Apple’s default since iOS 11, HEIC halves photo size at equal quality — yet half the “storage full” phones we see shoot JPEG. Here’s the 2-minute version.
The quick answer
Keep Settings > Camera > Formats > High Efficiency (HEIC) unless you constantly share with ancient Windows software. HEIC photos run ~1-2MB vs ~3-5MB for the same JPEG. Switching affects new shots only — existing JPEGs stay put until you clean them with a camera roll pass.
HEIC vs JPEG, concretely
| HEIC | JPEG | |
|---|---|---|
| Size (12MP photo) | ~1-2MB | ~3-5MB |
| Quality | Equal or better | Baseline |
| iPhone / Mac support | Full | Full |
| Old Windows / web forms | Sometimes fails | Universal |
| Burst / Live Photos overhead | Lower | Higher |
What HEIC gives you: roughly 2x more photos per gigabyte, free. What HEIC does not give you: universal compatibility. Some upload forms and old apps still choke — export as JPEG for those.
Step 1: Check and set your format
- Open Settings > Camera > Formats.
- Choose High Efficiency for space, Most Compatible only if compatibility pain is daily.
- Leave existing photos alone — converting the whole library rarely pays vs deleting junk first (why photos take space).
Step 2: When you must send JPEG
Share from Photos as usual — iOS converts automatically for most destinations. For a stubborn form, screenshot the share or export explicitly as JPEG. Don’t convert your archive “just in case”; storage is saved at capture time.
The bottom line
HEIC is free storageannualized: same memories, half the bytes. Set it once, then spend your cleanup energy on what actually eats gigabytes — big videos, bursts (duplicate guide), and screenshots (screenshot guide).