Why I Built a HEIC to JPG Tool

A long time ago I went to Chongqing, China. The hotpot there is famously numbing and fiery, and my stomach quickly waved the white flag — sweating, churning, the works. The trip beat me up a little on the inside, but I still took a ton of photos, planning to show them off back home like a proud tour guide.

Then I got back to the hotel and, before my stomach had even signed a peace treaty, a new headache arrived: my photos were HEIC files, my friend's phone couldn't open them, and I couldn't send a single one. Every picture was stuck in my own hands — the digital version of "I brought souvenirs, but the customs officer is me." My excitement deflated faster than a punctured balloon. Honestly, it stung worse than the hotpot.

A friend on the trip watched me pacing like a headless chicken and sent over a converter: "Just convert them to JPG." I tried it, and boom — photos delivered. The relief hit me like a cool drink after all that chili. Crisis over.

That little rescue stuck with me. Later I thought: I can't be the only one holding a phone full of photos that refuse to leave. So I built the tool into a website — part tribute to the trip, part so the next person stuck in the same jam doesn't have to sweat it out alone.

And just like that, the tables turned. Back then, I was the one hurting, stuck, and begging for help; now I'm the one who built the tool, so nobody else has to suffer through it. Back then, my photos were trapped and I could only panic; now, anyone can flip them to JPG and send them off without a fuss.