Learn how to automatically convert pictures to the JPG format and videos to MOV when you share them from your iPhone or iPad.
Some devices and apps may lack support for the default file format iOS uses to encode your shot-on-iPhone images and videos. Such files won’t even open on foreign platforms unless converted into the universally compatible JPG file format for images and the H.264 codec for video.
The default shooting format in iOS is HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format) for photographs and HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) with the H.265 codec for videos. These formats produce roughly fifty percent smaller files while retaining the same quality as JPG.
The problem is, they’re unsupported by many older smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs, and other gadgets. To save you from manual conversion, iOS and iPadOS include the option to automatically convert media on the fly.
Automatically convert iPhone media before sharing
1) Open the Photos app, select some pictures or videos, and tap the share button.
2) Tap Options at the top.
3) Choose the Most Compatible option.
Here’s what these file format options mean:
- Automatic: Enabled by default, this setting tells iOS to automatically choose the appropriate file format based on the receiving device, but it rarely works as advertised.
- Current: Choose this option if you’d like to send the images and videos in their original format.
- Most Compatible: iOS will convert any HEIF photos and HEVC videos to the more compatible JPG and MOV (H.264) formats on the fly, making them universally viewable on almost any device.
4) After selecting the file format for sharing, tap the X button or Done to return to the share options.
5) Choose from the sharing options to send the selected media items.
Set your iPhone camera to shoot in ‘Most Compatible’ format
To change the default shooting format, go to Settings > Camera > Formats > and choose Most Compatible under the Camera Capture heading. Enabling this option ensures you won’t run into compatibility problems when sharing, but will eat into your iPhone’s local storage and your iCloud storage for those who sync their Photos libraries across devices.
Also, check out: How to stop your iPhone from converting image file formats (PNG to JPG) when AirDropping them