Apple wasn’t storing deleted iOS photos in iCloud after all
Bug in iOS, Not iCloud, Revived Deleted Photos?
Security researchers discovered that a bug in iOS, not iCloud, was responsible for the reappearance of previously deleted photos on users' devices. This issue, initially observed in the public beta of iOS 17.5, persisted into the final release, leading to widespread user reports. Apple addressed the bug in the iOS 17.5.1 update, which corrected a function that inadvertently re-imported old photos from device filesystems. This finding clarifies that the issue was due to local file handling errors rather than any improper cloud storage practices by Apple.
How did the iOS bug affect the normal operation of the "Recently Deleted" folder, which typically stores deleted files for 30 days?
The iOS bug that affected the normal operation of the "Recently Deleted" folder in iOS 17.5 did not directly impact the folder's functionality. Instead, the bug was related to an issue with the PhotoLibraryServices and its migration routine, which caused the re-importing of photos from the filesystem that were previously deleted.
The "Recently Deleted" folder is designed to store deleted files for 30 days, allowing users to recover or permanently remove them from all devices6. However, in this case, the bug caused photos that were deleted beyond the 30-day period to reappear in users' photo libraries.
The issue was not with the "Recently Deleted" folder itself, but rather with the iOS update that inadvertently led to the reindexing and restoration of old files on the local file system. This was confirmed by security researchers at Synactiv, who reverse-engineered the iOS 17.5.1 update and discovered changes in the PhotoLibraryServices function responsible for the photo restoration.
In conclusion, the iOS bug did not directly affect the normal operation of the "Recently Deleted" folder but led to a separate issue that caused the reappearance of deleted photos in users' libraries. Apple has since addressed the bug in the iOS 17.5.1 update.
What specific function within iOS 17.5.1 was identified by Synactiv researchers as responsible for the re-importation of deleted photos?
The specific function identified by Synactiv researchers within iOS 17.5.1 responsible for the re-importation of deleted photos is the 'PLModelMigrationActionRegistration_17000' function. This function had a routine that scanned and re-imported photos from the filesystem, which inadvertently caused old files on the local file system to be reindexed and added back to people's photo galleries4.