Just a few days ago, when Apple rolled out the iOS 17.5 update, a strange issue left Apple users bewildered and raised some serious privacy concerns. An unusual bug in iOS 17.5 led to previously deleted photos reappearing in the Photos app. While Apple promptly released a fix with the iOS 17.5.1 update, quite a few users felt their questions remained unaddressed as database corruption was the only explanation offered at that time.
Many concerned users were dismayed at the weak justification provided on various forums. Realizing the gravity of the issue, Apple has now offered additional details regarding the mysterious reappearance of photos phenomenon.
Apple, while offering more details on the iOS 17.5 glitch, confirmed that the issue was not related to the iCloud photos
Apple gave 9to5Mac details related to the glitch and clarified that the problem did not stem from iCloud photos, as people speculated whether the pictures are permanently deleted when the action is performed or if they are still in iCloud photos. To address these concerns, Apple assured that it did not have access to an Apple product owner’s deleted photos and that the root cause of the issue was a corrupted database on the specific users’ devices that were impacted by the bug.
Apple claimed that the deleted photos were not properly removed from the user’s phone; instead, they stayed on the device file system. Even when the device was changed, the data could still reappear from one device to another due to restoring either from the device backup or the iCloud backup, which still does not link with iCloud photos. The company kept highlighting that the issue impacted only a handful of users, and only some photos made their way back, emphasizing the fact that the issue was contained swiftly and was not of a great magnitude.
Several users reported that photos as old as ten years reappeared in the Photos app, and one user on Reddit even asserted that the photos resurfaced on an iPad sold to a friend even when the data was completely erased. Apple denied the possibility of this case by suggesting either the claim was not true or the steps required to erase the content were not properly carried out. The Reddit post was then deleted, making us think that Apple was on the right in this situation.
Irrespective of the extent to which the users’ distress stands true, the privacy concerns of Apple product owners are valid. Given how Apple has always positioned itself as the company that greatly protects privacy, a bug like this can raise concerns regarding the reliability of the company’s claim.
Even though the 17.5.1 update is to help rectify the issue, it does not delete the photos that have resurfaced already. Users would have to manually remove the photos and permanently delete them all over again.