Apple Releases iOS 17.5.1 With Fix for Reappearing Photos Bug

[seek3r]

Ouch. Database "corruption" that can somehow bring data back from "deleted". Whoops.

it’s happened before, it’s not that it brings things back, it’s that the db doesnt mark something for deletion properly. The last time I saw it happen was on a mac years ago. Databases can be finicky if stopped in the middle of an operation or something, especially pre-phones that shut down while conserving power for internal cleanup tasks (I’d be willing to bet this corruption comes from older devices). I dont entirely blame Apple for the initial db bug, they found and fixed it. The big problem is that the fix this time didnt purge the data when it fixed the db, it restored it

 

[andrewxgx]

people be bitchin' about the bug obviously, but its damn good that apple released the fix that fast

 

[nortonandreev]

I guess they are just doing a soft delete lmao

 

[EmperorVexx]

Class action lawsuit coming, pony up Apple 🍎 💰

No, if we gonna sue companies for every bug then we'd have no companies left lmao.

 

[nadozza]

I think this is code that is still intact for the still-to-be implemented photos scanner Apple wanted to introduce and combat child pornography aka take away privacy. Hence photos are never gonna be deleted. I have a cousin working at Apple legal and he says they gonna change the license agreement to introduce new guidelines that users cannot have the right of their own data on Apple made products.

“My uncle who works at Nintendo…”

I imagine your cousin working in the legal department should probably know better than to discuss changes to legal documentation before it is published?

 

[incidentallycheckout]

No, if we gonna sue companies for every bug then we'd have no companies left lmao.

This goes beyond a bug.

 

[incidentallycheckout]

I don't know why Apple employs a public relations staff when they have customers willing to defend them free of charge.

 

[cbns]

if this was able to happen maybe its time to do a trim after deleting photos

 

[BigGongZillaSkrillex]

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.

Having photos reappear on my own phone it's different that having them appearing on someone else's phone. I understand this bug fix is related to my own phone and probably something to do with iCloud too. But the guy saying his photos were appearing on an iPad he sold it's completely fake.

Edit: it's actually not related to iCloud, but it's a bug in the Files app.

 

[f0ku5]

We want answers why deleted photos reappeared on devices, something isn't right here.

 

[jz0309]

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.

Well come on, if it’s on Reddit, it is truer than the truth /s

 

[visualseed]

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

Explain what? How computers work? If you are smart enough to understand the explanation, you probably already had a good idea of what caused it. Just fixing the problem is good enough for the hundreds of millions of users that won't even know this was an issue.

 

[tonywalker23]

I asked ChatGPT 4o to create an opening scene based on this story…

**Opening Scene of The X-Files Episode**

**[INT. APPLE HEADQUARTERS - NIGHT]**

*The sleek, dark interior of Apple’s Cupertino headquarters is eerily silent. Mulder and Scully, flashlights in hand, move cautiously through a high-tech lab filled with iPhones.*

**SCULLY**: (whispering) Mulder, are you sure about this?

**MULDER**: Trust me, Scully. The intercepted emails mentioned "Project Echo." Apple’s keeping deleted photos for something big.

*They approach a high-security server room. Mulder swipes a security card. The door clicks open.*

**[CUT TO: INT. SERVER ROOM - NIGHT]**

*Rows of servers hum. Scully quickly types on a terminal.*

**SCULLY**: (focused) If the data's here, I’ll find it. Breaking through the security... now.

*The screen displays a folder labeled "Project Echo." Scully opens it, revealing subfolders: "Deleted Photos," "Emotion Analysis," "Behavioral Predictions."*

**SCULLY**: (shocked) Mulder, they’re not just storing photos. They’re analyzing emotions and predicting behaviors based on deleted images.

**MULDER**: (leaning in) For what purpose?

**[CUT TO: SECURITY CAMERA FEED]**

*A security camera captures their actions. In a distant monitoring room, a shadowy figure watches.*

**SHADOWY FIGURE**: (into headset) They’re in. Execute protocol seven.

**[BACK TO: SERVER ROOM]**

*Mulder and Scully hear approaching footsteps.*

**SCULLY**: (alarmed) Mulder, we need to move!

**MULDER**: (copying files) Almost done... Got it.

**[CUT TO: HALLWAY OUTSIDE SERVER ROOM]**

*Armed security guards close in. Mulder and Scully sprint down the hallway.*

**SCULLY**: (breathless) The exit, now!

*They reach an emergency exit as alarms blare, plunging the building into red emergency lights.*

**MULDER**: (pushing door open) Go!

*They escape into the night, disappearing into the shadows.*

**[FADE OUT TO: THE X-FILES THEME MUSIC]**

 

[Stratus Fear]

I don't know why Apple employs a public relations staff when they have customers willing to defend them free of charge.

