Deleted photos reappeared in People's Photos app
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Deleted photos reappeared on some iPhones running iOS 17.5, and Apple has finally clarified how this could happen — it's not iCloud.
The iOS 17.5.1 update that fixes the photo reappearing bug contained a brief description related to a corrupted database. Apple clarified what exactly this means and explained how a photo can reappear even after it was deleted years ago.
According to information shared by Apple with 9to5Mac, the photos reappeared due to local corrupted files that were preserved between device updates due to backups and transfers. Apple never had access to the deleted photos, and the corrupted data was not saved as part of iCloud Photo Sync.
In other words, when a photo is deleted in the library, it is actually deleted in the OS. However, due to the way NAND storage works, the memory used to store the photo is marked as available rather than immediately deleted.
Due to an error, some files were being saved due to database corruption. Because the error occurred outside of the Photo Library, the deleted files never left the device unless a device transfer or backup occurred.
In iOS 17.5, these files were restored from a corrupted state and repopulated by the Photos app. Apple called this a rare occurrence and did not say how many users were otherwise affected.
If the device was properly wiped using the Erase All Contents and Settings feature, the corrupted database will also be deleted. Apple has confirmed that the only Reddit account showing up in their library with someone else's photos is not real.
If old photos appear again, simply delete them again. A fix in iOS 17.5.1 fixed an issue that caused a corrupted database to persist and return old deleted photos, but not delete recovered photos again.
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