PairOnce

IPHONE → COMPUTER · ORIGINAL PHOTOS

Transfer iPhone photos to a computer without losing quality

Open paironce.com in Chrome, Edge or Firefox on the computer, scan the QR code with the iPhone camera, then tap Choose files, pick Photo Library and select the photos.

PairOnce does not recompress anything: the computer gets byte for byte the file the iPhone hands to the browser. Photos shot in HEIC usually arrive as the original .HEIC file.

Windows may need Microsoft’s free HEIF Image Extensions to open .HEIC files; a Mac opens them as they are.

Step by step

  1. Open PairOnce on the computer. Go to paironce.com in Chrome, Edge or Firefox (they take files up to 2 GB each). It shows a QR code and a six-digit code.
  2. Connect the iPhone. Point the iPhone camera at the QR code and open the link in Safari. Check that both screens show the same safety code, then click Approve device on the computer. A page opened from a QR code or link asks you to confirm first: tap Connect.
  3. Choose the photos. On the iPhone, tap Choose files, then Photo Library, and select the photos (up to 100 at a time). Keep Safari in front and the screen on until they have all arrived.
  4. Accept and save on the computer. Click Accept, then Save: the files go to Downloads under their own names. Click I saved it so the iPhone knows.

HEIC or JPG: what arrives

An iPhone saves photos as HEIC when Settings › Camera › Formats is set to High Efficiency, and as JPEG with Most Compatible. Chosen from the Photo Library, a HEIC photo usually reaches the page, and so the computer, as the .HEIC file itself. A photo taken from inside the PairOnce page (Take Photo) arrives as JPEG.

The original file keeps what the camera stored with it, such as the time and the camera, and possibly the location. Remove the location on the iPhone first if the photo is going to someone else.

The computer cannot open .HEIC

On Windows, install the free HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store; the Photos app then opens .HEIC files. On a Mac, Preview opens them and can export a JPEG copy. If you would rather have JPEG from the start, choose Most Compatible on the iPhone: it applies to photos taken from then on.

Videos

PairOnce does not recompress videos either: what the iPhone hands to the browser arrives byte for byte. For a guaranteed untouched original, save the video to the Files app first and pick it with Choose File.

Limits, and when this is not the right tool

  • A file can be up to 2 GB over a direct connection when the receiving browser saves straight to disk (Chrome or Edge on a computer or Android, Firefox on a computer, Safari on iOS 26 or later). Other browsers take up to 50 MB per file and hold 100 MB of received files at a time.
  • Files over 2 GB need PairOnce Pro on one of the two devices. Then a file can be up to 10 GB, received the same way, and the relay carries 5 GB a month.
  • When the two devices cannot reach each other directly, an encrypted relay carries the data. Each device can send and receive 200 MB a month that way, counted together; a direct connection has no monthly limit.
  • Both pages must stay open until everything has arrived: keep the phone’s screen on and the browser in front.
  • PairOnce moves things between two devices that are open at the same time. It is not cloud storage: nothing waits on a server for later.

Other ways to do it

  • A USB cable with the Windows Photos app. Good for a whole library. Set Settings › Photos › Transfer to Mac or PC to Keep Originals, or the iPhone converts photos to JPEG on the way.
  • iCloud Photos. Syncs everything and lets you download originals on the computer, but the photos go through the cloud and free storage is 5 GB.
  • AirDrop. Keeps originals and is quick, but only to a Mac.
  • Email or a chat app. Fine for a picture or two; attachments are size-limited and chat apps usually shrink photos.

Common questions

Is it really the original photo?

PairOnce sends the file exactly as the iPhone hands it to the browser and checks it on arrival. For HEIC photos from the library that is usually the .HEIC file itself, not a smaller JPEG.

Why did I get .HEIC files I cannot open?

That is the original format. Install HEIF Image Extensions on Windows, or open them in Preview on a Mac and export as JPEG.

How many photos can I send at once?

Up to 100 files and 10 GB per selection. Choose more once the first batch has arrived.

Do the iPhone and the computer need the same Wi-Fi?

No, but it is fastest that way. If they cannot reach each other directly, an encrypted relay carries the data, with 200 MB a month per device.