HEIC photos seem less compatible in 2022

Question

HEIC photos seem less compatible in 2022

I was an early adopter of HEIC photos on my iPhone; I rarely ran into any compatibly issues until recently. Whenever I sent someone a photo (messenger, emailed, etc.) they almost always got a jpeg. When I had to upload a photo, it got converted to a jpeg along the way if necessary. But it seems over the past 6 months or so, I run into compatibility issues all the time. The same people I've always sent photos are now saying they can't see or use them. I have "Transfer to Mac or PC" on my iPhone set to "Automatic". It seemed to be seamless before but now I'm thinking of going back to shooting jpegs. Any ideas? Is anyone else having these issues?

iPhone 12 Pro Max

Posted on Nov 13, 2022 10:30 AM

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Answer 1

mario49

Community Specialist

Nov 15, 2022 9:05 AM in response to Community User

Hey fs_user,

If we understand correctly, you are taking photos in the HEIC format, but other people you send them to are not able to open them like they did in the past. You may want to ask if anything on their end has changed. It is depending on whether the receiving device supports the media format. Take a look at the "Sharing and converting this media" section of this article.

"If sharing this media via iCloud Photos, the media is preserved in its original format, resolution, and frame rate. If your device can't fully view, edit, or duplicate HEIF or HEVC media in iCloud Photos, or displays it at a lower resolution, upgrade to iOS 11 or later or macOS High Sierra or later.

If sharing this media using other methods, such as AirDrop, Messages, or email, the media might automatically be shared in a more compatible format, such as JPEG or H.264, depending on whether the receiving device supports the newer media format."

Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices - Apple Support

Please don't hesitate to let us know if you need additional assistance.

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. Have a good one.

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Answer 2

Jeff_W.

Community Specialist

Nov 21, 2022 11:11 AM in response to Community User

Hi fs_user,

Contacting Apple Support is the best path forward to resolve this issue. They will be best equipped to address this:

Contact - Official Apple Support

Cheers!

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Answer 3

Nov 21, 2022 10:12 AM in response to mario49

Nothing on their end has changed. One of my friends is using the same iPhone for many years. They used to get jpgs automatically, now they get HEIC files. Again, it seems it was seamless before, now I run into problems. If anything, I would hope for fewer problems if people I am sending photos to are upgrading equipment.

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HEIC photos seem less compatible in 2022

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