An iOS 15 bug is deleting saved photos: Details here
What's the story
A bug in the iOS 15 Messages app is causing saved photos to be deleted from Apple iPhones and the tech giant is yet to release a fix, reported MacRumors. Photos that have been saved from Messages threads to iCloud Photo Library are at risk of automatically getting deleted after running an iCloud Backup. Until the issue is fixed, here's what you can do.
Twitter Post
Users complain about deleted photos on Twitter
15.1 beta 2 is still deleting photos from my library when I delete the iMessage thread I saved them from 😰😰 FB9658241
— Ezekiel (@superezfe) September 29, 2021
Photo deletion
Many users lose photos after backup
MacRumors received multiple complaints from its users who have lost their photos. Users have tweeted about the issue, too. Images saved from a Messages thread to the iCloud Photo Library appear to still be linked to the Messages thread, said the publication. And, once the Messages thread is deleted, the linked photos could also disappear from the Library upon performing an iCloud Backup.
Minimizing risk
Users advised to not delete Messages threads containing photos
Users are advised to retain the Messages threads that include photos so that they do not lose those photos permanently. They should not assume that the photos have been saved in the iCloud after running a backup. In fact, that is when the photos get deleted. It is also advised that users make copies of saved photos before running a backup.
No fix yet
Bug persists in iOS 15.1 beta 2
The bug seems to be primarily affecting users of iOS 15.1 beta. Apple also recently rolled out the iOS 15.1 beta 2 to developers. The MacRumors staff had conducted tests on iPhones running iOS 15.1 beta 2 and found that saved photos were still getting lost during the iCloud Backup. This suggests that Apple has not fixed the bug yet.
iCloud Backup
No clarity on how the bug works
Apple has not released any information on the bug yet. Twitter users have the hunch it is a logic bug for clearing unsaved photos but is deleting saved ones by mistake. Many users, who have iCloud Backup automatically enabled, may not even notice when their photos are getting deleted. So, it would be better for users to turn on the manual mode for now.