos tips: Which Apple devices can take Live Photos?

Only the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus can take Live Photos.
You can use Live Photos with both the rear and front facing camera of those phones.

Live Photos tips: How to take a Live Photo

Open up the Camera app and Enable Live Photos by tapping the icon that looks like a bull’s eye at the top of the screen (between HDR and timer) it will turn yellow when it’s on.

Some reviewers have claimed Live Photos was on by default when they first used their iPhone 6s/6s Plus, but that wasn’t our experience.
There are a few things to be aware of when taking Live Photos. The second and a half of video starts actually before you press the button, so make sure you already have the shot in frame before pressing the shutter button or part of you photo will be you framing the shot. At the other end of the shot there’s another second and a half of video being taken so don’t click and immediately turn the phone towards the ground.

Live Photos tips: What level of quality do Live Photos offer, and how much storage space do Live Photos take up?

Live Photos taken with the rear-facing camera on the 6s and 6s Plus are 12-megapixels. If you take Live Photos with the front facing camera it will be 5-megapixels.
When we imported Live Photos via Image Capture on a Mac we could see that each of the Live Photos is made up of a .mov file of around 3-4MB and a jpg of about 2-5.4MB. In most cases the video file was larger than the jpg, but there were a few cases where the jpg was bigger, we’re not at all sure why that would be the case. Normal photos are 1-2MB so the fact that these jpgs are larger suggests that they include more information than just the still image. An image taken on another iPhone 6s that was messaged to us weighed in at 4.6MB.

Live Photos tips: How to view Live Photos

Once you have taken a live photo you can view it in the Photos app on your phone (or tap the thumb nail of the image you’ve just taken in the bottom left corner to be taken straight to it).
Open the image and hard press on the photo to play it. We found that if you swiped to the next Live Photo it would play a few microseconds, but if you press throughout the playback you will see more of the recording. There appears to be no way to edit the final version even though this footage that is unseen by default it there.
You can view live Photos on other Apple devices running iOS 9 or Macs running OS X El Capitan. To view a Live Photo on an older iPhone or an iPad, use a long press to play the ‘video’. The problem with this is that your finger will obscure the photo you are playing.
We expected to be able to view Live Photos on an Apple Watch running watchOS 2, but unfortunately they only way to view it as a Live Photo was by setting the photo as a watch face. Pressing a photo in the Photos app on the watch didn't activate motion. This remains the case on the Apple Watch Series 2 and watchOS 3.
It is straightforward to view any Live Photos on a Mac running El Capitan in Photos and Preview. Just click on the image.

Live Photos tips: How to find Live Photos on your iPhone

If you open the Photos app intending to view your Live Photos you may be surprised that there is no obvious way to determine if an image is Live or not. For reasons best known to Apple, the company hasn’t added a Live Photos album like it has for other photo categories.
Some reviewers suggest that there is a circular icon to identify Live Photos, but we didn’t see that on our phone, apart from when we had selected a photo for sharing, in that view we could see the Live icon.