If you use an iPhone regularly, you've probably run into HEIC files.

On the phone, everything works perfectly.

But the moment you need to actually use those images somewhere else, things get awkward.

Maybe:

a website only accepts PDF

someone can't open the HEIC image

you need to send multiple photos as a single file

or you're trying to upload documents captured on your phone

I kept hitting this problem often enough that I decided to build a small tool around it.

That's how HEICFlow started.

Why HEIC Can Be Frustrating

HEIC is Apple's modern image format.

It has real advantages:

better compression

smaller files

good image quality

From a storage perspective, it's great.

But compatibility still creates friction.

Many workflows still prefer:

PDF

JPG

PNG

especially when images move beyond your phone.

And in practice, most people aren't trying to "manage file formats."

They're trying to complete a task.

The Real-World HEIC Problem

Here are some situations I kept seeing.

1.…