Losing precious photos can be distressing, but Apple provides a safety net with the “Recently Deleted” album on your iPhone and iPad. This feature temporarily stores your deleted photos and videos, giving you a chance to recover them within 30 days. Understanding how to access this album and manage your deleted media is crucial for every iOS and iPadOS user.
Accessing the Recently Deleted Album on iPhone and iPad
Whether you’ve accidentally deleted a single image or cleared out a whole batch, finding your way to the Recently Deleted album is straightforward. Here’s how you can access it:
- Open Photos App: Locate and tap the Photos app icon on your iPhone or iPad home screen. This is your gateway to all your saved images and videos.
- Navigate to Albums: Once the Photos app is open, tap on the “Albums” tab, usually located at the bottom of the screen. This will display a collection of albums including “Recents”, “Favorites”, and “Utilities”.
- Scroll Down to Utilities and Find “Recently Deleted”: In the “Albums” view, scroll down until you find the “Utilities” section. Within this section, you will see the “Recently Deleted” album. Tap on “Recently Deleted” to open it.
iPhone showing Recently Deleted album under Utilities in Photos app
Inside the “Recently Deleted” album, you’ll find all the photos and videos you’ve deleted in the last 30 days. Each item will show the number of days remaining until it is permanently deleted.
Recovering Deleted Photos and Videos
Realizing you need a photo back after deleting it is a common scenario. Fortunately, recovering photos from the Recently Deleted album is a simple process:
- Open the Recently Deleted Album: Follow the steps above to access the “Recently Deleted” album in the Photos app.
- Select Photos to Recover: Once inside the album, tap on the “Select” option, typically found in the top right corner of the screen. Then, tap on each photo or video you wish to recover. You can also tap and drag to select multiple items at once.
- Tap “Recover”: After selecting the desired photos and videos, tap the “Recover” option located at the bottom right of the screen.
- Confirm Recovery: A confirmation prompt will appear. Tap “Recover Photo” or “Recover Video” to confirm the action. If you’re recovering multiple items, the option will be “Recover [Number] Items”.
iPhone showing multiple photos selected in Recently Deleted album
The recovered photos and videos will be restored to their original albums in your Photos library.
Permanently Deleting Photos from Recently Deleted
If you want to permanently remove photos and videos before the 30-day period is up, you can also do so from the Recently Deleted album. Be aware that this action is irreversible, and you won’t be able to recover these items afterward.
- Access Recently Deleted Album: Open the “Recently Deleted” album as described earlier.
- Select Photos for Permanent Deletion: Tap “Select” and choose the photos and videos you want to permanently delete.
- Tap “Delete”: Tap the “Delete” option at the bottom left of the screen.
- Confirm Permanent Deletion: A warning message will appear, emphasizing that this action is permanent. Tap “Delete Photo” to confirm and permanently remove the selected items. To delete all items in the album, you can choose “Delete All” if available.
Securing Your Recently Deleted Album with Face ID or Touch ID
For enhanced privacy, Apple offers the option to lock the Recently Deleted album (and the Hidden album) using Face ID or Touch ID. This feature, available on iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, and later, adds an extra layer of security to your deleted photos.
By default, Face ID or Touch ID is required to view the Recently Deleted album. If you prefer to disable this security feature:
- Open Settings App: Go to the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap “Photos”: Scroll down and tap on “Photos”.
- Toggle Off “Use Face ID”: Under the “Privacy” section, find the “Use Face ID” (or “Use Touch ID”) toggle and switch it off.
Turning off Face ID/Touch ID will make the Recently Deleted album accessible without biometric authentication.
iCloud Photos and the Recently Deleted Album
If you are using iCloud Photos, deleting photos and videos behaves slightly differently. When you delete a photo on one device with iCloud Photos enabled, it will be deleted across all your devices logged in with the same Apple ID. These deleted items will also move to the Recently Deleted album and will be permanently deleted after 30 days, consistently across all devices.
It’s important to remember that if you are part of an iCloud Shared Photo Library (available in iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16.1, and later), anyone in the shared library can delete, add, or edit photos. However, only the person who originally added a photo to the Shared Library can permanently delete or recover it from the Recently Deleted folder within the 30-day window.
Conclusion
The Recently Deleted album is a vital feature for managing photos and videos on your iPhone and iPad. It provides a safety net against accidental deletions and allows you to permanently remove media when needed. By understanding how to access and utilize this album, you can confidently manage your photo library while ensuring you have a chance to recover any mistakenly deleted memories. Always remember the 30-day window for recovery and manage your photos accordingly.
