A bug in iOS 17.5 appears to be causing deleted photos to reappear, affecting even iPhones and iPads that have been erased and sold to new owners.
A Reddit user reported wiping an iPad according to Apple’s guidelines in September 2023 before selling it to a friend. This week, the friend updated the iPad to iPadOS 17.5 and started seeing the original owner’s old photos reappear in the Photos app. The Reddit user stated:
“I wiped the iPad using official Apple guides before selling. I never logged into that iPad with my Apple ID after erasing it. I sold my iPad to a friend in September 2023. They called me today after updating to iPadOS 17.5 and said my old pictures appeared in their Photos app… HUGE PRIVACY VIOLATION. I see other reports of this. How many people will get other people’s photos on the devices they bought from other people?”
The affected iPad was a fourth-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which had been updated to the latest operating system. The user emphasized that they had not logged back into the iPad after erasing it, making it unclear how their old photos reappeared on the device.
Earlier reports indicated that deleted photos were resurfacing for users who still owned their devices and were logged into their iCloud Photo Libraries and Apple IDs. However, this latest report suggests that even erased and sold iPads might restore old photos from an Apple ID no longer signed in. The reappearing photos dated back to 2017 and had been synced to the iPad via iCloud Photo Library before it was wiped and sold.
Some users have reported seeing photos from as far back as 2010 suddenly reappear, though not all users are experiencing this issue, nor does it affect all deleted images. Apple devices are designed to retain photos for 30 days in the Recently Deleted section of the Photos app, after which they should be permanently deleted if removed from this section. Apple has yet to explain why some users are seeing photos reappear, and the report of old photos showing up on a wiped and sold device is particularly concerning.