It is a classic modern annoyance: You ask your friend to send you the photos from last night's party. They AirDrop them to you... wait, you have an Android. So they email them. You click download, and... "File format not supported."
The culprit is HEIC, Apple's default image format. While efficient, it doesn't always play nice with Android's default gallery apps, especially on older versions.
Method 1: Use Google Photos
The easiest fix is one you probably already have. Google Photos has native support for HEIC. If you upload the file to Google Photos (or if the link they sent was a Google Photos link), you can view it perfectly.
Method 2: Convert to JPG (The Universal Fix)
If you need to send the photo to someone else, or upload it to an app like Instagram that might be picky, your best bet is to convert it to a JPG.
You don't need to download a sketchy app from the Play Store full of ads. Just open your browser (Chrome/Firefox) and visit LocalImageConverter. It works perfectly on mobile.
- Tap "Select Image".
- Pick the HEIC file from your files.
- It converts instantly to JPG.
- Tap to download the new, compatible image.