The iOS 17.5 bug that resurfaces old deleted photos 🧟‍♂️

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After updating their iPhone, some users have had an unpleasant surprise: old, deleted photos have reappeared. Let us explain.

An update that brings photos back to life 🧟‍♂️

Some time ago, Apple rolled out version 17.5 of iOS. Intermediate updates are part of the normal life cycle of an operating system, and so are bugs. And it has to be said that the bug introduced by this version is quite annoying. A number of iPhone users have reported a strange phenomenon: photos they thought had disappeared forever resurface in their Photos application. It’s true that iOS allows you to restore deleted photos within 30 days. After that, they are supposed to be deleted forever. Except that the bug we’re talking about doesn’t involve photos deleted within this timeframe.

According to several accounts, these deleted photos, sometimes several years old, come back to haunt users’ galleries, like digital revenants. Even more seriously, one person claimed in a later message that « around 300 » of her old photos, some of them « revealing », had appeared on an iPad she had deleted in accordance with Apple’s guidelines and sold to a friend.

A new update that fixes the bug without explaining it 🧐

Following the outcry, Apple quickly rolled out a new version, iOS 17.5.1, which is supposed to correct the problem. However, Apple has provided no explanation as to the origin of the bug. In the update’s information message, the Apple brand only mentions corrupted photos, and that’s all.

Media outlets such as The Verge tried to contact the company, but received no response. While Apple is accustomed to remaining silent, there’s nothing reassuring about this. Indeed, much of Apple’s communication revolves around the confidentiality of user data. But how can we trust the company when such bugs occur and no explanation is given? We also don’t know what the scope of this bug is, how it was corrected or whether it is likely to recur.

Until we have more information, we can only advise you to update your iPhone as soon as possible.