Here's why deleted iPhone photos returned to some iOS devices
iOS Glitch Revives Deleted Photos: Privacy Risk?
Apple recently addressed an issue where deleted photos resurfaced on devices running iOS 17.5, attributing the problem to a corrupt database entry. The glitch affected local files, not those synced to iCloud, and was fixed in the iOS 17.5.1 update. Apple insists that this bug affected only a small number of users and that the company does not have access to users' photo or video files.
Security researchers from Synactiv analyzed the update and found that a new migration routine in iOS 17.5 was responsible for re-indexing and displaying old files in photo galleries. This routine was subsequently removed in the latest update. The exact reason why these files remained on the filesystem initially remains unclear, with possibilities including improper file management by users.
What specific issue did the iOS 17.5 update introduce that led to old photos resurfacing on users' devices?
The iOS 17.5 update introduced a specific bug related to a migration routine that was responsible for scanning and re-importing photos from the device's filesystem. This routine inadvertently caused old files, which were still present on the filesystem, to be re-indexed and pushed back into the photo galleries on users' devices. Essentially, the photos that reappeared were not newly created but were existing files that the migration routine located and restored to visibility in the photo galleries. This issue was rectified in the iOS 17.5.1 update, which removed the problematic migration routine to prevent the recurrence of this issue.
What explanation did Apple provide for the cause of the resurfaced photos?
Apple explained that the resurfacing of deleted photos on devices running iOS 17.5 was caused by a corrupt database entry on the device's file system. This issue impacted files on the devices themselves and not those that had been synced to iCloud. According to Apple, the files may have been carried over from older devices when restored from a backup or during device-to-device transfer. The company emphasized that it doesn't have access to photo or video files on users' phones and that only a small number of people were affected by this problem.