It's less about customers being willing to defend them, and more about people calling out what always gets turned into some grand conspiracy without evidence because it's Apple.

 

[BigGongZillaSkrillex]

All of this is supposedly related to a bug on the Files app, nothing to worry about.
There's a thread that explains how it's related to a user also saving photos to the Files app.

If a user never saved photos to the Files app, those photos would not have reappeared in the Photos app after updating to 17.5.

That guy saying the photos were reappearing after a factory reset is completely fake story.

 

[incidentallycheckout]

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

That's the million dollar question isn't it.

 

[turbineseaplane]

That's the million dollar question isn't it.

It is, yes

All this deflection and distraction on other points, but the key thing is..

If I want one of my photos deleted, Apple needs to delete it

End of story

 

[Account25476]

Yet another disservice of the year. No apology, no communication, just "take it and shut up".

Truly only Apple can behave like this!!!

 

[dannyyankou]

That's great, but will updating my phone stop photos from reappearing on any devices I've sold that don't update?

Either way, thank god I don't take lewd photos with my phone. I've always thought it was a dumb idea with only downsides.

 

[tonywalker23]

Is anyone around here old enough to remember the first or second generation of iPhone (I think) taking pictures itself. People have the usual remarks like people accidentally taking pictures. But people were sure that they had no interaction with the phone. Best example I remember were people putting their phone in the car and later seeing photos in the camera roll with pics that the users knew they didn’t take and there was no way anything was hitting the camera etc.

I remember that getting a lot of posts on the Apple forums but then quieted down really quickly. I remember where I was working at the time so I am pretty sure this was before 2009.

 

[LV426]

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

Because, at the very least, they are held in storage for a time in case you change your mind. Have a look at the "Recently Deleted" photos section on your iPhone, for example.

 

[incidentallycheckout]

For those claiming that I just dislike Apple and have some kind of vendetta against them, here's my device list with my name censored.

I am a big time Apple customer but they can and do make mistakes. And this mistake is a big one that deserves a real explanation.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Because, at the very least, they are held in storage for a time in case you change your mind. Have a look at the "Recently Deleted" photos section on your iPhone, for example.

You can go into Recently Deleted and ask it to "delete it from all devices"
That needs to happen ASAP once a user does that

There's no cover here for Apple
This is not an acceptable level of respect for a user and what they want done with their own data

 

[spazzcat]

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.

Yes because it was a bug.

 

[BigGongZillaSkrillex]

It is, yes

All this deflection and distraction on other points, but the key thing is..

If I want one of my photos deleted, Apple needs to delete it

End of story

Calm yourself down, it's a bug related to the Files app. It's been explained in a Reddit by someone who apparently knows a Private Contractor that works for Apple

Now how are the deleted photos “reappearing” after being deleted? This is because almost every case of this incident happening which Apple has investigated has been caused by the photo(s) being deleted from the “Photos” app but NOT the “Files” app. They are two separate apps with two copies of the photos.

When you download, share/receive, or take a screenshot (Mainly Safari screenshots) on your iPhone it sometimes (Depending on different factors) saved to both the “Files” and “Photos” app.

Now when you go to delete said photos from the “Photos” app a identical copy of it is still present within the “Files” app, this makes it appear as it is deleted from the “Photos” app.

But due to a rare bug within iOS 17.5 the system attempts to re-save all photos/media/files from the “Files” app into the “Photos” app, this happens during the re-indexing process which happens when you update your iPhone. Since the “Photos” app can’t display files but it can display media/photos, it appears as your “deleted” photos have reappeared ALTHOUGH they have been on your iPhone the whole time in the “Files” app.

And as for the photos reappearing after a factory reset of the device, Apple has not investigated ANY CASES OF THIS. It is a myth, your Apple devices are secure.