Apple Addresses Mysterious Photo Reappearance after iOS 17.5 Update
In the previous week, the much-anticipated iOS 17.5 update was released by Apple. However, after its installation on iPhones and iPads, users reported an unexpected issue—the reemergence of previously-deleted photographs. This sparked considerable intrigue in the tech world. To resolve this, Apple issued the patch iOS 17.5.1, although the exact cause of the deleted photos’ reappearance was not initially explained.
Apple’s Explanation
Additional information about the problem has since been disclosed, according to a reliable source. The reappearance of old photos within users’ galleries has been traced back to corruption in the file system’s database entry. Notably, this issue pertained only to photos stored on devices, having no connection to those backed up in the iCloud.
According to Apple, the photos resurfaced on a minimal number of devices, specifically those whose owners had incorrectly performed the memory clearing process. As a result, the pics were regenerated from the remaining non-deleted data during sync with iCloud, Apple emphasized its inability to access any photos or videos stored on user devices.
Additional Insight from Tech Researchers
Moreover, Synactiv, a technology research firm, conducted an in-depth study of this issue through reverse engineering the iOS 17.5.1 update. Their investigations uncovered a previously included migration procedure in iOS 17.5, responsible for scanning and re-importing photos from the file system.
By installing the iOS 17.5.1 patch, this procedure is eliminated as it has been found to trigger old files’ re-indexing in the local file system and re-establishes deleted photos. This understanding also indicates that deleted photos may continue to reside on a device until the space they occupy is overwritten by other data.
“Upon analysis of the code, we conclude that the photos that have resurfaced were still stored in the file system, and were discovered using the migration procedure added to iOS 17.5. However, solely based on this analysis, it is impossible to conclude exactly how these photos remained in the file system,” a spokesperson from Synactiv stated.
