Many people take photos on their phones that they may later wish to delete for privacy reasons. However, deleting a photo does not always mean it is gone forever. There is still a possibility that deleted photos can be recovered by others, which raises concerns over privacy and security. According to a Pew Research study, 77% of Americans have heard about how companies use personal data and feel a lack of control over their information (source). This highlights why the potential exposure of deleted photos matters – it relates to broader fears over loss of privacy due to technology.
How Deleting Photos Works
When you delete a photo from your phone, it depends on whether that photo exists locally on your device’s storage or if it resides in the cloud (such as with Google Photos or iCloud). Deleting locally means removing the photo from your device’s gallery or folders. However, that doesn’t necessarily erase the photo file completely. The space taken up by the photo is simply marked as free/available space. The actual 1s and 0s that make up the photo file remain until that space is overwritten by new data. So deleted photos may still be recovered from the device’s storage until they are completely overwritten.
With cloud services like Google Photos or iCloud, deleting a photo tells the service to remove that photo from your account and linked devices. However, deleted photos often remain stored in the cloud service’s servers but simply become inaccessible through your account. Cloud services may retain deleted photos for a certain period before overwriting, ranging from 60 days for Google Photos to up to 30 days for iCloud. After that retention period, deleted cloud photos are likely overwritten and non-recoverable.
In essence, deleted photos are not immediately erased from devices or cloud backups. They are marked for deletion but may persist in storage until being overwritten by new data. Quick recovery is often possible during this window when deleted photos still reside intact in the storage system.
Recovering Deleted Photos
There are data recovery services and tools that can help retrieve deleted photos in some cases, such as Google Photos’ trash feature which keeps deleted photos for 60 days before permanent deletion. However, success depends on the device and services used.
For example, the iCloud Photos web interface has a Recently Deleted album where photos can be recovered for up to 30 days after deletion. There are also third party iOS apps like DiskDigger that can recover deleted photos from the device’s storage if space hasn’t been overwritten.
With Android devices, the free DiskDigger app can also recover deleted photos from internal memory or SD cards. For computers, recovery software like Recuva or Stellar Photo Recovery can retrieve deleted photos from hard drives if the space hasn’t been overwritten.
However, if photos are permanently deleted from cloud services like iCloud or Google Photos before the retention period expires, recovery may be impossible through official means. The cloud platforms do not keep other copies of content deleted by users.
Metadata and Caching
Even when a photo is deleted, remnants of its metadata may still exist in various locations. Metadata refers to data about the photo, such as the date/time it was taken, camera settings, location, and more. This data gets embedded in the photo file itself when the picture is taken.
Here are some examples of where deleted photo metadata may still exist:
- On the device’s internal storage. Deleting a photo does not always fully erase its metadata from the device’s storage.
- In system caches. Mobile operating systems like iOS and Android maintain caches of photos and metadata to optimize performance. These cached copies may persist after deletion. (https://www.stellarinfo.com/blog/restore-recovered-photos-with-exif-metadata/)
- In the cloud. If the photos were backed up to or synced with cloud services like iCloud or Google Photos, remnants of metadata may continue to be stored in the cloud even if you delete the photo itself.
- On external services. Many apps and websites extract metadata from photos when you upload or share them. This metadata persists with those services even if you subsequently delete the photo.
In summary, cached copies and extracted metadata can often be recovered, revealing details about photos you may have deleted. The only way to ensure complete removal of metadata is to use specialized tools to scrub the data from all locations.
Synced Devices and Backups
When you delete photos from your device, copies of those photos may still exist on synced devices and cloud backups. Services like iCloud, Google Photos, and OneDrive will often keep deleted photos in your account’s online storage for a period of time. This means that the photos still appear in synced photo libraries across your other devices, even if you delete them from one device.
For example, deleting a photo on your iPhone does not necessarily delete it from your synced iPad or Mac if you use iCloud Photos. The photo remains available on those other devices until the cloud sync removes it after an unspecified amount of time (according to Apple Discussions). Similarly, Google Photos and OneDrive retain deleted photos in their cloud storage temporarily, so connected devices may still access them.
The safest approach when permanently deleting sensitive photos is to manually check and remove them from all synced devices and services. Don’t assume deleting on one device propagates instantly across the board. Take the time to double check iCloud, Google Photos, OneDrive, social media accounts, shared albums, and anywhere else the photos could live.
