diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/services/heic-convert.ts b/web/apps/photos/src/services/heic-convert.ts
index 21e8572d8..7d0f11a4f 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/services/heic-convert.ts
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/services/heic-convert.ts
@@ -7,16 +7,16 @@ import { retryAsyncFunction } from "@ente/shared/utils";
 import QueueProcessor from "@ente/shared/utils/queueProcessor";
 import { type DedicatedConvertWorker } from "worker/convert.worker";
 
-class HeicConversionService {
-    async convert(heicFileData: Blob): Promise<Blob> {
-        try {
-            return await WasmHEICConverterService.convert(heicFileData);
-        } catch (e) {
-            log.error("failed to convert heic file", e);
-            throw e;
-        }
-    }
-}
+/**
+ * Convert a HEIC image to a JPEG.
+ *
+ * Behind the scenes, it uses a web worker pool to do the conversion using a
+ * WASM HEIC conversion package.
+ *
+ * @param heicBlob The HEIC blob to convert.
+ * @returns The JPEG blob.
+ */
+export const heicToJPEG = (heicBlob: Blob) => converter.convert(heicBlob);
 
 const WORKER_POOL_SIZE = 2;
 const WAIT_TIME_BEFORE_NEXT_ATTEMPT_IN_MICROSECONDS = [100, 100];
@@ -118,8 +118,8 @@ class HEICConverter {
     }
 }
 
-const WasmHEICConverterService = new HEICConverter();
-export default new HeicConversionService();
+/** The singleton instance of {@link HEICConverter}. */
+const converter = new HEICConverter();
 
 export const getDedicatedConvertWorker = () => {
     if (haveWindow()) {
diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/thumbnail.ts b/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/thumbnail.ts
index fd7ed9a38..005b02265 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/thumbnail.ts
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/thumbnail.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { CustomError } from "@ente/shared/error";
 import { FILE_TYPE } from "constants/file";
 import { BLACK_THUMBNAIL_BASE64 } from "constants/upload";
 import * as FFmpegService from "services/ffmpeg";
-import HeicConversionService from "services/heic-convert";
+import { heicToJPEG } from "services/heic-convert";
 import { ElectronFile, FileTypeInfo } from "types/upload";
 import { isFileHEIC } from "utils/file";
 import { getUint8ArrayView } from "../readerService";
@@ -136,15 +136,13 @@ async function generateImageThumbnailUsingCanvas(
 
     let imageURL = null;
     let timeout = null;
-    const isHEIC = isFileHEIC(fileTypeInfo.exactType);
-    if (isHEIC) {
-        log.info(`HEICConverter called for ${getFileNameSize(file)}`);
-        const convertedBlob = await HeicConversionService.convert(
-            new Blob([await file.arrayBuffer()]),
-        );
-        file = new File([convertedBlob], file.name);
-        log.info(`${getFileNameSize(file)} successfully converted`);
+
+    if (isFileHEIC(fileTypeInfo.exactType)) {
+        log.debug(() => `Pre-converting ${getFileName(file)} to HEIC`);
+        const jpegBlob = await heicToJPEG(new Blob([await file.arrayBuffer()]));
+        file = new File([jpegBlob], file.name);
     }
+
     let image = new Image();
     imageURL = URL.createObjectURL(new Blob([await file.arrayBuffer()]));
     await new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/utils/file/index.ts b/web/apps/photos/src/utils/file/index.ts
index f2fd9ba26..a6275f254 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/utils/file/index.ts
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/utils/file/index.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import {
     updateFileMagicMetadata,
     updateFilePublicMagicMetadata,
 } from "services/fileService";
-import heicConversionService from "services/heic-convert";
+import { heicToJPEG } from "services/heic-convert";
 import { getFileType } from "services/typeDetectionService";
 import { updateFileCreationDateInEXIF } from "services/upload/exifService";
 import {
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ export const getRenderableImage = async (fileName: string, imageBlob: Blob) => {
 
         if (!jpegBlob && isFileHEIC(exactType)) {
             // If it is an HEIC file, use our web HEIC converter.
-            jpegBlob = await heicConversionService.convert(imageBlob);
+            jpegBlob = await heicToJPEG(imageBlob);
         }
 
         return jpegBlob;