HEIC and Live Photos still carry EXIF
iPhones save most photos as HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) and often as Live Photos (a still image plus a short video). Both can store hidden metadata like GPS coordinates, timestamps, device model, and camera settings. If you share these files online, that data can leak your location. See real examples in How Photos Reveal Your Location.
What metadata is stored in HEIC?
HEIC files can contain the same EXIF fields as JPEG:
- GPS location (if camera location tagging is on)
- Date/time and timezone
- iPhone model and iOS version
- Camera settings like ISO and exposure
What metadata is stored in Live Photos?
Live Photos are two files:
- A still photo (usually HEIC) with EXIF metadata.
- A short video clip (usually MOV) that can contain location and device metadata.
PrivacyStrip supports HEIC stills and MP4 videos. Live Photo videos are often MOV, so export or convert them to MP4 if you want to clean the video portion.
Prevent metadata in new HEIC/Live Photos
- Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services.
- Scroll to Camera.
- Select Never or turn off Precise Location.
This stops new photos from saving GPS coordinates, but existing photos still need cleanup.
Remove metadata from HEIC photos (recommended)
PrivacyStrip converts HEIC to a clean JPEG/PNG and removes all EXIF locally in your browser — no uploads.
- Open privacystrip.com on iPhone, iPad, or desktop.
- Select your HEIC photos.
- Review detected EXIF/GPS fields.
- Tap Remove All Metadata and download the clean files.
Remove metadata from Live Photos
- For the still image: upload the Live Photo to PrivacyStrip and clean it like any HEIC photo.
- For the video clip: export the Live Photo as a video (or convert to MP4), then upload the MP4 to PrivacyStrip to strip metadata.