iPhones save photos as HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) by default. It is a good format: about half the size of a JPEG at similar quality. But nearly every Indian exam and government portal asks for JPG or JPEG, and many do not recognise HEIC at all. The file picker greys it out, or the upload fails with "invalid format". Here is how to avoid the problem and how to fix a photo you already have.

Why portals reject HEIC

Exam bodies write "JPG/JPEG only" into their notices because every system in their chain, from the upload check to the admit card printer, understands JPEG. HEIC needs extra software: Windows does not open it out of the box, and many server-side image libraries cannot read it. Renaming IMG_1234.HEIC to .jpg does not help, because the contents are still HEIC.

Make the iPhone save JPG from now on

  • Camera format: open Settings, then Camera, then Formats, and choose Most Compatible. New photos are saved as JPEG. Photos you already took stay HEIC.
  • Transfer to a computer: in Settings, then Photos, the option "Transfer to Mac or PC" set to Automatic converts photos to JPEG when you copy them over a cable.
  • Taking the exam photo: switch off Live Photos and Portrait mode for this shot. Portrait mode's blurred background looks artificial, and some exams ask for a plain, evenly lit background instead.

Converting a photo you already have

You have three options, from easiest to most private:

  1. Share it from the Photos app. Mailing a photo to yourself, or some share options, send a JPEG copy. This depends on the app and settings, so check the file extension of what arrives.
  2. Open it in the exam editor directly. ExamFitr's editor accepts HEIC and converts it to JPEG inside your browser, then crops and sizes it for your exam in the same step. Nothing is uploaded; the conversion runs on your device.
  3. Use the image converter if you only need a plain JPG with a set DPI and no cropping.

Avoid online converters that upload your photo to their server. An exam photo is an identity document: you do not know how long a free service keeps it.

Does converting lose quality?

A single conversion from HEIC to a high-quality JPEG is not visible to the eye. What does lose quality is converting, compressing, screenshotting and compressing again. Convert once from the original and do the resizing and compressing in the same step, which is what the editor does.

What about Android?

Most Android phones save JPEG by default. Some newer ones offer HEIF as an option in the camera settings. If your gallery shows .heic or .heif files, the same advice applies.