Apple explains the strange iOS 17.5 bug that caused photos to reappear
When iOS 17.5 was released on May 13, several reports surfaced online from iPhone owners claiming that their device was bringing back deleted photos. It quickly resulted in a security risk, as some people feared that their smartphones could be storing file data without their knowledge. Luckily, it was patched soon after with the release of iOS 17.5.1.
No one actually knew what caused the error. Early theories blamed a software bug, but the patch notes for iOS 17.5.1 said it was due to “database corruption”. People thought the explanation was too vague, so Apple decided to provide more details in response.
In a statement to 9To5MacAccording to the company, the old images resurfaced due to a “corrupt database entry” in the iPhone’s file system. It affected the photos on the mobile device, but not the files synced with iCloud. So even if they were no longer on iCloud, they lingered on the smartphone, hidden from view, only to reappear when iOS 17.5 was installed.
Apple goes on to say that the reason why the photos appeared on users’ new iPhones was the same corruption. Affected files may have jumped from one device to another if someone performed a file transfer or restored them from an iCloud backup.
To solve the problem
Apple hasn’t said what it did to fix the problem, however, researchers say cybersecurity company Synacktiv reversed-engineered iOS 17.5.1 to see exactly how it was addressed. The entire report is a compact book, because it really gets to the heart of the matter.
But essentially, Apple added a “migration routine” in iOS 17.5 that contained a bug that scanned an iPhone’s file system looking for photos. If it found something, it would add it to the photo library, causing deleted images to reappear.
What’s especially strange is that iOS 17.5.1 removes the routine, but not the files. Synacktiv claims that Apple has not deleted any of the “deleted” images from the file system. They’re still in a dark corner of your iPhone.
We wondered: why do iPhones store images in the file system? Shouldn’t the image files only exist in the Photos app? No one knows, not even Synacktiv, although there may be an explanation.
A feature, not a bug
The report links to a Reddit post made on May 20 from a user who claims to know a man who works as a “private contractor at Apple” who supposedly gave him insight into what happened. Take this information with a grain of salt. According to this mysterious source, iPhones can sometimes save images or screenshots in both the Files and Photos apps. The criteria for what is saved depends on “several factors”. They didn’t say which ones these are.
So even if you delete an old photo from the Photos app, an exact copy may exist within Files and this is what the aforementioned migration routine restores. The Reddit user goes on to say that his “friend” claims that Apple doesn’t spy on people. This is not a backdoor in iCloud, because “your… data is mostly safe.”
You may be wondering: why does iOS keep two copies of certain images? Again, no one knows for sure. That will remain a mystery for another day. We’ve reached out to Apple for further clarification, and we’ll update this post when and if we hear back.
Check out Ny Breaking’s list of the best iPhones for 2024.