Guides

Why do my photos AirDrop as HEIC?

Your iPhone shoots HEIC unless its camera is set to Most Compatible, and AirDrop only converts when the receiving device can't read HEIC. Every Mac on macOS High Sierra or later can, so the file arrives as is.

What is HEIC?

• A photo in HEIF, the High Efficiency Image File Format.
• Better compression than JPEG.
• Less storage, same visual quality.

Is it worse than JPG?

Not in quality. JPEG is more broadly compatible, so some apps and sites still want it.

When does AirDrop convert?

Only when the other device doesn't support HEIC. Then it might send JPEG instead.

Source: Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices

How do I get JPG?

• One share: Options → Most Compatible
• Every photo: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible

Step by step, plus the Mac fixes.