Learn how to automatically convert pictures to the JPG format and videos to MOV on the fly when you share them via AirDrop or other means on an 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, and we show you how.
Automatically convert iPhone media before sharing
1) Open the built-in Photos app, select some pictures or videos, and hit the Share button.
2) Choose Options at the top of the AirDrop sheet.
3) Choose the Most Compatible option.
Here’s what these file format options mean:
- Automatic: Enabled by default, this setting tells iOS to automatically decide the right file format depending 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 Done to return to the share options.
5) Touch the AirDrop icon to share the images and videos with a nearby device. To save them to the built-in Files app, choose Save to Files from the menu. Or, choose from other options to send the selected media items to a particular app.
Differences in file size and quality
The Most Compatible option will transcode the files from the HEIFF/HEVC formats into JPG/MOV, which should result in smaller file sizes. You may also notice a small visual difference in quality, which is one of the consequences of recompression.
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. 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.
Other helpful tutorials
You may find these related tutorials useful:
- How to convert HEIC to JPG on iPhone and Mac
- How to convert various image file types to JPG or PNG on iPhone or iPad
- How to convert file types to nearly any format on iPhone
Also, check out: How to stop your iPhone from converting image file formats (PNG to JPG) when AirDropping them