You send a photo from your iPhone, and the other person sees a blank box or an error. The reason is almost always the file format. Since iOS 11, iPhones have saved photos as HEIC by default. It is an efficient format, but not every device or website understands it yet.
What is HEIC and why does Apple use it?
HEIC is a version of the HEIF image format. It stores a picture at roughly half the file size of a JPG with similar visible quality, so you can keep more photos in the same storage. The trade-off is compatibility. Windows may need an extra extension to preview HEIC, some Android phones and galleries cannot show it, and many websites refuse to accept it in upload forms.
Option 1: Convert the photos to JPG
This is the quickest fix and works on any device. Open the HEIC to JPG tool, choose one photo or a whole batch, and press Convert to JPG. Save the pictures one by one or download them together as a ZIP. The converted JPG files open everywhere and keep the original resolution.
Option 2: Change your iPhone camera format
If you do not want to convert photos again and again, tell the iPhone to use JPG. Open Settings, choose Camera, then Formats, and select Most Compatible. From then on, new photos are saved as JPG. Photos you have already taken stay as they are, and the files will use more storage than before.
Option 3: Let the phone convert while sharing
In some situations, iOS converts photos to JPG automatically when you share them, for example when you attach a photo from certain apps or choose to send it as most compatible. This is not guaranteed in every app, so if the receiver still has trouble, use option 1.
Tips for large batches
- Convert twenty to thirty photos at a time on a phone to avoid running out of memory.
- Keep your original HEIC files until you have checked the JPG copies.
- Remember that JPG files are larger, so compress them afterwards if you need to email them.
Your pictures are converted inside your browser and are not uploaded anywhere, so it is a safe way to handle personal photos.
Free, no signup, and your files never leave your device.
Open HEIC to JPG