How to Stop iPhone from Taking HEIC Photos?

Published by Xoupai Editorial Team · iOS Tips

Apple switched to HEIC (High Efficiency Image Format) in 2017 to save storage space. While clever, this move causes headaches for users who regularly transfer photos to Windows PCs or non-Apple devices.

If you are tired of converting your files every time you copy them, you can force your iPhone to shoot in standard JPEG.

The "Most Compatible" Setting

Follow these simple steps to change your camera settings:

  1. Unlock your iPhone and open the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down and tap on Camera.
  3. Tap on Formats at the top of the list.
  4. You will see two options: "High Efficiency" (HEIC) and "Most Compatible" (JPEG).
  5. Select Most Compatible.

From this moment on, all new photos you take will be saved as .JPG files.

What About Existing Photos?

Changing this setting does not convert your old photos. Your previous vacation photos will remain in HEIC. To convert those, you will still need a tool like Xoupai HEIC Converter.

Another Trick: Automatic Transfer Conversion

If you want to keep shooting in HEIC (to save space on your phone) but want JPGs when you transfer them to a computer, there is a setting for that too:

  1. Go to Settings > Photos.
  2. Scroll to the very bottom to the "TRANSFER TO MAC OR PC" section.
  3. Select Automatic.

With this setting, your iPhone will check the destination device. If it's a Windows PC that doesn't natively support HEIC, the iPhone will convert the photo to JPG during the transfer process via USB.

Conclusion

Switching to "Most Compatible" is great for compatibility but will use up your storage faster. If you have a 64GB iPhone, be careful. Using the "Automatic Transfer" setting is often the best compromise.