HEIC photos contain the same metadata as JPEG photos: an iPhone writes a full EXIF block into every HEIC file, including GPS coordinates (when location access is on), the exact capture time, the iPhone model, the lens, the iOS version and Apple's own maker notes. The newer format compresses the image better, but it does nothing for privacy, and when a HEIC photo is converted to JPEG, the metadata usually comes along.
This guide explains how HEIC stores that information, what an iPhone actually records, which conversions keep it, and how to remove it before you share.
What a HEIC file actually is
HEIC is the name Apple uses for photos saved in HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format, ISO/IEC 23008-12) with the image compressed by the HEVC (H.265) codec. According to Apple's HEIF and HEVC support page, iPhone 7 and later can capture in this format on iOS 11 or later; it is the default when Settings > Camera > Formats is set to High Efficiency.
Unlike JPEG, which is a simple sequence of segments, HEIF is built on the ISO base media file format, the same box structure used by MP4 video. A file is a tree of boxes, and the still image is described as a set of "items":
- The primary image item, which is often not one picture but a grid of smaller coded tiles that a decoder stitches together.
- Auxiliary items, such as a depth map for Portrait photos or a gain map that lets HDR-capable screens show the photo brighter.
- A thumbnail item for quick previews.
- Metadata items: an
Exifitem and an XMP item.
A table inside the file (the iloc box) records where each item's bytes are located, and an iref box links metadata items to the image they describe.
Where HEIC metadata lives inside the file
The descriptive metadata in a HEIC file is not a new invention. The Exif item contains a standard EXIF block with the same TIFF structure a JPEG carries in its APP1 segment, so the same tag names apply: GPSLatitude, DateTimeOriginal, Make, Model and so on. XMP is stored as an item holding the same XML packet you would find in a JPEG.
Some technical information moves out of EXIF into HEIF "item properties":
| Information | In a JPEG | In a HEIC file |
|---|---|---|
| EXIF (GPS, dates, device, settings) | APP1 segment | Exif item |
| XMP | APP1 segment with XMP namespace | XMP item (MIME type application/rdf+xml) |
| Color profile | APP2 ICC_PROFILE segments | colr property |
| Rotation and mirroring | EXIF Orientation tag | irot and imir properties (EXIF Orientation may also be present) |
| Image size | Frame header | ispe property |
| Thumbnail | Inside EXIF | Separate thumbnail item |
The practical consequence: a tool that "understands JPEG" cannot simply cut a segment out of a HEIC file. It must rewrite the box structure and the location table, which is why fewer tools can edit HEIC metadata safely.
What an iPhone photo records
Inspecting a typical iPhone photo with ExifTool shows these groups of information. Exact fields vary by model and iOS version.
| Category | Example tags | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Location | GPSLatitude, GPSLongitude, GPSAltitude, GPSImgDirection, GPSSpeed | Pinpoints where you stood and which way you faced |
| Time | DateTimeOriginal, OffsetTimeOriginal, SubSecTimeOriginal | Exact moment and your time zone |
| Device | Make, Model, LensModel, HostComputer | Which iPhone and which of its cameras |
| Software | Software | The iOS version installed |
| Apple maker notes | RunTime, AccelerationVector, BurstUUID, ContentIdentifier, ImageCaptureType, CameraType | Device uptime, how the phone was held, links between burst shots and Live Photo files |
| Camera settings | ExposureTime, FNumber, ISO, FocalLength | Mostly harmless on their own |
The maker notes deserve attention. ExifTool's documentation of Apple tags describes RunTime as the time since the device last booted, and ContentIdentifier as the identifier that links the parts of a Live Photo. Values like these can help someone connect photos that came from the same phone around the same time, even if you posted them in different places. For a deeper look at each field, see what metadata a photo contains.
Does converting HEIC to JPEG remove metadata?
Usually not. Conversion changes how the pixels are compressed, but most converters deliberately copy the EXIF block into the new file so that dates and locations are not lost. Common conversion paths:
- Transfer to Mac or PC: under Settings > Apps > Photos (Settings > Photos on older iOS versions), the Automatic option converts photos to a compatible format when you import them to a computer by cable. Apple notes that media "might be converted to JPEG or H.264". The metadata travels with the photo.
- Sharing to a device or app that cannot read HEIC: Apple says AirDrop, Messages and email may send a more compatible format such as JPEG. Again, the converted file normally keeps its EXIF.
