Why Does the iPhone Use HEIC Instead of JPG?

With iOS 11 in 2017, Apple changed the default photo format on iPhone and iPad from JPG to HEIC. Many people only notice when a photo won't open on another device. So why did Apple make the change — and should you keep it?

Reason 1: Storage

The headline benefit is size. HEIC uses HEVC compression, which typically produces files around half the size of a comparable JPG. For a device that stores thousands of photos — and for iCloud, which syncs them — that's a significant saving. Apple introduced HEIC alongside HEVC video at the same time, for the same reason.

Reason 2: Better image quality per byte

At the same file size, HEIC preserves more detail and shows fewer artefacts than JPG. Smooth gradients such as skies suffer less from banding, especially because HEIF can store more than 8 bits of colour per channel.

Reason 3: Features modern cameras need

A modern iPhone photo is more than a single picture. HEIF's container can hold:

• depth maps used for Portrait mode and later re-focusing;
• HDR information, such as gain maps and higher bit depth;
• Live Photos stills paired with a short video;
• bursts and image sequences;
• non-destructive rotation and cropping instructions.

JPG has no standard way to store most of this.

Reason 4: Hardware support

Encoding HEVC is computationally demanding. Apple's chips include dedicated HEVC hardware, which makes capturing HEIC photos fast and power-efficient. That's also why HEIC capture requires an iPhone 7 or later — older devices can view HEIC but save photos as JPG.

Reason 5: An open standard

HEIF is an international standard from MPEG (ISO/IEC 23008-12), not an Apple invention. Apple chose an existing standard rather than a proprietary format, and other manufacturers — including several Android phone makers and camera brands — also support HEIF.

The trade-off: compatibility

The cost is compatibility outside Apple's ecosystem. Windows needs extensions, some Android apps can't read HEIC, and many websites reject it. Apple mitigates this by converting automatically in many situations — when you share via Mail, or when Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC is set to Automatic.

Should you keep HEIC?

For most people, yes: keep High Efficiency for capturing and storing photos, and convert the occasional photo to JPG when you need to share it. Our HEIC to JPG converter does that in seconds without uploading anything.

If compatibility matters more to you than storage, switch to Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. New photos will be JPGs; existing photos stay HEIC.

Learn more about the format in What is a HEIC file? and What is HEIF?