In 2017, with the release of iOS 11, Apple quietly changed the default photo format on every iPhone from JPEG -- the universal image standard since 1992 -- to a format most people had never heard of: HEIC. The decision was technically sound, but it created one of the most common tech frustrations of the past decade: photos that simply will not open on non-Apple devices.
Understanding why Apple made this choice, and why the rest of the industry has been slow to follow, reveals a broader story about how image formats evolve and why compatibility always lags behind innovation.
What HEIC actually is
HEIC stands for High Efficiency Image Container. It is a specific implementation of the broader HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) standard, using HEVC (H.265) compression -- the same codec used for 4K video streaming.
The key technical advantages over JPEG are substantial:
- ~50% smaller file size at equivalent visual quality
- 10-bit colour depth (vs. 8-bit for JPEG), meaning smoother gradients and more faithful colours
- Depth maps stored alongside the image, enabling Portrait mode's bokeh effect
- Live Photos contained in a single file (a still image plus a short video clip)
- Non-destructive edits saved within the container, allowing you to revert changes
- Multiple images in one file (burst shots, image sequences)
In short, HEIC is not just a better compressor -- it is a richer container that can hold data types JPEG was never designed for.
Good to know HEIC is not an Apple invention. It is an international standard (ISO/IEC 23008-12) developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). Apple was the first major company to adopt it at scale, but the technology is open to anyone.
Why Apple made the switch
Apple's motivation was primarily storage economics. By 2017, iPhone cameras were producing 12-megapixel photos, and users were taking more photos than ever. Halving the file size per photo meant:
- Twice as many photos on the same storage tier (a strong incentive not to upgrade to a more expensive model)
- Less iCloud storage consumed (reducing infrastructure costs for Apple)
- Faster photo syncing and backup over cellular networks
For users within the Apple ecosystem -- iPhone, iPad, Mac -- the transition was seamless. macOS, iOS, and Apple's apps all supported HEIC natively from day one. The problems began at the ecosystem boundary.
The compatibility gap
Despite being an international standard, HEIC adoption outside Apple has been slow, for two main reasons.
Licensing costs. HEVC, the compression codec underlying HEIC, is covered by multiple patent pools. Implementing HEVC support requires paying royalties, which has made platform vendors cautious. Microsoft, for example, does not include HEVC decoding in Windows by default -- users must install a separate extension (sometimes paid) from the Microsoft Store.
Inertia. JPEG has been the default for over 30 years. Websites, content management systems, government forms, printing services, and image editors all assume JPEG or PNG input. Adding HEIC support requires updates that many organizations have been slow to make.
The practical consequences are familiar to anyone who has tried to share iPhone photos with non-Apple users:
- Windows PCs show blank icons or error messages
- Upload forms on websites reject the file
- Email attachments cannot be opened by the recipient
- Photo printing services do not accept the format
- Older image editors do not recognise the extension
Apple partially addresses this with an automatic conversion setting (Settings > Photos > Transfer to Mac or PC > Automatic), but it does not work in all transfer scenarios.
HEIC vs JPEG vs WebP: a comparison
The image format landscape is more crowded than it used to be. Here is how the three most relevant formats compare:
| Feature | JPEG | HEIC | WebP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1992 | 2015 (standard) / 2017 (Apple adoption) | 2010 |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossy or lossless | Lossy or lossless |
| Typical file size | Baseline | ~50% smaller | ~30% smaller |
| Colour depth | 8-bit | 10-bit | 8-bit |
| Transparency | No | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | No | Yes (image sequences) | Yes |
| Browser support | Universal | Safari only | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari |
| Licensing | Free | HEVC patents (royalties) | Free (BSD) |
WebP, developed by Google, has emerged as the web's preferred modern format because it is royalty-free and supported by all major browsers. AVIF, a newer format based on the AV1 codec, pushes compression even further and is gaining traction as a potential successor to both HEIC and WebP.
What Android does differently
Google took a different path. Rather than adopting HEIC, Android defaulted to JPEG and increasingly uses WebP for web contexts. Starting with Android 14, Google added native HEIC support for compatibility with iPhone photos, but Android cameras still shoot JPEG by default.
Google's preference for WebP and AVIF -- both royalty-free -- reflects a philosophical difference: Apple optimised for device-level storage, while Google optimised for web delivery and open licensing.
Good to know The successor to both HEIC and WebP may be **AVIF** (AV1 Image File Format). It matches or exceeds HEIC compression, supports 10-bit colour and HDR, and is completely royalty-free. Apple, Google, and Mozilla all support it.
The slow march toward universal support
The compatibility gap is shrinking, but slowly. Windows 11, modern versions of Photoshop and GIMP, and most cloud storage services now handle HEIC. Web browsers remain the biggest holdout: only Safari supports HEIC natively, which means HEIC is unsuitable for web publishing.
Until support is truly universal, converting HEIC to JPEG remains the pragmatic solution for sharing photos outside Apple's ecosystem. The quality loss is imperceptible, and the resulting file works everywhere.
Going further
To convert your HEIC photos to universally compatible JPEG, see the tutorial How to Convert HEIC to JPG. The Image Converter also supports batch conversion between HEIC, JPEG, PNG, and WebP -- all processing happens in your browser with no upload required.