How to Open HEIC Files on Android
Received iPhone photos on your Android phone and they won't open? Here's how HEIC support works on Android, which apps can display it, and how to convert HEIC to JPG on the phone.
When an iPhone user shares photos as files — through a cloud drive, a USB stick or some messaging apps — Android users often receive .HEIC images. Whether they open depends on your phone, your Android version and the app you use.
Does Android support HEIC?
Android added platform support for decoding HEIF images in Android 9 (Pie), and many phones released since then can display HEIC photos. Support still varies:
- Google Photos can display HEIC files on most devices.
- Manufacturer gallery apps (for example Samsung Gallery) generally support HEIC on recent phones.
- Older phones and some third-party apps can't read HEIC at all and show a blank thumbnail or an error.
- File managers and messaging apps may display HEIC as an unknown file type.
Option 1: Open it in Google Photos
- Save the file to your phone.
- Open Google Photos and look in Library → Downloads (or the folder where you saved it).
- Tap the photo to view it.
If it opens, you can share it from Google Photos — but some apps will still receive the original HEIC file.
Option 2: View it in your browser
Open our HEIC viewer in Chrome, tap Choose a file and pick the HEIC photo. It's decoded on your phone — nothing is uploaded — and you can save a JPG copy with one tap.
Option 3: Convert HEIC to JPG on the phone
To make the photos usable everywhere:
- Open HEIC to JPG in Chrome.
- Tap Choose files and select the HEIC photos.
- Tap Convert, then download the JPGs individually or as a ZIP.
Your phone converts the files itself, so it works even with a slow connection once the page has loaded. Large photos use a lot of memory; if the page reports a memory problem, convert fewer files at once or pick a smaller size in Options.
Option 4: Ask the sender to share JPGs
iPhone users can avoid sending HEIC files:
- In Settings → Camera → Formats, choose Most Compatible to shoot JPG.
- Many sharing paths (such as Mail) convert automatically.
- Photos shared through Google Photos from an iPhone are generally delivered in a compatible format.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Thumbnail is blank | Your gallery app doesn't support HEIC — use Google Photos or the viewer |
| App says “unsupported file” | Convert to JPG first |
| Colours look dull | Use an app with colour management, or convert with the colour profile preserved |
| File is actually .MOV | That's the video part of a Live Photo — the still image is the HEIC file |
Want to understand the format better? Read What is a HEIC file?