https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/05/apple-clarifies-ios-17-5-bug-that-exposed-deleted-photos/

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iOS 17.5 --

Apple clarifies iOS 17.5 bug that exposed deleted photos

iOS 17.5.1 fixed the bug, but users still had questions.

Samuel Axon - May 24, 2024 4:28 pm UTC

iPadOS 17.5.1 ready to install on an iPad Pro.
Enlarge / iPadOS 17.5.1 ready to install on an iPad Pro.
Samuel Axon

reader comments

49

On May 20, Apple released iOS 17.5.1 to fix a bug users had found a
few days prior in iOS 17.5 that resurfaced old photos that had been
previously deleted. So far, the update seems to have resolved the
issue, but users were left wondering exactly what had happened. Now
Apple has clarified the issue somewhat, describing the nature of the
bug to 9to5Mac.

Apple told the publication that the photos were not regurgitated from
iCloud Photos after being deleted on the local device; rather, they
were local to the device. Apple says they were neither left in the
cloud after deletion nor synced to it after, and the company did not
have access to the deleted photos.

 

Further Reading

Apple reportedly plans M4 Mac mini for late 2024 or early 2025,
skipping the M3
The photos were retained on the local device storage due to a
database corruption issue, and the bug resurfaced photos that were
flagged for deletion but were not actually fully deleted locally.

That simple explanation doesn't fully cover all the widely reported
edge cases some users had brought up in forums and on Reddit, but
Apple offered additional answers for those, too.

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The company claimed that when users reported the photos resurfacing
on a device other than the one they were originally deleted on, it
was always because they had restored from a backup other than iCloud
Photos or performed a direct transfer from one device to another.

One user on Reddit claimed (the post has now been deleted) that they
had wiped an iPad, sold it to a friend, and the friend then saw
photos resurface. Apple told 9to5Mac that is impossible if the user
followed the expected procedure for wiping the device, which is to go
to "Settings," "General," "Transfer and Reset," and "Erase All
Content and Settings."

The bug was particularly nasty in terms of optics and user trust for
Apple, but it would have been far worse if it was iCloud-related and
involved deleted photos staying on or being uploaded to Apple's
servers. If what the company told 9to5Mac is true, that was not the
case.

Still, it's a good reminder that in many cases, a deleted file isn't
necessarily deleted, either due to a bug like this, the nature of the
storage tech, or in some other cases on other platforms, a deliberate
choice.

reader comments

49
 
Samuel Axon Samuel is a senior editor at Ars Technica. He primarily
covers software development, gaming, Apple, consumer technology, and
mixed reality. He has been writing about gaming and technology for 15
years, and is a Chicago-based game developer.
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