HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is the container format for HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) images, which use the H.265/HEVC compression codec. Apple adopted it as the default iPhone camera format in iOS 11 (2017) and macOS High Sierra. HEIC achieves roughly 40% smaller file sizes compared to JPEG at the same visual quality, using more sophisticated inter-prediction algorithms.
Beyond better compression, HEIF supports features JPEG lacks: storing image sequences (Live Photos), depth maps (Portrait mode data), wider color gamuts (Display P3), higher bit depths (10-bit vs JPEG's 8-bit), and HDR metadata. These advanced features make HEIC ideal for modern iPhone photography and Apple's ecosystem.
The major limitation is compatibility: Windows, Android, and most websites don't natively support HEIC. Sharing HEIC files to non-Apple users often results in unrecognized file errors. The solution is converting to JPEG for sharing. To prevent iPhones from saving HEIC: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. For existing HEIC files, use FileCurve's HEIC to JPG converter.