A serious bug in the iOS 15 Messages app can cause some saved photos to be deleted, according to multiple complaints we've heard from MacRumors readers and Twitter users.
If you save a photo from a Messages thread and then go on to delete that thread, the next time an iCloud Backup is performed, the photo will disappear.
Even though the image is saved to your personal iCloud Photo Library, it appears to still be linked to the Messages app in iOS 15, and saving it does not persist through the deletion of the thread and an iCloud backup.
To replicate this bug, the following steps must be taken:
Save a photo from a Messages conversation to your Camera Roll.
Check to see that the photo has been saved.
Delete the Messages conversation the photo came from. The photo will still be in your iCloud Photo Library at this point.
Perform an iCloud Backup, and the photo disappears.
This is a concern because most users keep the iCloud Backup feature enabled and it's something that happens automatically. If you're someone who regularly deletes message threads, if there's a photo that you want to keep, you won't be able to keep it with iCloud Backup turned on. We tested this bug on an iPhone running iOS 15.1 beta 2 and had our photo deleted after deleting the Messages thread and performing an iCloud Backup, so the issue has not been addressed in the current beta as of yet.
15.1 beta 2 is still deleting photos from my library when I delete the iMessage thread I saved them from 😰😰 FB9658241
— Ezekiel (@superezfe) September 29, 2021
Until this bug is fixed, if you've downloaded photos from the Messages app, you'll want to make sure to keep those Messages conversations and not delete them to prevent them from being automatically removed from your devices.
Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others.
During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more.
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date.
Keep reading...
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Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth...
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OLED Display
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Google today announced a new cross-platform feature that allows for file sharing between iPhone and Android users. With AirDrop on the iPhone and QuickShare on Pixel 10 devices, there is a new file transfer function available.
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iOS 15 needs polishing up asap in my opinion. It's not unexpected for the initial release to have bugs of course, but iOS 15 is particularly buggy and unpolished in my experience of it so far.
It's issues such as this, which could very easily happen to anyone and are easily reproduced, that make you wonder if the software devs actually use their own software on their personal devices.
This cross with the bodged implementation of Widgets on iPad OS, and Safari 15's questionable design choices make me inclined to steer clear of Monterey when it releases.
We all love Craig Federighi but apart from his charisma, does he actually foster a culture where details matter? Apparently not. Apple’s software quality has never been great but it’s getting to the point of being ridiculous.
