What Is HEIC and Why Do iPhones Use It?

HEIC in a nutshell

HEIC is a modern image format used mainly on Apple devices – iPhones and iPads.

Its main goal is simple: better quality photos with smaller file sizes compared to traditional JPG.

Thanks to more efficient compression, one HEIC file can take noticeably less space while still looking great.

• Smaller file size – you can store more photos on the same device.
• Very good image quality – even with strong compression.
• Support for modern features like Live Photos and burst shots.

So where is the problem?

The downside of HEIC is that not every app, website or older system can open this format without additional software.

• Some Windows programs still don’t support HEIC out of the box.
• Many websites accept only JPG or PNG when you upload photos.
• Sharing HEIC files with someone who has an older device can cause compatibility issues.

How to open or convert HEIC files

Fortunately, you don’t have to give up taking photos in HEIC – you just need a simple way to convert them when needed.

• On iPhone you can enable automatic conversion to JPG when sending photos to a computer.
• On macOS and iOS most apps open HEIC automatically, so there’s nothing to configure.
• If you want to share photos online, it’s often safest to convert HEIC to JPG or PNG first.