Some iPhone users who updated to iOS 17.5 were shocked to discover that their old photos – even those erased years ago – had magically reappeared in their photo libraries.
One Reddit user posted that photos deleted two years ago had reappeared, while another claimed that four photos from 2010 kept showing up as "recently uploaded to iCloud".
Some users have also taken to X (formerly Twitter) to voice their complaints, with one user saying that her iCloud storage had maxed out due to previously deleted images taking up more space.
Most users felt uneasy that the photos they had permanently deleted had resurfaced, especially as deleted photos are only supposed to be kept for a maximum of 30 days in the “Recently Deleted” album.
Some are questioning Apple’s privacy policy, as the company claims to champion privacy, regarding why photos that were deleted years ago were not actually deleted.
Apple has yet to release a statement on the matter.
