- There are some reports from iOS users claiming their iPhone is bringing back old deleted photos out of nowhere after updating to iOS 17.5.
- In some cases, the photos which were deleted some years ago have started resurfacing in the user's photo libraries.
- This could be due to an indexing bug or a syncing issue between Apple devices and iCloud Photos.
Apple recently started rolling out the iOS 17.5 update with a new Cross-Platform Tracking Detection, Repair State mode on Find My, and other improvements. Merely after a few days of release, there are reports from iOS users claiming their iPhone is bringing back old deleted photos out of nowhere after updating to iOS 17.5. In some cases, the photos which were deleted some years ago have started resurfacing in the user’s photo libraries.
A Reddit user said they were shocked to find old NSFW photos that were deleted in 2021 suddenly reappearing in the Photos app and marked as recently uploaded to iCloud. That hasn’t happened with one user. Some other users have also shared similar stories about iOS 17.5. “Same here,” said one Redditor. “I have four pics from 2010 that keep reappearing as the latest pics uploaded to iCloud. I have deleted them repeatedly.”
Ever since the discussion started, there have been several comments from users about facing the same thing. “I had a random photo from a concert taken on my Canon camera reappear in my phone library, and it showed up as if it was added today.”
At the moment, there’s no clear explanation of what’s happening. When you delete photos or videos in the Photos app, they are moved to the Recently Deleted album for 30 days. You can opt to recover the deleted photos or permanently delete them from all your devices. Since some users are saying the photos were taken months or years ago, this doesn’t seem to be an issue with recently deleted photos being undeleted.
It’s worth knowing that it’s not just one app that’s causing the issue. An X (formerly Twitter) user, ssmithdev posted an image that his iPhone XR is showing him 26 voicemail notifications, even though he had already either listened to them or deleted them a long time ago. Again, this happened after updating to iOS 17.5.
Apple hasn’t made any comments on this issue yet. Although the problem doesn’t seem to be widespread, it obviously raises concerns about data privacy and retention. Some Reddit users speculate that iOS 17.5 may have introduced some changes to the Photos app, requiring the app to re-index photo libraries. Well, even if the Photos app has to go through re-indexing process in iOS 17.5, there’s no excuse for deleted photos to reappear.
The deleted photos might be showing up due to photo library corruption, an indexing bug, or a syncing issue between Apple devices and iCloud Photos. It might also be possible that Apple is trying to fix a photo syncing bug that occurred in iOS 17.3. There are just speculations. We’ll get to know the exact reason, whenever Apple addresses this issue.
Is your iPhone also showing old deleted photos after updating to iOS 17.5? Don’t forget to share your experiences in the comments section.
