HEVC (and by extension HEIC) is encumbered by a thicket of patents held by several entities (including Samsung, Apple, Microsoft, and MPEG LA). Decoding the format requires a royalty payment.
So the next time you see that “Can’t open HEIC” error, don’t curse Windows. Smile. You’ve just witnessed the ghost of the smartphone format war, still haunting your hard drive. heic image viewer for windows 11
Install “HEVC Video Extensions” from the Microsoft Store ($0.99) or download IrfanView (free). Your iPhone photos will thank you. — End of Paper — HEVC (and by extension HEIC) is encumbered by