iPhone Share Options: Current vs Most Compatible

In the iPhone share sheet, Current is the option Apple documents as the one that stops a file format conversion. Almost nobody opens that menu, so photos and videos get re-encoded on the way out and the sender never finds out.

Apple's iPhone User Guide states the three choices in a single line (Share photos and videos on iPhone, iOS 27):

"Adjust the file format: Tap Automatic for the best file format for the destination, tap Current to prevent a file format conversion, or tap Most Compatible and files may convert to JPEG or MOV."

That one sentence is the whole feature. This guide covers where the panel is, what each of the three choices does in Apple's own words, and the naming trap that catches most people writing about this.

Before you start

You need a photo or video selected in the Photos app and the share sheet open. Two things are worth checking first.

Which capture format you are already on. In Settings > Camera > Formats, High Efficiency captures HEIF photos and HEVC video, which Apple also identifies as H.265. Apple's HEIF and HEVC page describes the alternative: "Tap Formats, then tap Most Compatible. This setting is available only on iPhone and iPad devices that can capture media in HEIF or HEVC format." On that setting, "All new photos and videos will now use JPEG or H.264 format."

Which iOS version your device runs. Apple's share sheet documentation changed between iOS 26 and iOS 27, and the difference is not cosmetic — see Step 3.

Step 1: open Options in the share sheet

Select the item, tap the share button, then tap Options near the top of the sheet. Apple uses that exact wording in its ProRes instructions: "Tap Options, near the top of the screen."

The Options panel is where format and metadata controls live. Nothing on the main share sheet exposes them.

Step 2: pick one of the three file format choices

Apple's phrasing, quoted above, maps to three behaviours:

Pick Current when the file is going into an edit. If you are handing footage to a video editor, a colourist, or your own Mac, a conversion you did not ask for is pure loss. This is the option that stops it.

Pick Most Compatible when the recipient is an unknown or older device and you would rather get something that opens than something that is pristine.

Step 3: decide on All Photos Data — and check your iOS version first

Turning on All Photos Data is a separate toggle in the same panel, and this is where the two published versions of the page disagree.

The iOS 27 page says:

"Send all photo data: Turn on All Photos Data to share the original file with edit history and metadata; the recipient can view and modify the current version (available with AirDrop only)."

The iOS 26 version of the same page says:

"Send all photo data: Turn on All Photos Data to share the original file with edit history and metadata; the recipient can view and modify the current version (available with AirDrop and iCloud links only)."

One says AirDrop only; the other says AirDrop and iCloud links only. If you are planning around iCloud links, read the page for the iOS release you are actually running rather than trusting a summary.

The same section differs in a second place: the iOS 26 page lists "Turn off location data: Turn off Location," while the iOS 27 page lists "Don't share keywords: Turn off Keywords." Each version shows one of these, not both.

Apple's Share long videos page gives the practical reason to use the toggle: "If you want to send the video in its original format, including metadata, location, and any associated edit history or captions, tap Options, then turn on All Photos Data."

Step 4: know what the receiving end does to your file

Apple documents three different outcomes depending on the route, and all three use "might", not "will":

• iCloud Photos — "If sharing this media via iCloud Photos, the media is preserved in its original format, resolution, and frame rate."
• AirDrop, Messages, email — "If sharing this media using other methods, such as AirDrop, Messages, or email, and the receiving device doesn't support the newer media formats, the media might automatically be shared in a more compatible format, such as JPEG or H.264." The trigger is the receiving device, not the method.
• USB import to a computer — "When you import HEIF or HEVC media from an attached iPhone or iPad into Photos, Image Capture, or a PC, the media might be converted to JPEG or H.264. If you don't want it to be converted, open Settings, tap Apps, tap Photos, then scroll down and tap Keep Originals."

If a file has already landed somewhere as HEVC and the destination app refuses it, convert it on your own machine instead of re-shooting or re-sending:

Try it right here

Runs in your browser. Your file is not uploaded anywhere.

Loading tool…

That runs in the browser tab, so the clip is never uploaded anywhere. If the file came off a Mac as QuickTime, MOV to MP4 does the same job, and all Clapr tools covers the rest.

The trap: two different settings named Most Compatible

This is the single most-misreported detail on this topic.

• In Settings > Camera > Formats, Most Compatible is a capture setting: "your camera will capture photos and videos in JPEG and H.264 formats."
• In the share sheet, Most Compatible is a sharing setting, and the outcome Apple names is different: "files may convert to JPEG or MOV."

Same label, different scope, different named outputs. Changing one does nothing to the other.

Common mistakes

1. Assuming Current guarantees the recipient can open it. Apple's guide says it prevents a conversion, and stops there. For what happens when the receiving app doesn't support the format, check the official documentation.
2. Reading "files may convert to JPEG or MOV" as proof the camera records MOV. That line describes a share output. Apple's tech specs list recorded codecs — for iPhone 17, "Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264" — not container extensions.
3. Turning "might" into "will". Every conversion statement Apple publishes for AirDrop, Messages, email and USB import is hedged.
4. Expecting edits to travel on every route. When exporting to external storage, Apple notes: "For photos and videos that have been edited, the unmodified original version will be exported."
5. Hoping the format menu solves a size rejection. It does not. Apple's own note: "The size limit of attachments is determined by your service provider."

FAQ

What does Current mean in iPhone share options? Apple's User Guide describes it as the choice you tap "to prevent a file format conversion." It sends the file in the format it is already stored in, rather than letting iOS pick a format for the destination.

Is Most Compatible in the share sheet the same as in Camera settings? No. The Camera setting captures in "JPEG and H.264 formats." The share sheet option says "files may convert to JPEG or MOV." Two separate settings that happen to share a name.

Will AirDrop always convert my HEVC video to H.264? Apple's wording is conditional: conversion is described as something that might happen when "the receiving device doesn't support the newer media formats." Apple does publish an exact chain for ProRes over AirDrop — original ProRes to supported devices, otherwise "an HEVC video if the devices supports it, or H.264 video if the device doesn't" — but that statement covers ProRes only.

How do I stop my iPhone videos being converted when I import to a computer? Apple's instruction: "open Settings, tap Apps, tap Photos, then scroll down and tap Keep Originals." Note the surrounding sentence says the media "might be converted" without it.

Which format is safest for an older device? Apple frames this as resolution and frame rate, not just codec: "Resolutions of 1080p or lower and frame rates of 60 fps or lower are more broadly compatible with older devices."

Where do I find more step-by-step guides like this? The how-to hub collects them, and why HEVC files fail to play in Google Drive is the natural follow-up when a shared file won't open.

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Quotes taken from Apple's iPhone User Guide and support articles, checked 16 September 2026. Apple revises these pages between iOS releases — the iOS 26 and iOS 27 wording differences above are a live example — so verify against the page for your own iOS version.