Affected files may have been carried over from older devices during backup or device-to-device transfer.
Apple confirmed only a small number of users experienced this issue and emphasized all files are permanently deleted when data is erased.
Apple released an update to address a rare issue where deleted photos resurfaced on some iOS devices running iOS 17.5.
Security researchers identified changes in 'PhotoLibraryServices' that removed a routine responsible for scanning and re-importing photos from the filesystem.
The cause was a corrupted database entry on the device's file system.
In recent news, Apple released an update to address a rare issue where deleted photos resurfaced on some iOS devices running iOS 17.5. The cause of this problem was a corrupted database entry on the device's file system.
According to Apple and security researchers, affected files may have been carried over from older devices during backup or device-to-device transfer. These photos that reappeared were still present on the file system and were discovered by the migration routine added in iOS 17.5.
Apple confirmed that only a small number of users experienced this issue, and it did not have access to photo or video files on users' phones. The company also emphasized that all files and content are permanently deleted once a device's data has been completely erased using the correct steps.
Security researchers at Synactiv reverse-engineered the iOS 17.5.1 update and identified significant changes in the 'PhotoLibraryServices.' Specifically, they found that Apple removed a routine responsible for scanning and re-importing photos from the filesystem, preventing old files from being added back to users' galleries.
It is important to note that this issue was not related to iCloud. The resurfaced photos were not synced with iCloud Photos but remained on the device itself due to database corruption.
If you encountered this problem and deleted the reappearing photos again, they will be moved to the 'Recently Deleted' album in the Photos app for 30 days. You can choose to immediately delete those images by selecting 'Delete from All Devices' in the 'Recently Deleted' album.
Apple released iOS 17.5.1 update to fix the issue of resurfacing long-deleted photos.
The cause of the issue was a corrupt database entry on the device’s file system.
Affected files may have been carried over from older devices during backup or device-to-device transfer.
Photos that reappeared were still lying around on the file system and were found by the migration routine.
Accuracy
The cause of the issue was a corrupt database entry on the device's file system.
Photos that did not fully delete from a user’s device could have persisted when restoring from a backup, performing a device-to-device transfer, or restoring from an iCloud Backup but not using iCloud Photos.
Apple released iOS 17.5.1 to address a rare problem where deleted photos reappeared on users’ devices after installing iOS 17.5.
The cause of the issue was database corruption on the device’s file system.
Photos that did not fully delete from a user’s device could have persisted when restoring from a backup, performing a device-to-device transfer, or restoring from an iCloud Backup but not using iCloud Photos.
Apple confirmed that after completely erasing a device using the given steps, all files and content are permanently deleted and there is no chance of old photos resurfacing.
Accuracy
The cause of the issue was database corruption on the device's file system.
Affected files may have been carried over from older devices during backup or device-to-device transfer.
Photos that reappeared were still lying around on the file system and were found by the migration routine.
A recent iOS bug caused restored images deleted months or years ago to reappear on users’ devices, rather than an issue with iCloud.
Security researchers at Synactiv reverse-engineered the iOS 17.5.1 update to identify changes in the ‘PhotoLibraryServices’ that caused the bug.
The routine responsible for scanning and re-importing photos from the filesystem was removed in iOS 17.5.1, preventing old files from being added back to users’ galleries.
Accuracy
The cause of the issue was a corrupt database entry on the device’s file system.
Deleted files can still persist in local storage until blocks are overwritten with new data, even after being deleted.
Deleted photos reappeared on some iPhones running iOS 17.5.
The problem was fixed in the iOS 17.5.1 update which addressed the corrupted database issue.
Photos reappeared because NAND storage marked memory as available rather than immediately deleting data, and a bug caused some files to persist due to database corruption.
Accuracy
The issue was caused by local corrupted files surviving between device upgrades due to backups and transfers.
Apple confirmed that the bug affected a small number of users.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(95%)
The author does not commit any formal or informal fallacies in the article. However, there is an instance of a dichotomous depiction when the author states 'it isn't iCloud.' This statement creates a false dichotomy between iCloud and local storage as the only possible causes for deleted photos reappearing. Although it was not intended to be misleading, it can give readers a limited perspective on the issue. The score is reduced by 5 points due to this.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25449220/IMG_4604.JPG)
