Losing precious photos on your iPhone can be frustrating. Fortunately, there are ways to recover deleted images. This guide will walk you through the steps to find erased photos on your iPhone and restore them.
iPhone showing Recently Deleted album
Where Do Deleted Photos Go?
When you delete a photo or video on your iPhone, it isn’t immediately removed permanently. Instead, it’s moved to the Recently Deleted album within the Photos app. This album acts as a safety net, giving you a grace period to recover deleted photos. Items remain in the Recently Deleted album for 30 days. After that, they are automatically and permanently deleted.
Recovering Photos from the Recently Deleted Album
Retrieving photos from the Recently Deleted album is a straightforward process:
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Open the Photos app: Launch the Photos application on your iPhone.
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Navigate to Albums: Tap the “Albums” tab at the bottom of the screen.
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Find Recently Deleted: Scroll down to the “Utilities” section and tap on “Recently Deleted”.
iPhone showing Delete Photo option -
Select Photos to Recover: Tap “Select” in the top right corner. Choose the photos you want to recover by tapping on them individually or use “Select All”.
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Recover: Tap the “Recover” button at the bottom right corner. You can recover individual photos or tap “Recover All” to restore everything in the album.
What if the Photo Isn’t in Recently Deleted?
If you can’t find your erased photos in the Recently Deleted album, it likely means:
- More than 30 days have passed: The photos have been permanently deleted from your device.
- You used a third-party app: Some photo management apps might have their own deletion processes. Check their specific instructions for recovery options.
- iCloud Photos is enabled: If you’re using iCloud Photos, deleting a photo on one device removes it from all your synced devices. Try logging into iCloud.com to see if the photo is still available there.
Preventing Future Photo Loss
- Back up regularly: Use iCloud Photos, iTunes, or a computer to back up your iPhone regularly. This ensures you have a copy of your photos even if they are deleted.
- Consider cloud storage: Services like iCloud Photos, Google Photos, or Dropbox offer automatic backups and can help protect against data loss.
Conclusion
Recovering erased photos on your iPhone is often possible thanks to the Recently Deleted album. Act quickly within the 30-day window to restore your lost images. Remember to back up your photos regularly to prevent permanent data loss in the future.
