duplicate photos: smaller version is being kept?

When I opt to "merge duplicate photos," according to Apple it will use the data from both and keep the highest quality. However, when I "merge" two duplicates of different sizes (like 4.6 mb and 5.1 mb), the smaller photo (the 4.6 mb in this case) has always been preserved. Why is this? Is Apple really just deleting the bigger of the two files?

iPhone 12 Pro Max

Posted on Aug 26, 2023 11:29 AM

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2 replies

léonie

Level 10

199,927 points

Aug 26, 2023 12:09 PM in response to mamasunshine

What have been the dimensions (width and height in pixel) of the two merged photos? The resolution in pixel is more important than the file size. The file size will depend on the format of the file. A large PNG file might have a poorer resolution than a JPEG or HEIC file of a smaller file size.

mamasunshine Author

Level 1

4 points

Aug 27, 2023 11:47 AM in response to léonie

Thank you. I just looked and it appears that one file is HEIC and the other is JPG. I don't really want two copies. It seems that apple is just keeping the HEIC file, as it takes up less room, but is just as good quality, but not as shareable?

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duplicate photos: smaller version is being kept?