Accidentally deleting photos that hold special meaning or sentimental value is an all too common frustration in the digital age. As our photo libraries grow over the years across multiple devices, it’s easy to make mistakes and lose track of precious memories. However, just because a photo was deleted years ago does not mean it is unrecoverable.
Having helped many people recover cherished photos after accidental deletion, I understand the deep desire to resurrect these visual time capsules. With the right techniques and tools, recovering photos from an iPhone even after years may be possible. This guide will walk through various methods to help locate and revive photos deleted long ago.
While recovering very old deleted photos presents challenges, do not abandon hope. With persistence and by trying multiple approaches, you may be able to find some of your most sentimental images once thought lost forever.
Why Recovering Old Photos is Difficult
iPhone storage systems gradually overwrite deleted data over time, making it increasingly difficult to recover old photos the longer ago they were deleted. When a photo is deleted from an iPhone, it isn’t fully erased right away. Instead, the data still exists on the storage drive in the available “free space”, but the operating system marks it as overwriteable. As new data is added and apps are installed, portions of the deleted photos will slowly be overwritten with this new data [1]. The iPhone does not immediately wipe or overwrite the deleted photo data, but rather does so gradually over time.
Because of this storage behavior, the older the deleted photos are, the less recoverable data remains available. If the photos were deleted years ago, it’s very likely that most or all of the data has since been partially or fully overwritten by new data. The new data effectively replaces portions of the old deleted data, making it unlikely to fully recover original older photos. There is no way to precisely determine how much old deleted data remains intact, but generally speaking, the longer ago photos were deleted, the less recoverable they will be [2].
In summary, iPhone storage systems are designed to reuse and overwrite “free space”, meaning deleted content is gradually replaced over time. This makes recovery of older deleted photos increasingly impractical and unlikely the longer ago deletion occurred.
Before Trying Recovery
The most crucial step is to have a backup of your photos in the first place to avoid permanent data loss. iCloud photo backup is an excellent way to automatically save all your iPhone photos. Enabling iCloud Photos in your settings ensures your photos are securely stored in the cloud whenever you’re connected to WiFi [1]. You can then access your photos from any device by logging into iCloud.
It’s also wise to regularly backup your iPhone photos to your computer or an external hard drive. Connect your iPhone to your computer and use the Finder or iTunes on Mac or Windows to sync photos and create a backup [2]. This gives you a secondary copy of your photos for extra redundancy.
Having multiple backups through iCloud and your computer gives you peace of mind. It ensures you’ll always have access to your precious memories in case your phone is lost, stolen or the photos are accidentally deleted.
Checking Recently Deleted Folder
When you delete photos and videos on an iPhone, they are moved to the Recently Deleted folder and kept there for 30 days before being permanently erased (Source: Apple Support). To recover deleted photos, go to the Photos app and look for the Recently Deleted album. Tap the Select button, choose the photos you want to restore, and tap Recover. The photos will be moved back to the Camera Roll or other albums.
However, there is a limited window to restore photos from Recently Deleted. According to Apple’s forums, the default timeframe is only 30 days before deleted photos are removed forever (Source: Apple Discussions). So it’s important to act quickly if you need to recover deleted photos, as they won’t be available for long in the Recently Deleted folder before being permanently erased from the device.
Using Data Recovery Software
One option for recovering lost data is to use dedicated iPhone data recovery software. There are many programs available that are designed to scan the storage on your iPhone to find and recover deleted photos, messages, and other types of data.
Some of the top options include: iMyFone D-Back and Dr.Fone. These programs work by scanning the iPhone’s storage for residual data from deleted files. Even after a file is deleted from your iPhone, traces of its data often still remain until being fully overwritten by new data.
The data recovery software will scan every sector of your iPhone’s memory to piece together deleted files. The more advanced programs like Dr.Fone even utilize advanced algorithms to maximize the amount of data that can be recovered.
To use iPhone data recovery software, you would first download and install it on a computer, then connect your iPhone via USB. After selecting the types of data to scan for, the program will thoroughly analyze your iPhone’s storage to find any recoverable data. This process can take some time depending on the storage size.
