Quick Answer
Deleted photos do not immediately disappear from an iPhone. When you delete a photo on your iPhone, it is moved to the ‘Recently Deleted’ album where it will stay for 30 days before being permanently deleted. So during this 30 day period, you have the option to recover deleted photos if needed. After 30 days, deleted photos are permanently removed from the iPhone storage and there is no way to recover them.
Where do deleted photos go on iPhone?
When you delete a photo on your iPhone, it isn’t immediately erased from your device. Deleted photos are first moved to the ‘Recently Deleted’ album in the Photos app. This serves as a holding place for your deleted photos for up to 30 days before they are permanently removed from your iPhone storage.
The Recently Deleted album operates based on a first in, first out method. As you continue to delete new photos over time, the older photos in your Recently Deleted will eventually hit the 30 day limit and be permanently deleted by your iPhone.
Can you recover deleted photos on iPhone?
Yes, it is possible to recover deleted photos on your iPhone as long as they are still being held in the Recently Deleted album. You have 30 days from when a photo was moved to Recently Deleted to recover it.
To recover deleted photos on iPhone:
- Open the Photos app
- Go to the Albums tab at the bottom
- Scroll down and tap on ‘Recently Deleted’
- Find the photo(s) you want to recover
- Tap ‘Recover’ to move the photo(s) back to the Camera Roll or other album
This will restore the deleted photo(s) from the Recently Deleted album back to your iPhone photo library. Keep in mind you only have a 30 day window to recover deleted photos before they are permanently erased.
What happens when you permanently delete photos on iPhone?
When you permanently delete photos on your iPhone either by deleting from Recently Deleted or using the ‘Delete All’ option, the photos are completely removed from your device storage.
Unlike when you first delete a photo and it goes to Recently Deleted, permanent deletion means the photos are gone for good. When photos are permanently deleted from iPhone, it removes the data from your storage and there is no way to recover them.
Even data recovery software cannot rescue photos that have been permanently erased from an iPhone. So if there are any photos in Recently Deleted that you may want back, make sure to recover them within 30 days. Otherwise, they will be permanently lost when your iPhone does its automatic cleanup.
Do iCloud deleted photos disappear?
If you have iCloud Photos enabled, your deleted photos will also be removed from your iCloud storage. When you delete photos stored in iCloud, they follow a similar process:
- When you first delete a photo, it goes to the Recently Deleted folder in iCloud
- It stays there for 30 days
- After 30 days, photos in Recently Deleted are permanently deleted from iCloud
So both the on-device storage and your iCloud storage work the same way as far as saving deleted photos temporarily before permanent removal.
The only difference is that you can recover photos from iCloud Recently Deleted either on your iPhone, iPad, Mac or logging into iCloud.com. As long as the photo still exists in Recently Deleted, you have 30 days to restore it from any device.
Will iPhone storage increase after deleting photos?
Deleting photos on your iPhone will eventually free up storage space, but not immediately. Since the photos get moved to Recently Deleted first, the initial deletion does not increase available storage.
It’s only after the 30 day period ends and Recently Deleted is emptied that you will see a change in iPhone storage from deleting photos. At that point, the photos are permanently removed and no longer taking up any space.
So don’t expect to see a jump in available storage right after you mass delete a bunch of photos. It takes a month before the effects are realized and storage increases. Just remember that deleting photos now pays off later by preventing storage issues down the road.
How Many Days Do Deleted IPhone Photos Stay for Non ICloud Images?
Deleted photos that originated on your iPhone (and do not exist in iCloud) follow the same 30 day rule. Whether an image was taken directly on your iPhone camera or saved from an app or messaging, it will have 30 days after deletion before being permanently erased.
The iPhone makes no distinction between how a photo got onto your phone. Local-only photos and iCloud-synced photos are handled exactly the same when it comes to deleted photo retention. In both cases, the deleted photos are kept for 30 days in the Recently Deleted album before being removed forever.
Does Deleting Photos Free Up Space on iPhone?
Yes, deleting photos will eventually free up space on your iPhone once the images are permanently removed after 30 days. When you first delete photos, they go to the Recently Deleted folder which does not free up any space.
But after 30 days, iPhone cleans out Recently Deleted and deletes everything stored there. At this point, the space used by those photos is freed up and returned to the available storage pool. So you don’t see any benefit right away, but deleting photos now results in more free space later after permanent deletion occurs.
Should You Delete Photos from Your iPhone?
Here are some things to consider when deciding whether to delete photos from your iPhone:
- Storage needs – Deleting photos can free up storage space on your iPhone after 30 days. If you’re running low on space, deleting some photos can help.
