Apple Releases iOS 17.5.1 With Fix for Reappearing Photos Bug - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Releases iOS 17.5.1 With Fix for Reappearing Photos Bug

Apple today released iOS 17.5.1 and iPadOS 17.5.1, minor updates to the iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 operating system updates that came out last September. The 17.5.1 updates come a week after the launch of iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5.

iOS 17
iOS 17.5.1 and iPadOS 17.5.1 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

According to Apple's release notes, the updates include a fix for an issue that could cause images to reappear in the Photos library even after being deleted.

This update provides important bug fixes and addresses a rare issue where photos that experienced database corruption could reappear in the Photos library even if they were deleted.

There have been several complaints from iPhone and iPad users who saw their old, deleted photos resurfacing after installing the iOS 17.5 update. Images deleted as far back as 2010 were surfacing again, leading to confusion and worry over what was going on. Apple's information today indicates that it was a database corruption issue, and iOS 17.5.1 should solve the problem.

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....

Top Rated Comments

sniffies Avatar
30 months ago
"Now 'deleted' photos won't reappear, but we still have all your deleted photos stored somewhere. Just in case."

Well, good to know that they have addressed the privacy breach of catastrophic proportions in a routine oopsie-woopsie bug fix release.

And thanks to this bug fix, Apple won’t get busted again. Phew!



But folks, don't be distracted by this "bug fix" and every media outlet trumpeting "They fixed the bug! They fixed the bug! Yay Apple!"

The question still remains:

WHY WERE DELETED PHOTOS NEVER DELETED IN THE FIRST PLACE?
Score: 143 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MysteriousStain Avatar
30 months ago
Ever wondered what was in the “other” in your iPhone storage? Now you know
Score: 98 Votes (Like | Disagree)
30 months ago
So they just going to ignore the photos returning as a bug? It’s just an oops?! That’s not good enough. So are photos deleted or not? We want details not a note on an update screen.
Score: 96 Votes (Like | Disagree)
stiligFox Avatar
30 months ago
Okay but that still says nothing about *why* they were able to resurface to begin with, after being deleted many iOS updates ago…
Score: 79 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
30 months ago
I suspect since they mention database corruption that these photos were on your device but not referenced in the database.

Apple added code to recover these photos (including possibly non-deleted ones that you've lost) and didn't check if they'd been deleted.

They played it safe, better to recover something thought deleted than to not recover something that was lost. I agree with this thinking.

At least that's my speculation. Orphaned data recovery that was too ambitious.

For the record I didn't get any resurfaced photos myself.
Score: 61 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tomowl Avatar
30 months ago
Unreal. Wtf is going on at Apple, they’ve been dropping the ball lately. This is a nightmare of a bug.

Edit: also, what happens to the photos that have reappeared? Do they disappear again? We need way more info than a footnote.
Score: 55 Votes (Like | Disagree)