Apple seems to have a bug that’s dredging up knowledge that iPhone homeowners thought was gone. Some iPhone homeowners are reporting that, after updating their telephones to iOS 17.5, their deleted pictures — some fairly previous — are popping up once more, based on a Reddit thread that MacRumors noticed. iOS beta testers had the identical complaints in regards to the bug final week.
Individuals reporting the obvious bug say that they’re seeing previous pictures seem of their Recents album after Monday’s replace. iOS does give customers the choice to revive deleted pictures, however after 30 days, they’re purported to be completely eliminated.
The one who began the thread claimed that NSFW pictures they’d deleted “years in the past” have been again on their cellphone. One other Reddit person stated that they noticed pictures from 2016 present up as new pictures however that they didn’t assume they’d ever deleted them. And an individual claimed in a later submit that “round 300” of their previous footage, a few of which have been “revealing,” appeared on an iPad they’d wiped per Apple’s tips and bought to a good friend.
This might be extra harmless than it sounds. Laptop knowledge is rarely really “deleted” till it’s overwritten with new 1s and 0s — working methods merely minimize off references to it. One person additionally stated they noticed a photograph return although they don’t sync their cellphone or use iCloud, implying the pictures might be originating from on-device storage. Apple didn’t instantly reply to The Verge’s request for remark.
There’s an opportunity it’s not particular to pictures, both, as one particular person posted on X that they noticed previous voicemails come again after the replace. A number of beta testers stated the identical factor about earlier iOS 17 betas. Whether or not the difficulty implies Apple is secretly holding onto previous deleted knowledge or it’s only a quirk of how iOS 17.5 handles that knowledge, it’s not a great state of affairs. No person needs to see their deleted nudes come again.
Replace Could fifteenth, 2024, 4:29PM ET: Added particulars from one other Reddit submit on this difficulty.