Apple rolled out a pretty big change in iOS 11 that many users may not have noticed. Apple changed the way photos are stored from a JPEG format to a new format called HEIF or High Efficiency Image Format. HEIF uses a more efficient compression algorithm, which allows photos to be stored in smaller file sizes with even better quality than a JPEG format. If you ask most people what takes up the most storage on their iPhone, the answer is usually photos. Even though cloud-based storage is becoming increasingly popular, it’s still convenient to have local storage space in your iPhone.
The biggest issue that arises from changing the image format from JPEG to HEIF is compatibility. JPEG is still the gold standard when it comes to images. Many different applications such as third-party photo apps might be slow to update to HEIF compatibility, making it a headache to work with the new HEIF format. Luckily, Apple realizes it can’t fully switch to the HEIF format yet, so there are options in Settings to convert to JPEGs.
How to convert photos from HEIF to JPEG
- By default, iOS 11 will transfer photos in the HEIF format.
- Go to Settings
- Scroll down and tap on Photos
- Under “Transfer to Mac or PC”, tap on the automatic option
This is an awesome feature that will automatically know to convert photos to a compatible file (JPEG). If the option is on “keep originals”, it will transfer the photo in an HEIF format.
How to save photos as a JPEG
- By default, iOS 11 will store photos in the HEIF format
- Go to Settings
- Scroll down and tap on Camera
- Tap on Formats
- Tap on Most Compatible
This will save all your photos that you take on the iPhone in a JPEG format. However, this will prevent you from being able to record 4K 60 fps (frames per second) and 1080p 240 fps videos.
JPEGs are not the most efficient when it comes to file sizes. This is why I would recommend saving photos as a HEIF to take advantage of minimizing file size. Instead, I would choose the automatic option to transfer photos in a compatible file. This will allow you to have the best of both worlds where you use the least amount of local storage, while not running into compatibility issues in other apps and programs.