Feature Request: Per‑App “Upload Originals” Setting on iOS

iOS currently has a global “Keep Originals” setting, but many users avoid enabling it because they’re worried it will break compatibility with messaging apps, Windows users, or older devices. This creates a psychological barrier — people don’t want to change a global setting that affects every app on their phone.

Because of this, cloud‑storage apps like Proton Drive end up receiving converted JPEGs instead of the original HEIC files, even when users think they’re backing up originals.

A real example:
A family member sent me a photo that was 1.1 MB in HEIC, but iOS converted it to a 5.3 MB JPEG before upload. The file became five times larger while losing HDR, depth, color information, and overall quality. This is exactly the kind of silent conversion that makes users think Proton Drive is degrading quality, when it’s actually iOS doing the conversion.

A per‑app setting would solve this completely.

Proposed per‑app options:

Always upload originals
The app receives the full‑quality HEIC/PNG/HDR file with no conversion.
Convert for compatibility
iOS provides a JPEG/SDR version when needed for cross‑platform use.
Ask every time
iOS prompts the user each time the app uploads a photo, letting them choose Original or Compatible.

Why this matters

Users avoid the global setting because they fear breaking other apps.
Cloud‑storage apps like Proton Drive need originals for proper backups.
This mirrors Apple’s existing per‑app permission model (Location, Camera, Photos).
Only apps that actually upload photos would appear in the list, keeping the UI clean.
It prevents silent HEIC → JPEG conversions that increase file size and reduce quality.
It gives Proton Drive users confidence that their backups are truly original quality.

Modern Android phones fully support HEIC and HEVC, so cloud services like Proton Drive do not need JPEG conversions. The current iOS behavior is outdated and unnecessary.”

Impact

This feature would dramatically improve the reliability of photo backups across the iOS ecosystem and would help Proton Drive compete directly with iCloud Photos by ensuring users always get true originals when they want them.