Apple’s iOS 17.5 update was quite significant and brought the ability to download third-party apps for EU users. However, it introduces a strange bug — old photos appear years after they were deleted from the iPhone. The problem seems to have appeared after users updated to iOS 17.5 earlier this week. The issue raises questions about Apple’s OS privacy and the deletion of user files
According to Reddit users, iOS 17.5 is causing deleted photos to reappear in libraries, raising questions about Apple. The bug can cause personal problems — one user was shocked when discovered nude photos on his iPhone that he deleted in 2021. The photos suddenly reappeared and were labeled as recently uploaded to iCloud. Other users have also experienced the problem:
«I have four photos from 2010 that keep showing up as the last photos I uploaded to iCloud. I’ve deleted them many times».
«A random photo from a concert that I took with my Canon camera has reappeared in my phone library, and it looks like it was added today».
It is not known at this time what caused the problem or how deleted photos reappear on iPhone. After deleting photos and videos from your phone, they should remain in the deleted folder for about 30 days to allow you to recover those deleted by mistake. Users can also manually delete them from the folder. It is extremely surprising that Apple would show photos deleted years ago again.
Theoretically, there could have been an indexing error, problems in the photo library, or synchronization issues. Apple could have triggered this in an effort to fix the synchronization bug in iOS 17.3. Users of iOS 17.5 beta 4 have also reported the problem. Apple has not yet responded.