HEIC to 3GP Converter
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Supports: HEIC
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Need help?HEIC to 3GP Converter
HEIC is the high-efficiency photo format an iPhone writes by default; 3GP is the 3GPP mobile container built for early handsets. Converting between them is not a picture-to-picture conversion at all — a still photo has no duration, so the output is a short silent video clip that holds your image. This page documents exactly what the two formats are, what our encoder produces, and which of the advanced controls actually matter.
HEIC Format at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Standard | HEIF — ISO/IEC 23008-12 (MPEG-H Part 12); HEIC is the profile that stores HEVC-coded images |
| Typical origin | Default iPhone and iPad camera format since iOS 11 (2017) |
| Image coding | HEVC (H.265) intra-coded pictures |
| Bit depth | 8-bit for ordinary captures, 10-bit for HDR |
| Transparency | Supported (an alpha channel may be present) |
| Also carries | Image sequences and bursts, depth maps, EXIF and orientation |
| Native browser support | Safari 17 and later only; Chrome, Firefox and Edge do not decode it |
| Best for | Storing camera photos at roughly half the size of an equivalent JPEG |
3GP Format at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Standard | 3GPP file format, specified in 3GPP TS 26.244 |
| Family | A derivative of the ISO base media file format, so it is a cousin of MP4 |
| Purpose | Video and audio capture, MMS and streaming on 3G-era handsets |
| Video codecs | H.263, MPEG-4 Part 2 (including Xvid), H.264 |
| Audio codecs | AMR narrow band, AMR wide band, AAC |
| What we write here | H.264 video by default, and no audio track at all for photo sources |
| Superseded by | MP4, which uses the same underlying container design |
How to Convert HEIC to 3GP
- Upload Your HEIC Files: Drag your
.heicphotos onto the page or click "Add Files". Multiple photos can be queued, and Merge strategy decides whether they become one clip or one clip each. - Set the Image Duration: Duration controls how long each photo is held on screen and defaults to 5 seconds per frame; the dropdown runs from a single frame at 60 fps up to 10 seconds per photo.
- Choose a Background Color and Resolution: Background Color fills transparency and any letterbox bars and defaults to White. Video resolution defaults to Keep original, with Fixed Resolutions, Preset Resolutions and Width x Height available.
- Convert and Download: Click Convert and save the
.3gp. Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers and deleted automatically after a few hours — no sign-up, no watermark.
Codec Choices Inside a 3GP
The advanced Video Codec control offers four encoders. H.264 is selected by default and is the only one of the four with a true constant-quality mode, which is why the Quality Preset under File Compression is meaningful on it and largely decorative on the others. The legacy codecs also impose their own frame-size rules, which our encoder applies automatically rather than failing the job.
| Codec | Frame-size rule we enforce | When it makes sense |
|---|---|---|
| H.264 (default) | Even dimensions | Anything modern; the Quality Preset maps to a real constant-quality target |
| H.263 | Snapped to the nearest standard size: 128 x 96, 176 x 144, 352 x 288, 704 x 576 or 1408 x 1152 | Genuinely old handsets and test equipment that only decode H.263 |
| MPEG-4 Part 2 | Dimensions rounded to a multiple of 4, capped at 2048 x 2048 | Mid-2000s devices and set-top boxes |
| Xvid | Dimensions rounded to a multiple of 4, capped at 2048 x 2048 | An MPEG-4 Part 2 variant some players name explicitly |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does a single photo become a five-second video?
Because 3GP is a video container and video needs a duration. Our encoder loops the still image for the length set under Image Duration — 5 seconds unless you change it — and encodes it at 1 frame per second, with B-frames disabled since every frame is identical. That combination keeps the file tiny while still producing a clip that seeks and plays normally. If you want the shortest possible file, pick one of the single-frame durations at the top of the Duration dropdown.
Does the 3GP have an audio track?
No. A photo carries no audio, and for image sources our encoder skips the audio stage entirely rather than muxing a silent track — which is why the Audio Codec control is hidden on this page. The 3GP container itself supports AMR narrow band, AMR wide band and AAC, so if you need sound you will have to add it afterwards in a video editor.
Which codec should I leave selected?
H.264, unless something downstream demands otherwise. It is the default here, it is the only codec in the list that supports a constant-quality encode, and it is what almost every device made in the last fifteen years decodes. The Quality Preset under File Compression maps to a resolution-aware constant-quality target on H.264; on the older bitrate-only codecs there is no source bitrate to scale from when the input is a still photo, so the preset has very little to work with. If you must use a legacy codec, control the output through Video resolution instead.
What happens if I choose H.263?
Your frame size is snapped to the nearest standard H.263 picture size — sub-QCIF 128 x 96, QCIF 176 x 144, CIF 352 x 288, 4CIF 704 x 576 or 16CIF 1408 x 1152 — because the codec cannot encode arbitrary dimensions. Our encoder picks the closest option that does not upscale your image, so a 12-megapixel iPhone photo lands at 1408 x 1152 at most. That is the price of compatibility with handsets from the early 2000s.
Can I turn several HEIC photos into one 3GP?
Yes. Upload them together and leave Merge strategy on "Merge images": each photo is held for the Image Duration and the clips are concatenated into a single 3GP slideshow. Switch to "Video per image" if you would rather get one 3GP per photo in the download. Photos of different shapes are scaled to fit a common canvas and padded with the Background Color, so nothing is cropped.
My HEIC is a Live Photo or a burst — does the motion come through?
Sometimes, and it depends on what is actually in the file. An ordinary iPhone photo is a single-image HEIC and takes the still path described above. If the .heic is a genuine image sequence — an ISO-BMFF file with a top-level movie track — we detect that and encode the sequence rather than one held frame. A Live Photo is the awkward case: the motion normally lives in a separate .MOV that iOS exports alongside the .HEIC, so if you only upload the photo there is no motion in the file to find. Convert that .MOV separately if you need it.
Will the 3GP play on a modern phone?
Usually, but it is not the format to reach for. A modern Android or iOS device will typically open an H.264-in-3GP file, and VLC handles it everywhere, but browsers will not play a .3gp inline and some apps refuse the extension outright. Choose 3GP when a specific old device, MMS gateway or piece of test equipment asks for it. For everything else, HEIC to MP4 produces the same H.264 video in a container that today's players expect.
Why is my photo not at full resolution in the video?
Two limits can apply. Every image is normalised before encoding and capped at 4096 pixels on the long edge — an ordinary 12-megapixel iPhone photo is 4032 pixels wide and passes through untouched, while a 48-megapixel capture at 8064 pixels is scaled down to fit. The legacy codecs then impose their own caps on top of that: 2048 x 2048 for MPEG-4 and Xvid, 1408 x 1152 for H.263. A 3GP is a small-screen format by design; if you want to keep the full pixel count of the photo, convert it as an image with HEIC to JPG instead of wrapping it in video.
What happens to transparent areas of a HEIC?
They are filled with the Background Color, which defaults to White here, and the same colour is used for any letterbox bars when your photo's shape does not match the output frame. No video format can carry an alpha channel, so flattening is unavoidable — the only choice is the colour, and the dropdown offers a palette of named colours including Black.
What happens to my photos after the conversion?
They are uploaded over an encrypted connection, converted on our servers and deleted automatically after a few hours, along with the 3GP files we generated. Nothing is published or shared, there is no account to create, and the output carries no watermark.