Deleted photographs reappear following iOS 17.5 update

Apple's update to iOS 17.5 may be causing problems for some users, with reports of photos deleted long ago resurfacing on devices.

When users delete images from a device, they expect them to be inaccessible after a period of time. However, a bug in the iOS 17.5 update may be resurfacing older images that users may want to keep out of view.

In posts to Reddit, users are complaining that shots they wanted deleted have suddenly become accessible again in Photos.

One user detailed that some non-worksafe images that were deleted in 2021 reappeared, complete with a mark saying they were saved to iCloud. Others report photos reappearing in their collection despite repeated deletion attempts.

It is unclear exactly what is causing the problem, but it's one that apparently appeared in betas. Some users of iOS 17.5 beta 4 apparently found the same thing.

So far, AppleInsider has yet to recreate the issue.

Users deleting images from the Photos app in iOS are warned that they will be deleted from iCloud Photos on all devices. The images are also kept in Recently Deleted for 30 days, giving a window of opportunity to recover the files before they are deleted.

The appearance of photographs deleted far earlier than that window could indicate that files are being kept around for a lot longer than Apple's warning text implies.

AppleInsider is monitoring the situation for updates.

8 Comments

apple4thewin 289 comments · 3 Years

About 6 months ago

When they say data can be destroyed but never deleted they really meant that

gatorguy 24608 comments · 13 Years

Privacy and data retention at odds with Apple's stated Privacy Policy? I thought I recalled 6 months being the maximum time Apple says they keep deleted accounts and content. But I'm old, and my memory is not as good as it once was.

In any event, four years later is well beyond expectations.

MacPro 19838 comments · 18 Years

gatorguy said:

Privacy and data retention at odds with Apple's stated Privacy Policy? I thought I recalled 6 months being the maximum time Apple says they keep deleted accounts and content. But I'm old, and my memory is not as good as it once was.

In any event, four years later is well beyond expectations.

To my way of seeing the logic, there isn't any increased risk in this. It's not as if someone can rummage through the deleted data I assume. Why wouldn't the deleted data be secure if the undeleted data is safe? I assume only the account owners are seeing the deleted images returned. Now, is it a PITA? Yep. That all said, it is better this than images not deleted disappearing :)

MacPro said:

gatorguy said:

Privacy and data retention at odds with Apple's stated Privacy Policy? I thought I recalled 6 months being the maximum time Apple says they keep deleted accounts and content. But I'm old, and my memory is not as good as it once was.

In any event, four years later is well beyond expectations.

To my way of seeing the logic, there isn't any increased risk in this. It's not as if someone can rummage through the deleted data I assume. Why wouldn't the deleted data be secure if the undeleted data is safe? I assume only the account owners are seeing the deleted images returned. Now, is it a PITA? Yep. That all said, it is better this than images not deleted disappearing :)

A valid assumption would be that Apple has some use for those photos after the owner no longer does and thus ordered their deletion. Perhaps for AI training purposes as they would no longer have been considered "user data" after their deletion?

On a more personal level, had the owner of the NSFW images been with a new partner when these years old trashed photos were resurfaced this week, I could see it being an issue in the relationship. At best it's a very bad look for Apple, one that seems counter to stated policies.

gatorguy said:

MacPro said:

gatorguy said:

Privacy and data retention at odds with Apple's stated Privacy Policy? I thought I recalled 6 months being the maximum time Apple says they keep deleted accounts and content. But I'm old, and my memory is not as good as it once was.

In any event, four years later is well beyond expectations.

To my way of seeing the logic, there isn't any increased risk in this. It's not as if someone can rummage through the deleted data I assume. Why wouldn't the deleted data be secure if the undeleted data is safe? I assume only the account owners are seeing the deleted images returned. Now, is it a PITA? Yep. That all said, it is better this than images not deleted disappearing :)

A valid assumption would be that Apple has some use for those photos after the owner no longer does and thus ordered their deletion. Perhaps for AI training purposes as they would no longer have been considered "user data" after their deletion?

On a more personal level, had the owner of the NSFW images been with a new partner when these years old trashed photos were resurfaced this week, I could see it being an issue in the relationship. At best it's a very bad look for Apple, one that seems counter to stated policies.

The first paragraph is a leap; this isn't Google we are talking about ;) But I concur with the second. OMG I better go and check!!! Seriously though, I wonder if they appear in the trash, in which case a password is required, or perhaps these have to do with a local storage bug for those who, like me, retain all originals locally and on the cloud.