Apple has told 9to5Mac why deleted photos appeared on users’ devices long ago. The company claims that it’s due to a corrupted database record in the file system of some devices.
Apple reports that the deleted photos were not stored in iCloud Photos. These files were only on the device itself. However, these files could have been transferred from one device to another when restored from a backup.
One Reddit user previously claimed in a now-deleted post that an iOS 17.5 bug restored deleted photos to an iPad he sold to a friend.
Apple, however, claims that this is not possible, all files and content are permanently deleted after the device is completely wiped.
The company repeatedly emphasizes that this issue was rare and affected a small number of users and a small number of photos. The company did not and does not have access to users’ photos or videos.
iOS 17.5.1 does not automatically delete photos that reappear after an upgrade to iOS 17.5. If you encounter this problem, you need to go to the Photos app and delete these images manually.
After that, the images will be moved to the Recently Deleted album in the Photos app, where they will remain for 30 days. You can delete these images immediately by selecting “Delete from all devices” in the Recently deleted album.
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