- Preview on a Mac: File > Export with Format set to JPEG writes a new file and copies the metadata.
- Third-party converters: behavior varies, and many keep EXIF by default.
So "it's a JPEG now" does not mean "it's clean now". Inspect the result, or strip it explicitly.
A converted JPEG can look like a fresh file while still carrying your GPS coordinates and the original capture time. Treat every converted photo as if it had the full original metadata until you have checked it.
High Efficiency vs Most Compatible: what changes for metadata
Settings > Camera > Formats offers two choices. Most Compatible makes the camera save new photos as JPEG and videos as H.264; High Efficiency uses HEIC and HEVC. Labels may differ slightly between iOS versions.
The setting changes the compression format, not what the camera records. A Most Compatible JPEG still contains GPS (if Location Services is enabled for the Camera), dates, device model and Apple maker notes. The two things that actually control metadata at capture time are:
- Location Services for the Camera, which decides whether new photos get GPS tags. Our guide on stopping your iPhone from saving location walks through it.
- What you do when you share, covered below.
Most Compatible is still useful if you regularly need to clean photos with tools that only accept JPEG, PNG or WebP: every photo you take is ready to process without a conversion step. The cost is larger files for the same visual quality, and some features, such as certain high-resolution or HDR capture modes, may require High Efficiency.
Removing metadata from HEIC photos
On the iPhone itself
The Photos app can remove location but not the other fields:
- Per photo: open the photo, swipe up (or tap the info button), tap Adjust next to the location, and choose No Location. This edits the photo in your library.
- Per share: in the share sheet, tap Options at the top and turn off Location. iOS then sends a copy without GPS. The AirDrop and iMessage location guide explains how this interacts with "All Photos Data".
Neither option removes the device model, capture time, software version or maker notes. For that, you need a tool that removes everything, which is covered step by step in how to remove EXIF data on iPhone.
On a computer with ExifTool
ExifTool can read HEIC metadata completely and can write EXIF and XMP in HEIC files. To view everything:
exiftool -a -G1 -s IMG_1234.HEICTo remove only the GPS tags while keeping the file as HEIC:
exiftool -gps:all= -overwrite_original IMG_1234.HEICHEIC editing is more complex than JPEG editing because the box structure has to be rewritten, so always run the viewing command again afterwards and confirm that the file still opens in Photos or Preview.
Convert, then clean
For most people, the simplest complete method is to get a JPEG copy and clean that. Our free online metadata remover accepts JPEG, PNG and WebP but not HEIC. To get a JPEG from your iPhone:
- Switch Settings > Camera > Formats to Most Compatible for future photos.
- Export or share existing photos as JPEG; many transfers, such as the Automatic import option or sending to a non-Apple device, convert them automatically.
- On a Mac, open the photo in Preview and use File > Export with JPEG as the format.
Then upload the JPEG in Safari. In "Keep same format" mode the tool removes EXIF (GPS, device, dates, software, serial numbers, maker notes, thumbnails), XMP and IPTC without re-encoding the image. It keeps the ICC color profile, which matters for iPhone photos because they are usually in the Display P3 color space, and the orientation flag, so portrait shots stay upright.
HEIC color and orientation: two things to keep
Two pieces of technical information in an iPhone photo are worth preserving through any conversion or cleaning:
- The color profile. iPhones since the iPhone 7 capture in Display P3, a wider gamut than the sRGB most of the web assumes. If a converter or cleaner drops the profile, software reads the colors as sRGB and they look muted. Why the ICC profile is the metadata you want to keep explains the mechanism.
- Orientation. HEIF has its own rotation and mirroring properties, and the EXIF block may carry an Orientation tag too. A converter must apply one or the other correctly when it creates the JPEG; if it ends up with neither, the photo appears sideways. See EXIF orientation explained.
HEIC privacy checklist for iPhone users
- Decide whether you want GPS in new photos at all, and set Location Services for the Camera accordingly.
- Assume every HEIC and every JPEG converted from it carries the full original metadata.
- For a quick share, turn off Location in the share sheet Options. Remember this removes only GPS.
- For anything public (marketplaces, forums, websites), make a JPEG copy and strip all metadata, keeping the color profile and orientation.
- If you share Live Photos, remember the video part is a separate file with its own metadata.
- Check the result before posting, and look at the picture itself for visible clues such as street signs or house numbers, which no metadata tool can remove.