The recent iOS 17.5 update added some useful features such as the one that will alert iPhone users when a rogue item tracker belonging to a third party is tracking them regardless of which platform it is connected to. There were also a large number of security patches including one to patch a flaw that could allow an app to access user-sensitive data. According to some iPhone users, iOS 17.5 also has an unintended “feature” that is actually a bug. It brings back photos that were previously deleted.
On Reddit (via 9to5Mac), a user who goes by the name “Specialist-Fix8528” had an interesting story to share about something that happened after updating his iPhone to iOS 17.5. “Just completed the update. When in conversation with my partner, I went to send a picture and saw that the latest pictures were nsfw material we’d made years ago when we were living apart (covid etc). But WTF. It was permanently deleted. Years ago but magically it’s back?? I checked my iPad and it also has pictures (some art work I did years ago). I feel so uncomfortable. Anyone else got this issue? I mean with pictures coming back post update”
Bug in iOS 17.5 is bringing back photos deleted years ago
Sure enough, others have experienced the same things including one Redditor who said that four photos from 2010 keep appearing as the latest photos uploaded to iCloud. Of course, the worry here is that even if an iPhone user feels secure in the knowledge that he deleted some information or images he doesn’t want to be kept on his iPhone, who knows whether suchdata or images/videos are still hanging around on some Apple server somewhere. And what happens if there is a data breach?
While the Photos app does have a “Recently Deleted” feature allowing users to recall photos deleted over the previous 30 days, the photos coming back from the trash are years old so “Recently Deleted” has nothing to do with this bug. And even if some changes were made to the Photos app by users, a deleted photo, like a deleted email or message, should be considered gone forever. The fact that these pictures have returned needs to be addressed immediately by Apple especially since the company prides itself on the security of the iPhone.