Bug in Apple iOS 17.5 brings back previously deleted images unexpectedly

An error has been detected in Apple’s iOS 17.5, unexpectedly causing some iPhone owners to see photographs that were deleted long ago. These images are mysteriously reappearing in the “Photos” app.

Unexpected reappearance triggers awkward situations

In certain cases, this error has led to embarrassing situations. Some of the previously deleted images that have reappeared are of a sensitive nature. One affected user mentioned the return of these pictures not only on their iPhone, but also on their iPad. These images began to show up among recently uploaded pictures. Another user reported four photos from 2010 which, despite repeated deletion, keeps reappearing among the latest images uploaded to iCloud. While some users report pictures that were deleted long ago, others have photos popping up that were deleted just this year.

The “Recently Deleted” feature not at fault

By default, the “Recently Deleted” feature, which keeps deleted photos for 30 days, is active in the “Photos” app. Obviously, this is not the culprit with photos several months or even years old spontaneously recovering. Apple has not yet commented on the incident, but it has already prompted a series of unpleasant questions relating to privacy and data storage.

One hypothesis suggests that the updated “Photos” app is reindexing photograph libraries. However, this doesn’t fully explain why photos that were deleted a long time ago are reappearing.