Losing photos on your iPhone can be frustrating, especially if they are important. Luckily, there are ways to recover them, whether you have a backup or not. This guide explains how to get back deleted photos.
Where Do Permanently Deleted Photos Go on iPhone?
When you delete a photo from your iPhone, it doesn’t vanish immediately. Here’s what happens:
Recently Deleted Album: Deleted photos first move to the "Recently Deleted" album, where they stay for 30 days. During this period, you can easily restore them.
Permanent Deletion: After 30 days, the photos are removed from the Recently Deleted album. At this point, iOS marks the storage space they occupied as "available" for new data. The photos themselves are no longer accessible through normal means. But their residual data may still exist on the device until overwritten by new files.
Key Insight: Permanently deleted photos aren’t instantly erased; they remain in the device’s storage until their space is reused. This is why third-party recovery tools can sometimes retrieve them.
iCloud Sync: If iCloud Photos is enabled, deleting a photo from your iPhone also deletes it from iCloud after 30 days.
Method 1: Recovering Photos With a Backup
If you’ve backed up your iPhone to iCloud or a computer, restoring photos is straightforward.
Option 1: Restore from an iCloud Backup
iCloud automatically backs up your device when connected to Wi-Fi and charging. To recover photos:
Check iCloud Photos:
Go to iCloud.com on a browser, sign in, and open Photos.
Navigate to the Recently Deleted folder (if enabled). Photos here are retained for 30 days.
Restore a Full iCloud Backup:
Erase your iPhone: Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.
During setup, choose Restore from iCloud Backup and select the backup containing your photos.
Drawback: This overwrites all current data on the device.
Option 2: Restore from iTunes/Finder Backup
If you back up to a computer via iTunes (Windows/macOS Mojave and earlier) or Finder (macOS Catalina+):
Connect your iPhone to the computer.
Open iTunes/Finder, select your device, and click Restore Backup.
Choose the relevant backup and wait for the process to complete.
Limitation: Like iCloud, this erases data added after the backup.
Option 3: Extract Photos from a Backup (Without Full Restore)
Third-party tools like iMazing, Dr.Fone, or iExplorer let you browse and extract photos from iTunes or iCloud backups without resetting your device:
Install the software and connect your iPhone.
Select the backup file and navigate to the Photos section.
Export the desired photos to your computer or device.
Method 2: Recovering Photos Without a Backup
If no backups exist, your options are limited but not hopeless.
Option 1: Use Third-Party Recovery Software
Apps like Dr.Fone, EaseUS MobiSaver, or Tenorshare UltData scan your iPhone’s storage for residual photo data. Success depends on whether the photos have been overwritten. Steps:
Download and install a trusted tool.
Connect your iPhone and follow the scan prompts.
Preview recoverable photos and select those to restore.
Note: Free versions often have limitations; full access may require payment.
Risk: Avoid using the iPhone until recovery is attempted to prevent overwriting data.
Option 2: Check Other Cloud Services or Devices
If you use services like Google Photos, Dropbox, or OneDrive, photos might have synced automatically. Check these accounts or linked devices (e.g., iPads, old phones) for copies.
Option 3: Contact Apple Support
Apple retains limited iCloud data for up to 30 days after deletion. While they generally can’t recover permanently deleted files, it’s worth contacting support for edge cases (e.g., account breaches).
Best Practices to Prevent Future Photo Loss
Enable iCloud Photos: Automatically syncs photos across devices and retains deleted items for 30 days.
Regular Backups: Use iCloud or computer backups weekly.
Use Multiple Backup Methods: Combine iCloud with Google Photos or an external hard drive.
Avoid Writing New Data: If photos are deleted, stop using the iPhone immediately to reduce overwriting risks.
FAQ Section: Answers to Common Questions About Permanently Deleted iPhone Data
1. Do permanently deleted photos go to iCloud?
No. When you delete photos from your iPhone, they are also removed from iCloud if iCloud Photos is enabled. Deleted photos first move to the Recently Deleted album (in both the Photos app and iCloud.com) for 30 days. After this period, they are permanently erased from all synced devices and iCloud. However, if you have an iCloud Backup created before deletion, photos may still exist in that backup until it’s overwritten by a newer backup.
2. Are permanently deleted videos gone forever on iPhone?
Not necessarily. Like photos, deleted videos stay in the Recently Deleted album for 30 days. After that, iOS marks their storage space as available for new data. Until that space is overwritten, third-party recovery tools may retrieve residual data. However, if the device is heavily used post-deletion, videos are more likely to be erased permanently.
3. Can police recover permanently deleted photos from an iPhone?
Potentially, yes. Law enforcement agencies with specialized forensic tools (e.g., Cellebrite, GrayKey) can sometimes recover deleted photos if the storage space hasn’t been overwritten. Additionally, if backups exist (iCloud or iTunes), police could legally request access to them. However, Apple’s encryption and secure data erasure practices make this challenging unless the device is jailbroken or the data is intact.
4. Can hackers see my permanently deleted photos?
Generally, no. Permanently deleted photos are inaccessible unless:
Hackers have physical access to your device and use forensic software to scan for residual data.
They compromise your iCloud account or backups where the photos were stored. Remote hackers cannot retrieve deleted photos directly from your iPhone without exploiting vulnerabilities in Apple’s encryption.
5. Are iPhone files permanently deleted?
Not immediately. When you delete files (photos, messages, documents), iOS removes their accessibility but doesn’t instantly erase the data. The storage space is marked as "available," and the original files remain until overwritten by new data. Full erasure depends on device usage. For secure deletion, use Erase All Content and Settings (Settings > General > Reset), which overwrites data with encryption keys.
6. How to get back permanently deleted messages on iPhone?
From a Backup: Restore your iPhone via iCloud or iTunes/Finder to a backup created before the messages were deleted.
iCloud Messages: If enabled, deleted messages may still be in iCloud.com’s Messages archive (if within 30 days).
Third-Party Tools: Apps like Dr.Fone or Tenorshare UltData can scan your device for residual message data.
Contact Your Carrier: SMS texts (not iMessages) might be retrievable through your cellular provider’s records.
Conclusion
Where Do Permanently Deleted Photos Go? Permanently deleted photos remain in your iPhone’s storage until overwritten by new data. While iOS and iCloud remove access to them after 30 days, their traces can linger, making recovery possible with specialized tools—provided you act quickly.
Recovering permanently deleted photos without a backup is challenging but possible with third-party tools or residual data scans. If you have a backup, restoring from iCloud or iTunes/Finder is the most reliable method. To avoid future stress, prioritize regular backups and enable syncing across multiple platforms. While no method guarantees 100% recovery, acting quickly and following these steps maximizes your chances of retrieving lost memories.
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