"I sent you photos but you can't open them?" — this conversation happens a million times a day between iPhone and Android / Windows users. **HEIC is Apple's default photo format since iOS 11** — better compression than JPG but worse compatibility. This guide covers HEIC's design rationale, when to convert to JPG, three batch conversion methods, and the details around preserving EXIF metadata.
What is HEIC, and why does iPhone use it by default
HEIC = High Efficiency Image Container, compressed using HEVC (H.265 video codec).
Upsides over JPG:
- ~50% smaller for the same quality (a 12 MP photo: JPG 3–4 MB → HEIC 1.5–2 MB)
- 16-bit color depth (JPG is only 8-bit)
- Multiple images per file (Live Photos, HDR, depth data)
- Transparency support (JPG can't, you'd need PNG)
Apple has defaulted iPhone photos to HEIC since iOS 11 (2017) — mainly to save iCloud storage. They give users 5 GB free; halving photo sizes effectively doubles their bandwidth margin.
Downside: Windows / Android / many web services don't understand it — turning it into the "can't open the photo" culprit.
iPhone setting: how to make it default to JPG
If you frequently send photos to Windows users, fix it at the source:
iPhone Settings → Camera → Formats → choose "Most Compatible" (JPG)
Cost: same quality means double the file size — iCloud fills up faster.
Middle ground: keep HEIC for capture, auto-convert on transfer:
- iPhone → Mac directly → AirDrop auto-converts to JPG
- iPhone → Windows / Android → no conversion (iOS doesn't know the receiving OS)
- iPhone → email / Messages → iOS usually converts to JPG
- iPhone → Files app direct → keeps HEIC — receiver may or may not open it
Safest workflow: keep HEIC for capture, batch convert to JPG before sending out.
Why in-browser conversion beats Mac Preview
Mac Preview can convert HEIC → JPG (Export As → JPG), but converting one-by-one is slow: 30 photos = 30 export dialogs.
The online tool's advantages:
- Batch upload: pick 30 photos at once
- EXIF preserved: capture time, GPS, camera model retained (not erased like some tools)
- Cross-platform: Windows / Linux / Chromebook all work — no ImageMagick install needed
- Privacy: client-side via
heic2any, photos never upload
By comparison, Adobe / Canva "cloud converters" upload your photos to their servers — privacy-unfriendly, especially for personal photos with faces and GPS data.
Should you preserve EXIF metadata?
EXIF is metadata embedded in JPG / HEIC:
- Capture time (yyyy:mm:dd hh:mm:ss)
- GPS coordinates (latitude / longitude, accurate to ~1 m)
- Camera model / lens / focal length / aperture / ISO
- Orientation (phone gyroscope)
Keep when:
- Organizing family albums → time-sorting needs capture time
- Travel memories → GPS shows where you took it
- Photography practice → studying aperture / shutter combos
Strip when:
- Uploading to social → GPS reveals home address (IG / Twitter strip by default, Discord / Slack do not)
- Selling on marketplaces / LinkedIn → strangers don't need your home coordinates
- Sending to strangers — including dating apps, forums
A good tool gives you a toggle: preserve by default, with options to strip GPS or strip all.
JPG quality: can you actually see 60% vs 95%?
JPG is lossy — quality controls compression ratio.
95–100%: virtually lossless to the eye, file is 1.5–2x the HEIC size. For printing, photo books, long-term archives.
80–90% (default): indistinguishable from original at normal viewing, ~30% smaller than 95%. For phone library, social sharing, Slack.
60–75%: edges show "ringing" artefacts, most visible on text against dark backgrounds (like dark-mode screenshots). Acceptable for web banners, not for personal photos.
< 60%: obvious compression marks — only thumbnails.
Rule of thumb: 80% for sharing, 95% for keeping, 100% for printing. Don't over-optimize for size — iPhone photos are 2–3 MB each, not worth the quality drop.
When iPhone photos need to reach Windows colleagues or LinkedIn, use the HEIC → JPG tool for batch processing — conversion stays fully in the browser, EXIF preservation is optional, output quality is configurable.