How to Convert HEIC to AVIF: From iPhone to Web-Ready

Your iPhone takes great photos. But it saves them in HEIC format, and that causes problems.

Most websites don't accept HEIC uploads. Many image editors can't open HEIC files. Windows PCs struggle with them. If you want to use your iPhone photos on the web, you need to convert them.

Most people convert HEIC to JPG. That works, but you're leaving performance on the table. AVIF gives you smaller files with better quality. Here's why HEIC to AVIF is the smarter choice.

What Is HEIC and Why Does Your iPhone Use It?

HEIC stands for High Efficiency Image Container. Apple adopted it as the default photo format starting with iOS 11 in 2017. Every iPhone photo you've taken since then is probably HEIC.

Apple chose HEIC for good reason. It compresses better than JPG. A 12-megapixel iPhone photo that would be 4 MB as JPG is only about 2 MB as HEIC. That saves a lot of storage space on your phone and in iCloud.

HEIC also keeps more quality than JPG. It supports 10-bit color depth (JPG is limited to 8-bit), which means smoother gradients and more accurate colors. It handles transparency and can even store image sequences like Live Photos.

The problem is compatibility. HEIC works great inside the Apple ecosystem. Outside of it, support is spotty. Windows needs a special extension to view HEIC files. Many websites reject them. Most social media platforms convert them silently to JPG on upload.

Why Convert HEIC to AVIF Instead of JPG?

When most people hit the HEIC compatibility wall, they convert to JPG. It's the obvious choice because JPG works everywhere.

But JPG is a 30-year-old format. Converting your high-quality HEIC photos to JPG means:

Bigger files. JPG files are 40-50% larger than what AVIF produces at the same quality.
Quality loss. JPG compression creates visible artifacts, especially in skies, gradients, and shadows.
No transparency. If your photo has any transparent elements, JPG fills them with solid white.
8-bit color only. Your HEIC photos have 10-bit color. JPG drops that down to 8-bit, losing subtle color detail.

AVIF is a much better match for HEIC photos. Like HEIC, AVIF supports 10-bit color, transparency, and HDR. It compresses even better than HEIC. Converting HEIC to AVIF preserves more of what your iPhone camera captured while producing smaller files than JPG would give you.

Think of it this way: HEIC and AVIF are the same generation of image technology. JPG is the previous generation. Going from HEIC to AVIF is a lateral move. Going from HEIC to JPG is a downgrade.

How Do You Convert HEIC to AVIF?

HEIC conversion used to be a pain. You needed special software or plugins just to read the files. Today it's much simpler.

ConvertIMG handles HEIC to AVIF conversion directly in your browser. Drop your iPhone photos in, choose AVIF as the output, and download. No software installation. No plugins. No uploading your personal photos to someone else's server.

The process works for batch conversion too. If you have 50 vacation photos to convert, drop them all in at once. Each file converts independently so you can download them as they finish.

For quality settings, 80-85% is a good starting point. Because AVIF is so efficient, this produces results that look identical to the original HEIC to the naked eye. You can go lower for photos you're using as thumbnails or social media posts.

Here's where you need to think about your audience. AVIF is great for websites, but not everyone can open AVIF files directly.

For your website or blog: AVIF is perfect. All modern browsers support it. Your visitors get fast-loading, high-quality images.

For sending to friends and family: JPG is still safer. Not everyone has an updated phone or computer that can view AVIF. If you're texting or emailing photos, convert to JPG instead.

For social media: Most platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) re-compress everything you upload anyway. Whether you upload JPG or AVIF, the platform converts it to its own format. Upload JPG for now since some platforms don't accept AVIF uploads yet.

For cloud storage and backup: AVIF works well here. Services like Google Photos can display AVIF. You save storage space and keep high quality.

The practical approach: convert to AVIF for anything web-related. Keep JPG as your sharing format for direct person-to-person use.

Can You Change Your iPhone to Shoot AVIF Directly?

Not yet. As of now, iPhones capture in HEIC (or JPG if you change the camera settings). Apple hasn't added AVIF as a capture format.

You can change your iPhone to shoot JPG instead of HEIC. Go to Settings, then Camera, then Formats, and select "Most Compatible." But this gives you larger files with lower quality than HEIC. It's a step backward.

The better workflow is to keep shooting in HEIC and convert to AVIF when you need web-ready files. HEIC is an excellent capture format. AVIF is an excellent delivery format. Use each one where it works best.

If you regularly transfer iPhone photos to your computer for web use, set up a quick workflow: import your HEIC files, batch convert to AVIF with ConvertIMG, and use the AVIF versions on your site.

How Does HEIC to AVIF Compare to Other Conversion Options?

Here's a quick comparison of what you get when converting from HEIC to different formats:

Convert to	File size vs HEIC	Quality	Transparency	Browser support
AVIF	30-40% smaller	Excellent	Yes	93%+
WebP	10-20% smaller	Very good	Yes	97%+
JPG	50-80% larger	Good	No	100%
PNG	200-400% larger	Perfect	Yes	100%

AVIF wins on file size and quality. JPG wins on compatibility. WebP sits in the middle. PNG is only worth it if you need lossless precision.

For a full breakdown of each format's strengths and weaknesses, check out our complete image format guide.

Ready to Convert Your iPhone Photos?

Stop downgrading your iPhone photos to JPG. ConvertIMG converts HEIC to AVIF right in your browser. Your photos stay private, the quality stays high, and the files come out small. Give it a try.