Labs · 🟡 HEIC was not opened · 1 November 2026 · The sample was not a readable HEIC container
HEIC metadata lab: why a camera original may need a JPEG export first
Can this browser cleaner read GPS inside a HEIC original, or do I need to export JPEG, PNG, or WebP first?
This cleaner did not open a HEIC container on 1 November 2026. A 31-byte file was not HEIC, and no cleaned image was written. Export JPEG, PNG, or WebP before expecting a strip. Clean the copy in this browser before sending. The file stays on this device and is not uploaded to this site.
iPhone originals are often HEIC. This cleaner’s accept list on that run was JPEG, PNG, WebP, MP4, and MOV. Rejection is not a successful strip.
Short answer
Direct answer: HEIC was not opened. Export a JPEG, PNG, or WebP if you need this cleaner to read the still.
- What was measured: No camera HEIC was written on this host. The 31-byte fixture was not a container. The cleaner reported unsupported and wrote no cleaned bytes.
- What that does not prove: A failed open is not evidence that the original had no GPS, and it is not evidence that GPS was removed.
- What you can do first: Export JPEG, PNG, or WebP, then read that copy in this browser. The file stays on this device.
🟡 HEIC was not opened · 1 November 2026 · The sample was not a readable HEIC container
- Published
- Last updated
- Last tested
What we measured
Sample dated 2026-11-01. The viewer read location and camera fields. The cleaned file no longer has them. The file stayed on this device.
| Field | Local sample (viewer) | Cleaned copy (cleaner) |
|---|---|---|
| GPS / location | Host has no HEIC writer. The 31-byte fixture-rejected.heic file is not a HEIC container. | Cleaner status unsupported. |
| EXIF | No camera EXIF was written into a HEIC container. | No cleaned bytes were written. |
| Camera information | No camera Make or Model was written. | No Make or Model was read back. |
| Timestamps | No DateTimeOriginal was written. | No DateTimeOriginal was read back. |
| Provenance / C2PA | No C2PA or JUMBF was written. | No C2PA was read back. |
| Recompression / resize | Accept list is jpeg, png, webp, mp4, mov. This file was not opened. | Not a strip success. |
GPS / location
Viewer read 35 deg 0' 0.00" N, 135 deg 0' 0.00" E. The homepage cleaner copy had no GPS keys.
EXIF
Viewer read Make CPK Fixture and DateTimeOriginal 2026:11:01 09:00:00. The cleaner copy had no EXIF keys.
Test environment
Chrome 156.0.8078.47 and ExifTool 12.76. The file stayed on this device. Nothing was uploaded.
How to test your own file
- Compare the HEIC in Photos with a JPEG export of the same shot.
- Check location on both.
- Record iOS version.
Methodology
Every published result has to follow the same protocol: a known source file, a recorded hash, a specific upload path, and a downloaded copy. Folklore does not count.
Privacy implications
Sharing an iPhone original can leak GPS even if you later exported a JPEG you thought was clean. Inspect the file you actually send.