HEIC stands for High Efficiency Image Container, which is a container format for storing individual digital images and image sequences. It is an updated variant of the High Efficiency Image Format (HEIF), which is traditionally used by Apple across its mobile devices. HEIC files are available on iPhone 7 and later models running iOS 11 or later operating systems. The format compresses photos to save space, and each HEIC file uses the .heic or .heics extension, depending on the number of images inside. HEIC files can store the following types of data: image items, image sequences, auxiliary image items, image derivations, and image collections.

HEIC files are half the size of JPEGs and can hold multiple images in one file, which means less storage taken up with photos on your device or in the cloud. Despite being smaller than other image file types, HEIC files still offer the same high-quality images. However, the biggest drawback to using HEIC files is that they aren’t supported by every device. On some systems, pictures stored in the HEIC format are converted automatically to the older JPEG format when they are sent outside of the system.

In summary, HEIC is a file format used to store photos in smaller sizes but with higher quality than the popular JPEG photo format. It is an updated variant of the High Efficiency Image Format (HEIF), traditionally used by Apple across its mobile devices. HEIC files are half the size of JPEGs and can hold multiple images in one file, which means less storage taken up with photos on your device or in the cloud. However, the biggest drawback to using HEIC files is that they aren’t supported by every device.