Apple iOS 17.5 bug is causing long-deleted photos to resurface
Apple's latest iOS 17.5 update has reportedly introduced a weird bug that is causing previously deleted photos, in some cases years old, to reappear in their photos library. This issue was first brought to light by users on Reddit who were surprised to find old photos showing up as recently uploaded on iCloud after updating their iPhones. The problem seems widespread with numerous users sharing similar experiences.
Users share experiences of unexpected photo resurfacing
One Reddit user reported, "I have four pics from 2010 that keep reappearing as the latest pics uploaded to iCloud. I have deleted them repeatedly." Another user said, "Same thing happened to me. Six photos from different times, all I have deleted. Some I had deleted in 2023." "Isn't it a big thing? I mean, Apple is a privacy advocate, but if deleted files are not really deleted after so many years. How can we trust it?," questioned a user.
Unrelated to Apple's standard photo deletion process
The issue doesn't seem to be related to Apple's standard process for handling deleted photos. In the Photos app, deleted photos and videos are usually kept in the "Recently Deleted" album for 30 days so that users can recover or permanently remove them from all devices. However, the reported cases involve photos that were deleted far beyond this 30-day window.
Speculations surround cause of the issue
Speculations about the cause of the issue range from an indexing bug to a syncing problem between local devices and iCloud Photos. Another theory suggests that Apple's attempt to fix a photo syncing bug in iOS 17.3 may have inadvertently caused a new syncing issue involving iCloud backups. As of now, Apple has not yet issued an official statement addressing the problem.
