Photos appearing unbidden in my Photos.app

[Speed38]

From a senior who sometimes contacts me for help, I got this oddball one:

"I just discovered two photos in my iPhone photo library that are photos I did not take, and I do not recognize them as anything I have ever before seen. A bit disconcerting. So far as I know, this has never happened before to me or my husband. We did a bit of research (googling) and found the following: https://vergizmo.com/unknown-pictures-in-iphone/ .

I asked them to send the photo to me so I could check the metadata for where taken, etc.

They did a Get Info instead and sent me that. It shows that it was taken on August 29,2023 at 10:00 PM and…

• No camera info
• No lens into
• 2580 x 1920 and 1 MB in size.

The photo is of a large, well tended home with hundred of US flags on short flagpoles, in long rows in front of it.

I asked them "do you use ANY photos site to store or share photos? Google photo, Whatsapp, Flicker, Instagram, Pinterest, etc., etc.?”, to which they responded "No. Occasionally, friends send me things on Instagram, via text msg. That's it.”

Has anyone run across this before? Anyone have any suggestions?

P.s., She has a fairly new mac running Ventura.

 

[Bigwaff]

They could have inadvertently saved a picture on a web site page to their library by long pressing on the picture on the page.

 

[Speed38]

They could have inadvertently saved a picture on a web site page to their library by long pressing on the picture on the page.

Now there is one that would not have occurred to me. Thank you very much.

 

[Fishrrman]

Tell them to just delete the unwanted photos, and get on with life...

 

[Expos of 1969]

Tell them to just delete the unwanted photos, and get on with life...

My elderly father in law purchased a new Doro phone a couple of years ago from one of the three major providers here and it included a photo of an ample sized naked backside. Not sure what kind of testing occurs at the factory

 

[RhetTbull]

There's a new(ish) feature in Photos called "shared with you" photos that shows photos in your library if they've been shared through other apps (Messages, etc). This can be quite surprising to see these in your library if you weren't expecting it. That might be the case for this photo. Check `Photos > View > Show > Shared with You` to see if it's turned on. Maybe try toggling it and see if the photo disappears.

 

[Speed38]

There's a new(ish) feature in Photos called "shared with you" photos that shows photos in your library if they've been shared through other apps (Messages, etc). This can be quite surprising to see these in your library if you weren't expecting it. That might be the case for this photo. Check `Photos > View > Show > Shared with You` to see if it's turned on. Maybe try toggling it and see if the photo disappears.

Many thanks. I will pass that info along.