How to convert HEIC to JPG on Android
Updated 2026-11-08 · 4 min read
Someone with an iPhone sends you photos and your Android phone shows a grey box, or the gallery says the format is not supported. The files end in .heic. HEIC is Apple's default photo format since 2017; it stores a photo in about half the space of a JPG, but Android support depends on the phone maker and version, and many apps, forms and websites refuse it outright.
You do not need to install anything. The quickest fix is a converter that runs inside your phone's browser, so the photo never leaves your device. Two other options are covered below in case you prefer them.
Method 1: convert in your browser (nothing installed, nothing uploaded)
- Save the HEIC photos to your phone, for example from WhatsApp, Gmail or a shared drive. They usually land in Downloads.
- Open the Toolovi HEIC to JPG converter in Chrome or any browser and tap the drop area.
- Pick one photo or many from Downloads or the file manager. Conversion starts on your phone; a 12-megapixel photo takes about a second.
- Tap Download for each photo, or Download all. The JPGs appear in Downloads and in your gallery.
The conversion uses your phone's processor, so it works offline once the page has loaded and nothing is sent to a server. That matters for family photos and ID documents.
Method 2: ask the sender to switch the iPhone to JPG
On the iPhone, Settings, then Camera, then Formats, then Most Compatible. New photos are saved as JPG from then on. Photos already taken stay HEIC, so the first batch still needs converting.
When sharing from the iPhone Photos app, choosing the Options link at the top of the share sheet and setting Format to Most Compatible also sends JPG copies.
Method 3: Google Photos
If Google Photos opens the HEIC, tap Edit, make a tiny change such as a crop, and tap Save copy. The copy is saved as JPG. This works one photo at a time and needs the Google Photos app to support HEIC on your phone, which is not guaranteed on older Android versions.
What to expect from the JPG
The JPG is larger than the HEIC, typically 30 to 50 percent bigger at the default 90 percent quality, because JPG compresses less efficiently. The picture looks the same on a phone screen. If the photo must fit an upload limit afterwards, run it through the image compressor and choose a target size.
Live Photos lose their motion part and become a normal still. Location and camera data are not carried over by the browser converter, which is usually what you want before sending a photo on.
Also works on Windows and Mac
The same page works on a PC. Windows 11 can open HEIC in Photos once the free HEIF extension is installed, and Windows 10 often cannot open it at all. The browser converter avoids both problems and converts whole folders in one go.
Questions
Why does Android not open HEIC files?
HEIC needs a decoder for the HEVC format, which some Android phones and many apps do not include. The file is fine; the phone cannot read it. Converting to JPG, which every device reads, solves it.
Does converting HEIC to JPG lose quality?
A little, because JPG is also a lossy format, but at 90 percent quality the difference is invisible on a phone. Avoid converting the same photo several times.
Is it safe to convert ID photos this way?
Yes. The browser converter never uploads the file. You can turn on flight mode after the page loads and it still works.
Can I convert many HEIC files at once on Android?
Yes. Select several files in the picker; each converts in about a second and Download all saves them together.