Skip to content

HEIC vs JPG: iPhone photos and compatibility

HEIC (HEIF) is Apple's efficient default for iPhone photos. JPG opens on virtually every device, which is why sharing often requires conversion.

HEIC JPG
Compression Very efficient Standard JPEG
Quality Excellent at small size Good, widely understood
Compatibility Apple-first, growing elsewhere Universal
Best for Storage on iPhone Sharing, web, Windows apps

Verdict

Keep HEIC on your phone for space. Convert to JPG before uploading to sites, social media or Windows tools that reject HEIC.

Related tools