Apple's iOS 17.5 update was pretty major, bringing a slew of new changes alongside the ability to download apps from the web for users in the EU. However, the update comes with a strange new bug that is causing old photos to reappear years after they have been deleted on the iPhone. The issue appears to have surfaced after users updated to the latest iOS 17.5 update, which was seeded to the general public earlier this week.
A weird bug in iOS 17.5 is making deleted photos reappear in photo libraries on the iPhone
According to reports from a handful of users on Reddit, iOS 17.5 is causing old and deleted photos to reappear in the photo libraries. It poses the question of whether the company keeps a record of the deleted files on its servers. The bug could cause personal issues, as one user suggested that he was shocked to discover old NSFW photos on his iPhone after deleting them in 2021. The photos suddenly appeared in the photos marked as recently uploaded to iCloud.
Other users joined in and stated that they had been experiencing the same issues. One user stated on Reddit, "I have four pics from 2010 that keep reappearing as the latest pics uploaded to iCloud. I have deleted them repeatedly." Another user mentioned, "I had a random photo from a concert taken on my Canon camera reappear in my phone library, and it showed up as if it was added today."
We are not aware of the issue at this stage and how deleted photos are reappearing on the iPhone. Once a photo or video has been deleted from the iPhone, it stays in the deleted folder for about 30 days, so users can recover it later if they see fit. However, users can also choose to delete photos from the deleted folder. It is rather strange how Apple resurfaced photos that were deleted years ago.
The issue could be an indexing bug, issues in the photo library, or syncing issues. Apple could have triggered the issue in an attempt to fix a syncing bug present in iOS 17.3. Users running iOS 17.5 beta 4 also reported the same issue, and it seems that the company did not bat an eye. Apple has not issued a statement regarding the issue, but it will possibly fix the reappearing photos issue in iOS 17.5 soon.
While the company will soon release a subsequent update with a fix for the issue, it is still strange how Apple keeps a tab of the deleted photos on its servers. We will be keeping a close eye on the story, so be sure to stick around.
