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iPhone Camera Settings: Understanding HEIC and Image Formats

Why Are My iPhone Photos in HEIC Format?

Since iOS 11, Apple has set High Efficiency (HEIC) as the default camera format on every iPhone. This means that unless you have manually changed the setting, every photo you take is stored as a .heic file rather than the traditional .jpg. Apple made this switch because HEIC delivers the same visual quality at roughly half the file size, allowing you to store significantly more photos on your device.

How to Check Your Current Camera Format

To see which format your iPhone is currently using:

  1. Open the Settings app
  2. Scroll down and tap Camera
  3. Tap Formats

You will see two options: High Efficiency and Most Compatible. If High Efficiency is selected, your photos are being saved as HEIC files. If Most Compatible is selected, your camera is saving standard JPG files.

High Efficiency vs Most Compatible

High Efficiency (HEIC/HEVC) captures photos in HEIC format and videos in HEVC (H.265). This is Apple's recommended setting because it:

  • Reduces photo file sizes by 40-50% compared to JPG
  • Reduces video file sizes significantly compared to H.264
  • Preserves full image quality despite the smaller size
  • Supports advanced features like 10-bit HDR color

Most Compatible (JPG/H.264) saves photos as JPG and videos in the older H.264 codec. Choose this setting if you:

  • Frequently share photos with Windows or Android users
  • Upload images to platforms that do not accept HEIC
  • Want to avoid any format conversion steps
  • Use older software that cannot open HEIC files

The tradeoff with Most Compatible is straightforward: your photos and videos will take up roughly twice as much storage space on your device.

ProRAW and ProRes (iPhone Pro Models)

If you own an iPhone Pro or Pro Max (iPhone 12 Pro and later), you have access to additional capture formats:

  • Apple ProRAW captures photos in a RAW format that preserves far more image data than either HEIC or JPG. ProRAW files are large (approximately 25 MB per photo) but give you maximum flexibility when editing in apps like Lightroom or the built-in Photos editor. You can enable ProRAW in Settings > Camera > Formats and then toggle it on or off directly from the camera interface.

  • ProRes (iPhone 13 Pro and later) is a professional video codec used in film and television production. ProRes files are extremely large, so this option is primarily useful for professional videographers who plan to edit footage in tools like Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve.

For most users, these professional formats are not necessary for everyday photography. They are designed for situations where extensive post-processing is planned.

What Happens When You Share HEIC Photos?

Apple has built in some automatic handling to ease compatibility concerns. When you share a HEIC photo via email or Messages to a non-Apple device, iOS often converts the image to JPG automatically. However, this automatic conversion does not always happen, particularly when:

  • Transferring files via USB to a Windows PC
  • Using AirDrop between Apple devices (HEIC is preserved)
  • Downloading photos from iCloud.com
  • Copying files through third-party file managers

In these cases, you may end up with HEIC files that the recipient cannot open.

Our Recommendation

Keep your iPhone set to High Efficiency. The storage savings are substantial, and the image quality is identical to what you would get with JPG. When you encounter a situation where you need a JPG, PNG, or WebP version of your photo, simply use our free HEIC2PIC to convert the file in seconds. The converter runs entirely in your browser, so your photos remain private and never get uploaded to a server.

This approach gives you the best of both worlds: efficient storage on your device and full compatibility whenever you need it. Try our HEIC2PIC tool the next time you need to share an iPhone photo in a universally compatible format.

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