Recovery software provides one of the most effective DIY methods for restoring lost iPhone data. However, effectiveness decreases over time as more new data overwrites the deleted files. So it’s best to run data recovery as soon as possible after deleting anything important.
Trying iTunes/iCloud Backup
If you synced your iPhone with iTunes on a computer in the past, you may be able to find an old iTunes backup that contains the deleted photos. Connect the iPhone to the computer you used to sync with iTunes previously and open iTunes. Go to the preferences and look under the Devices section for any backups from the time period when you may have had the photos.
According to AppGeeker, “If there’s an iTunes backup that contains the iPhone photos you wish to recover, simply connect your iPhone to computer and run iTunes > click device icon >Summary >Restore Backup.”[1]
Restoring from the iTunes backup will recover the lost photos, but also revert your iPhone back to its state at the time of that backup. So only restore if you’re comfortable losing your current apps and settings.
If you had iCloud backups enabled years ago, there is also a chance your photos were backed up there. You can check iCloud and try restoring from an older backup to retrieve the photos. However, Apple only keeps a limited number of iCloud backups before deleting older ones.[2]
[1] https://www.appgeeker.com/ios-data-recovery/how-to-restore-iphone-photos-from-itunes-backup.html
[2] https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251214929
Using Third-Party Repair
Taking your phone to a third-party repair shop for data recovery can provide access to specialized tools and expertise. However, there are some risks to be aware of:
Pros:
- Repair shops may have proprietary data recovery software and hardware to retrieve deleted files
- Technicians are experienced in data recovery methods
- May recover data not possible through DIY methods
Cons:
- Expensive fees, often $300+ for iPhone data recovery (1)
- Risk of mishandling causing irrecoverable data loss
- Potential privacy issues if data accessed or stolen (2)
To mitigate risks, vet repair shops thoroughly and remove sensitive data from device beforehand if possible. Consider encryption or remote wipe in case of device theft. Weigh costs vs. value of recovering old iPhone photos.
Managing Expectations
Unfortunately, chances of recovering deleted photos greatly decrease the longer it’s been since they were deleted. After years have passed, you are fighting an uphill battle trying to retrieve old deleted photos from an iPhone.
While it is possible to recover some photos even after years have passed, expecting to retrieve all (or even most) deleted photos is setting yourself up for disappointment. The older the deletion, the lower your chances of complete recovery.
It’s best to go into the recovery process with measured hopes. You may get lucky and recover a few nostalgic photos from your trip years ago. But more likely, you’ll only get back a small fraction of what you’re hoping for.
The bottom line is – prepare for some disappointment. While you can try your best to recover old deleted iPhone photos through various methods, chances are very high you won’t get back those priceless pictures you’re longing for. Keep an open mind, try not to get your hopes up, and view any recoveries as an unexpected bonus.
Key Takeaways
Here are some of the key steps to recovering old photos from an iPhone after years have passed:
- First, check the Recently Deleted folder in the Photos app in case your photos were recently removed.
- Try using data recovery software like iMyFone D-Back or iSkysoft Toolbox to scan and extract lost iPhone data.
- Check any old iTunes or iCloud backups you may have to see if they contained the lost photos.
- Consider using a third-party repair service that specializes in data recovery from iOS devices.
To avoid this issue in the future, be sure to regularly back up your iPhone photos to an external hard drive or cloud storage. Backing up often will make it much easier to restore lost photos.
Recovering data after many years can be difficult, but sometimes persistence and the right tools can help rediscover photos you thought were gone forever. With some effort and patience, you may be able to find those sentimental images you feared were lost to time.
Further Resources
For additional advice on recovering lost iOS photos, check out some of these helpful external resources:
- How to recover deleted photos from your iPhone or iPad – iMore
- DiskDrill data recovery software
- Recovering photos after factory reset – Apple Support Communities
Hopefully with the steps outlined in this guide you can successfully restore your lost iOS photos, even years later. Don’t give up hope! With a little luck and patience, recovery is often possible. Best of luck getting those precious memories back.