Apple released iOS 17.5.1 earlier this week to fix an issue where previously deleted photos reappeared on devices after updating to iOS 17.5. The company blamed the problem on “database corruption” in its release notes and has now provided further clarification to 9to5Mac.
iCloud Photos was not the cause of old photos resurfacing said Apple, some of which dated back to 2010. The issue was due to corrupt database entries on the device itself. The company confirmed that the photos not fully deleted were not synced with iCloud Photos. These files remained on the device and could have been transferred when restoring from a backup, using a device-to-device transfer, or restoring from an iCloud Backup without iCloud Photos enabled.
A recent Reddit post, now deleted, claimed that photos reappeared on an iPad sold to a friend, despite the content being erased before the sale. Apple confirmed to 9to5Mac that this claim was false. The company said that after a device is fully erased through device settings (Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Erase All Content and Settings), all files and content are permanently deleted.
Apple emphasized that following these steps ensures complete deletion, with no possibility of old photos reappearing. The Reddit user’s issue likely resulted from not following these steps correctly or fabricating the situation.
This was a rare issue, affecting a small number of users and photos said Apple. The company assured that it does not and did not access users’ photos or videos. While concerning, users can be reassured that the problematic photos were not stored in iCloud and would not reappear on a properly erased device.
Interestingly enough, iOS 17.5.1 does not automatically delete photos that reappeared after the iOS 17.5 update. Affected users must manually delete the pictures from the Photos app, moving them to the “Recently Deleted” album for 30 days (where you can then choose “Delete from All Devices). You may want to take a deep dive through your photos in case unwanted photos show up as part of an iCloud screensaver somehow (that would be…awkward).
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