FormatDrop
How-To Guide

How to Convert HEIC to JPG on Android

Android doesn't support HEIC natively — if someone sends you a HEIC photo from their iPhone, your gallery app either shows a broken image or refuses to open it. Converting to JPG takes under a minute in Chrome on Android, no app install required. Here's how.

Open HEIC to JPG Converter

Step-by-step instructions

  1. 1

    Open Chrome on your Android phone and go to FormatDrop

    Open the Chrome app on your Android device and navigate to formatdrop.com/heic-to-jpg. The converter loads the libheif decoding engine into Chrome using WebAssembly — no app needs to be installed on your device.

    Go to converter
  2. 2

    Upload your HEIC file

    Tap the drop zone. Android will show the file picker — navigate to your Downloads folder (where received HEIC files usually land) or to your gallery to find the HEIC photo. On some Android versions, HEIC files show as thumbnails in the file picker; on others, they appear as unknown files but still upload correctly.

  3. 3

    Convert in Chrome

    The HEIC file is decoded entirely inside Chrome using WebAssembly — no upload, no server. This typically takes 2–5 seconds per photo on modern Android hardware. If the HEIC file came from an iPhone Live Photo, the still frame is extracted as a standard JPG.

  4. 4

    Download the JPG to your Android

    Tap Download. Chrome saves the JPG file to your Downloads folder (typically accessible via Files by Google or the Files app). The JPG will now open in Google Photos, your gallery app, WhatsApp, and any other Android app without issues.

Why convert HEIC to JPG?

Android has never added native HEIC support despite HEIC being the default iPhone photo format since 2017. Google's position is that WebP (their own format) is the preferred modern image format for Android. The result: HEIC files received via Bluetooth, email, Google Drive, or cloud sync services often appear as broken thumbnails or 'unsupported format' errors in Android gallery apps. The browser-based approach works because Chrome for Android supports WebAssembly — the same runtime that lets FormatDrop decode HEIC files — without requiring any additional codecs or permissions. If you regularly receive photos from iPhone contacts, you might also ask them to change their iPhone camera settings (Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible) to send JPG instead of HEIC going forward.

Your files never leave your device

FormatDrop runs the conversion engine entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly. No file upload. No server. Nothing stored. You can verify this by opening DevTools → Network tab and watching: zero upload requests.

Frequently asked questions

Why can't Android open HEIC files?
Android uses WebP as its modern efficient image format, not HEIC. HEIC uses HEVC (H.265) compression, which has patent licensing costs — Google has chosen not to include a system-level HEIC codec in Android. Some Android phones from Samsung, OnePlus, and others include HEIC support as a manufacturer addition, but it's not universal. Converting HEIC to JPG is the universal fix that works on every Android device.
How do I receive iPhone photos as JPG on Android?
Ask the iPhone user to change their camera settings: Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. This makes their iPhone take photos as JPG instead of HEIC, so everything they share arrives as JPG. Alternatively, iPhone users can share photos via the Share sheet to most messaging apps, which triggers automatic HEIC-to-JPG conversion by iOS. For photos already in HEIC format, the browser converter is the quickest fix.
What if my Android phone's file picker can't find the HEIC file?
Some Android file pickers filter by recognized file types and hide HEIC files. Try using 'Files by Google' (the built-in file manager) directly to find and browse to the HEIC file, then re-open FormatDrop and use the file picker again. Alternatively, in Chrome's file picker, look for an option to show 'All Files' rather than filtering by type.
Can I batch convert HEIC files on Android?
FormatDrop supports selecting multiple files in Android's file picker (long-press the first file, then tap additional files). Free accounts convert up to 5 at a time. Pro removes this limit for unlimited batch conversion on any device including Android.
Convert HEIC to JPG Now — Free

No account. No upload. Works in any browser.

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