Apple has recently addressed a bug in its iOS 17.5.1 update that caused deleted photos to reappear on devices. The issue was not related to iCloud as initially speculated, but was a result of an iOS bug. This bug led to a rare situation where photos that experienced database corruption could reappear in the Photos library even if they were deleted.
The bug occurred on-device and had no involvement with iCloud. It was related to the Files App, where photos deleted from the Photos app but not the Files app could reappear due to a system attempt to re-save all photos from the Files app into the Photos app. This happened during the re-indexing process which occurs when you update your iPhone.
Apple has reassured users that it does not access their photos or videos. The issue resulted from a small number of photos being impacted by a corrupted database entry, making it possible for the photo to not fully delete from the device. The company has now released a software update to fix this issue, ensuring that the photo library records of deletions are accurate to prevent previously deleted photos from resurfacing.
Read more: www.bleepingcomputer.com