Why won't my HEIC photo open on Android?
You got a photo from someone with an iPhone, and your Android phone (or your laptop, or WhatsApp Web) just refuses to open it. That's because the file is in HEIC format — Apple's photo format. Most Android devices don't support it natively. Here's the quick fix.
What is HEIC, exactly?
HEIC stands for High Efficiency Image Container. Apple started using it as the default photo format on iPhones in 2017 (iOS 11 and later). HEIC files are about half the size of JPGs at the same visual quality — great for saving iCloud storage, but a pain when you need to share photos outside the Apple ecosystem.
Android added partial HEIC support in Android 10 (2019), but it depends on the device, the version of Android, and the app you're using. WhatsApp, Discord, most browsers, most laptops running older versions of Windows, and even some newer Android phones still can't display HEIC.
Why JPG is the safer format to share
JPG (also called JPEG) has been the universal photo format since 1992. Every operating system, every browser, every chat app, every email client, every printer can open a JPG. Converting HEIC to JPG before sharing means the recipient sees the photo no matter what device or app they're using.
The trade-off: JPG files are roughly twice the size of HEIC at the same visual quality. For a single photo that's irrelevant — a 4 MB JPG sends just as fast as a 2 MB HEIC over any modern connection.
How to convert HEIC to JPG (no app needed)
- Open our HEIC → JPG converter in your browser. It works on phones, tablets, and laptops.
- Drag and drop the .heic file (or tap "browse" on mobile and pick it from your gallery / Downloads folder).
- Click Convert. The conversion takes 2–3 seconds.
- Click Download to get the .jpg version.
- Share it however you'd like. The original HEIC is auto-deleted from our servers an hour later.
Can I just stop my iPhone from saving HEIC?
Yes — if you're the one taking the photos. Open Settings → Camera → Formats on the iPhone and pick Most Compatible instead of High Efficiency. Future photos will be saved as JPG.
This doesn't help with photos you've already taken, or photos sent to you by other people. For those, converting is the only option.
Is it safe to upload my photos to a converter?
It depends on the converter. Formatly was built specifically with privacy in mind:
- Files are uploaded over HTTPS and processed on servers physically located in the EU (GDPR jurisdiction).
- Files are automatically deleted one hour after conversion, enforced by two independent mechanisms: the worker wipes the input the moment a conversion succeeds, and a background sweep runs every 10 minutes to catch anything else (failed jobs, abandoned uploads).
- Files are never used to train AI models, never shared with third parties, never logged beyond the bytes needed for the conversion itself.
- No account or email is required for the free tier.
Photo EXIF metadata (GPS coordinates, camera model, timestamps) is preserved in the converted JPG by default — so the location data from where the photo was taken is still in the file. If you want to strip that before sharing, use our metadata cleaner tool afterwards.