Secure Deletion
There are a few methods for trying to securely delete photos so they can’t be recovered. One common technique is file shredding, which involves overwriting the storage space for a deleted file multiple times with random data to make recovery very difficult. File shredding programs will overwrite the file’s disk space many times, typically 3-7 passes, to obscure the original data. However, there are still limitations to this approach.
Forensic data recovery methods may still be able to recover some data even after file shredding, especially with advanced techniques and equipment. For example, traces of the original data can potentially remain on the physical storage medium, even after being overwritten multiple times. Data remnants may also exist in system caches or slack space that file shredding does not address. While multiple overwrite passes make recovery extremely challenging, it is still possible under certain conditions (Google Support).
So while file shredding offers a much more secure deletion method than simply deleting a file, there are scenarios where data remnants could still be recovered forensically. For truly secure and permanent deletion, physical destruction of the storage device is required.
Cloud Service Policies
Different cloud services have varying deletion policies for photos:
Google Photos – Backed up photos and videos you delete stay in your trash for 60 days before being permanently deleted. Deleting photos on your device does not delete them from Google Photos backups.
iCloud – Deleted photos remain in Recently Deleted album for 30 days, after which they are permanently deleted unless restored.
pCloud – Has a trash bin where deleted files remain for 30 days before permanent deletion. Pcloud offers paid “crypto” deletion to securely erase files.
Dropbox – Files deleted through the desktop or mobile apps go to the Dropbox trash for 30 days before being permanently deleted.
In summary, most major cloud services do not immediately delete photos. They are recoverable from a trash or deleted files folder for around 30 days in most cases.
Recovering Deleted Photos
If you accidentally delete photos from your phone that you still want, there are some recovery options you may be able to try. Here are a few tips:
On an iPhone, go to the Recently Deleted folder in the Photos app. This holds deleted photos for up to 30 days before they are permanently erased. You can recover photos from here until they are automatically removed (source).
On an Android phone, open the Google Photos app and look in the Trash. Tap and hold on a photo to restore it. Google Photos trash holds deleted items for 60 days (source).
If the deleted photos are no longer in the phone’s Trash or Recently Deleted folders, you may need a data recovery service. Companies like Stellar, EaseUS, and Disk Drill offer photo recovery software and services that can scan your device’s storage and find deleted files. This requires a deeper scan than simply checking the phone’s trash folders. There is often a cost associated with these advanced recovery services.
Recovering deleted photos gets more difficult the longer ago they were erased. Your best chance is within the first few days. Beyond that, you’ll likely need professional data recovery assistance. Always be very careful when deleting photos, as they can be impossible to get back once permanently erased.
Preventing Unwanted Access
There are several ways to better protect and secure private photos on your iPhone:
Enable Face ID or Touch ID for the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums in the Photos app. This will require biometric authentication to view these albums (source).
Use a private cloud storage service like Dropbox or Google Photos and enable encryption for your uploaded photos (source). This protects them even if your phone is lost or stolen.
Enable encryption on your iPhone to encrypt all data including photos. Go to Settings > Passcode to set up a passcode, which enables encryption (source).
Avoid backing up private photos to iCloud Photo Library, as they are not encrypted end-to-end. iCloud retains encryption keys and can theoretically access your photos (source).
Use a third-party app like Private Photo Vault to store private photos securely behind a PIN code or fingerprint. This keeps them separate from your main photo library (source).
Conclusion
When you delete photos from your device or cloud services, the photos are not necessarily gone forever. There are several ways deleted photos can potentially be recovered or accessed by someone else.
First, deleting photos from your device simply removes references to the files on your file system. The photo files themselves remain on your device storage until they are overwritten by new data. Specialized recovery software can scan the storage and recover deleted photos, in some cases even after a factory reset.
Second, deleted photos may exist in backups or caches on connected devices, cloud services, and social media. It’s important to check all connected devices, backups and cloud services when permanently deleting sensitive photos.
Finally, while deleted photos can potentially be recovered in some circumstances, using secure delete options will render the files unrecoverable. Securely wiped photos cannot be accessed or undeleted. Overall, with the right precautions, you can ensure your deleted photos remain private.