Your iPhone saves photos as HEIC by default. It's efficient, but the moment you need to share a photo with an Android user, upload it to a website that only accepts PNG, or edit it in an app that doesn't speak HEIC, you're stuck.
Here are the free ways to convert HEIC to PNG on iPhone — including one where your photos never leave your device.
Option 1: Change the default format (prevention)
Go to Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. New photos will be saved as JPEG instead of HEIC. This doesn't fix photos you've already taken, but it stops the problem from growing.
Option 2: The Files app trick (no new app needed)
- Open Photos, select the HEIC photos, tap Share → Save to Files.
- In the Files app, the copies are saved as JPEG, not HEIC.
This works, but you get JPEG — not PNG — and it's clumsy for more than a handful of photos.
Option 3: A browser-based converter (best for PNG output)
If you specifically need PNG — for transparency, lossless quality, or a site that requires it — the fastest route is a browser tool:
- Open FileOnTap's HEIC to PNG converter in Safari or Chrome on your iPhone.
- Drop in your HEIC photos (it handles batches).
- Download the PNGs.
The conversion runs entirely in your browser using local processing — your photos are never uploaded to a server. That's a meaningful difference from most "free online converters," which send your personal photos to a third-party server first. No account, no watermark, no install.
Which option should you pick?
- One-off photo, JPEG is fine: use the Files app trick.
- Need PNG, or converting several photos: use the browser converter.
- Sick of HEIC entirely: switch to Most Compatible in Settings.
Disclosure: I'm the developer of FileOnTap.
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