Apple Releases iOS 17.5.1 With Fix for Reappearing Photos Bug

[MacRumors]

Apple today released iOS 17.5.1 and iPadOS 17.5.1, minor updates to the iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 operating system updates that came out last September. The 17.5.1 updates come a week after the launch of iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5.

iOS 17.5.1 and iPadOS 17.5.1 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

According to Apple's release notes, the updates include a fix for an issue that could cause images to reappear in the Photos library even after being deleted.

This update provides important bug fixes and addresses a rare issue where photos that experienced database corruption could reappear in the Photos library even if they were deleted.

There have been several complaints from iPhone and iPad users who saw their old, deleted photos resurfacing after installing the iOS 17.5 update. Images deleted as far back as 2010 were surfacing again, leading to confusion and worry over what was going on. Apple's information today indicates that it was a database corruption issue, and iOS 17.5.1 should solve the problem.



Article Link: Apple Releases iOS 17.5.1 With Fix for Reappearing Photos Bug

 

[sniffies]

"Now 'deleted' photos won't reappear, but we still have all your deleted photos stored somewhere. Just in case."

Well, good to know that they have addressed the privacy breach of catastrophic proportions in a routine oopsie-woopsie bug fix release.

And thanks to this bug fix, Apple won’t get busted again. Phew!



But folks, don't be distracted by this "bug fix" and every media outlet trumpeting "They fixed the bug! They fixed the bug! Yay Apple!"

The question still remains:

WHY WERE DELETED PHOTOS NEVER DELETED IN THE FIRST PLACE?​

 

[iLoveDeveloping]

So they just going to ignore the photos returning as a bug? It’s just an oops?! That’s not good enough. So are photos deleted or not? We want details not a note on an update screen.

 

[stiligFox]

Okay but that still says nothing about *why* they were able to resurface to begin with, after being deleted many iOS updates ago…

 

[Thought Thinking Thought]

"Rare issue". I'm not saying it isn't but how did they make that determination, precisely?

 

[SmugMaverick]

Classic Apple. 😂

Nothing to see here folks.

 

[nfl46]

lol. This is a must download for me.

 

[MysteriousStain]

Ever wondered what was in the “other” in your iPhone storage? Now you know

 

[CalMin]

Yikes - I wouldn't even know how to check for if my deleted images were undeleted. My Library spans decades and hundreds of thousands of photos.

 

[Havalo]

Gaslighting to the fullest…

 

[tomowl]

Unreal. Wtf is going on at Apple, they’ve been dropping the ball lately. This is a nightmare of a bug.

Edit: also, what happens to the photos that have reappeared? Do they disappear again? We need way more info than a footnote.

 

[icanhazmac]

Not even remotely good enough. The fix needed to come with a full explanation.

 

[zorinlynx]

I suspect since they mention database corruption that these photos were on your device but not referenced in the database.

Apple added code to recover these photos (including possibly non-deleted ones that you've lost) and didn't check if they'd been deleted.

They played it safe, better to recover something thought deleted than to not recover something that was lost. I agree with this thinking.

At least that's my speculation. Orphaned data recovery that was too ambitious.

For the record I didn't get any resurfaced photos myself.

 

[Xaositek]

What about the instances where old photos showed up on wiped / sold devices?

 

[incidentallycheckout]

So they admitted to it. Funny cause people who would defend Apple for literally anything were saying it was made up. They claimed the reddit user deleting their post proved it was fake.

 

[NMBob]

Unreal. Wtf is going on at Apple, they’ve been dropping the ball lately. This is a nightmare of a bug.

They've been dropping it for a longer than that...at least the age of the oldest "deleted" photos.

 

[djinn]

Classic Apple. 😂

Nothing to see here folks.

Exactly. Now you see them.. now you don't! Didn't happen.

 

[zorinlynx]

What about the instances where old photos showed up on wiped / sold devices?

This was one person on Reddit who has since deleted their post. I suspect it was made up or they didn't actually wipe the device properly.

 

[jonnyb098]

Fixing it is good but there definitely needs to be some explanation for how the hell this happened in the first place !

 

[jvchappy]

A little shocked they didn't explain this more. This was a huge issue and taints their claim of privacy first

 

[bobbie424242]

"We will keep your deleted photos but won't show them to you."
Apple can not only bend physics to its will but also reinvent what "deleted" means.

 

[jonnyb098]

This was one person on Reddit who has since deleted their post. I suspect it was made up or they didn't actually wipe the device properly.

I had an old random photo from 2004 show up in my library with EXIF data that was from a camera I never had in my life. My iPad Pro is an AppleCare replacement from last year.

 

[EmperorVexx]

Gaslighting to the fullest…

What do you mean by gaslighting? Don't really see how that's the case here.

 

[omihek]

Probably would have put "Also, please don't sue us. Please please please." But just didn't want to give us any ideas.

 

[turbineseaplane]

But why aren't you deleting photos when I delete them!??