Apple’s HEIC photo format isn’t widely supported and that causes problems when students upload photos during online exams.
But the testing portal doesn’t support the default format on iOS devices and some newer Android phones, HEIC files. HEIC files are smaller than JPEGs and other formats, thus allowing you to store a lot more photos on an iPhone. Basically, only Apple (and, more recently, Samsung) use the HEIC format — most other websites and platforms don’t support it. Even popular Silicon Valley-based services, such as Slack, don’t treat HEICs the same way as standard JPEGs.
I wish more websites would support HEIC/HEIF. It should be a no-brainer since the file size is smaller than JPG and supports a wider color gamut.
Check It Out: Some Online College Exams Don’t Support Apple’s HEIC Format
Disappointing to see a Mac-oriented site use a clickbait headline. Simply parroting the Verge’s headline, if that’s the case, wouldn’t be any better.
HEIC is not “Apple’s format.”
It was a standard developed by the MPEG, and based on HEVC (H.265).
So many “governmental” websites do not work well with Apple tech ……..and they (Govt IT) don’t really care.
They don’t test their software well against Apple products, if at all. It’s as if we don’t exist.
It actually amounts to a hidden form of “discrimination” against Apple and Apple Users by non-Apple IT leadership. And it has been going on for years.
The nerve of many IT directors that they intentionally ignore the Apple population (a significant minority) by not testing on Apple computers/OS and primary Apple software.
Over the years, I have personally experienced many website and portals, trying to fill out forms, etc., that simply do not work at all with Safari (and even don’t work when using Safari’s “emulation of other browsers” mode in Develop > User Agent….such as emulating Internet Explorer).
It seems like most “government” websites have this problem. I’ve had problems filling out Student Loan Applications, on School portals, filling out Electronic Timesheets for govt departments, etc.. And it has barely gotten better over the years.
This problem with HEIC format is just one more indication of their (Fed Dept of Ed?) poor software design and testing.
It’s either a LOT of incompetent developers…..or its a pattern of “we don’t care about 20% of computer/phone/device users out there”. They are not us, so we have decided to spit on them!
If they did this against a racial group, there would be hell to pay!
But I’ve never ever heard a peep out of Apple (or Apple press) about it.
I find a simple way around HEIC.
Simply start the mail app to send the photo you want.
But once you have the email showing the photo, I find it is in .jpg.
Then I can select small, medium, large, or original.
I just drag that photo to where I need to upload it or double click to open it in preview to save it where I need it and then navigate there to upload.
That has not been my experience when trying to attach a photo to a form that a local public utility provides to submit an electric or water meter reading. This was not an email it should be noted but an official form with an area to add the photo and which totally refused to attach an HEIC photo that could be read at the Utility’s offices. I finally found a solution in a free tool from iMazing called, iMazing HEIC converter.app which will convert an HEIC photo to a jpeg.