- Backups – Make sure any photos you want to keep have backups before deleting. iCloud Photos, iTunes or external hard drive backups ensure photos are retained.
- Sorting best photos – Deleting unnecessary photos or duplicates can declutter your Camera Roll and keep only your best shots.
- Photo management – Using the Recently Deleted album to manually clean up old or unneeded photos from your iPhone.
- Security/privacy – Deleting private, sensitive or old photos you no longer need for security reasons.
In general, regularly deleting unwanted photos helps optimize storage, organize your photo library and streamline your Camera Roll. Just be sure to back up important photos and allow 30 days to regain space after deleting.
Does Deleting Photos on iPhone Delete Them Everywhere?
Deleting photos on your iPhone only removes them locally from your device and iCloud storage (if enabled). However, deleting photos on iPhone does not delete them everywhere:
- iTunes or finder backups – Photos stored in iTunes or Finder backups on your computer will not be deleted.
- Other cloud storage – Photos synced to other cloud services like Google Photos or Dropbox will remain in the cloud.
- External hard drive – Copies of photos saved on a physical storage device will be retained.
- Other devices – If photos were synced or sent to other phones, tablets or computers, they still exist on those devices.
So deleting photos from your iPhone only removes them from your iPhone itself and iCloud Photo Library associated with your Apple ID. Any other backups or sync locations will still keep those photos intact after deletion unless you manually delete them everywhere.
How to Prevent Deleted iPhone Photos from Disappearing
To prevent deleted iPhone photos from disappearing forever, you need to have backups in place that will retain copies of your photos even after deletion. Here are some backup options to save deleted iPhone photos:
- iCloud Photo Library – Keeps copies of photos in the cloud. You can access and recover recently deleted photos for up to 30 days.
- iTunes (or Finder) backups – Backs up iPhone contents including photos to your computer. iTunes backups retain deleted photo data.
- External storage device – Manually copy photos to an external hard drive or USB flash drive for backup.
- Cloud storage services – Google Photos, Dropbox, etc can sync and back up your photos.
- Photo sharing services – If you shared photos on social apps like Facebook, Instagram, etc, copies exist there.
As long as you have photos backed up in at least one other location, you will be able to recover them even if deleted from your iPhone. Be sure to confirm backups are working properly before deleting important photos.
Should I Empty Recently Deleted Album on iPhone?
It’s generally recommended not to manually empty the Recently Deleted album on your iPhone. Let your iPhone automatically delete these photos after 30 days instead. Reasons to avoid manually deleting Recently Deleted include:
- No immediate storage benefit – Manually deleting photos from Recently Deleted does not free up space until after 30 days when automatic cleanup would’ve occurred anyway.
- Permanent deletion – Photos are immediately gone forever with no recovery when deleted from Recently Deleted.
- Unexpected user error – Accidentally selecting and deleting the wrong photos you wanted to keep.
- Lose 30 day safety net – Removing the 30 day window you otherwise have to recover deleted photos if needed.
In general, it is best not to interfere with the Recently Deleted album. Let your iPhone manage it automatically instead. The 30 day retention gives you time to notice and fix any photo mishaps before permanent deletion happens.
How Does Recently Deleted Work on iPhone?
Here’s an overview of how the Recently Deleted album works on iPhone:
- When you delete photos on your iPhone, they get added to a hidden album called ‘Recently Deleted’
- Deleted photos remain there for up to 30 days after deletion
- You can view and recover deleted photos from Recently Deleted during this time
- After 30 days, the photos in Recently Deleted are permanently deleted
- This automatic deletion helps free up storage space on your iPhone
- But it also gives you 30 days to recover any photos you deleted by accident
- iCloud-synced photos work the same way in iCloud Recently Deleted
- Use Recently Deleted to rescue photos before 30 days, or leave them be
So in summary, Recently Deleted gives you a 30 day safety net to reverse accidental photo deletions, while also ensuring your device storage gets cleared out over time.
Conclusion
To wrap things up, deleted photos on your iPhone do not disappear instantly. They go to the Recently Deleted album where they remain for 30 days. During this time, you can view photos and recover any you may need back.
After 30 days, the deleted photos are permanently removed from your iPhone storage. This frees up space over time while also giving you a month-long window to undo any mistaken deletions. As long as you have backups in place, you can safely delete photos without worry. Just be sure to manually recover anything important before 30 days is up.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Where do deleted iPhone photos go initially? | Recently Deleted album |
| How long are deleted photos kept? | Up to 30 days |
| Can you recover deleted photos? | Yes, within 30 days |
| What happens after 30 days? | Permanent deletion |
| Does deleting photos free up space? | Yes, after permanent deletion |
