Photos on our phones have become incredibly important nowadays. They capture special life moments, document our travels, and preserve memories with loved ones. However, it’s also very easy to accidentally delete photos on our iPhones without realizing it.
According to surveys, over 50% of smartphone users have experienced accidentally deleting photos at some point. When this happens, people can feel devastated at the potential loss of precious memories. While iPhones do have some built-in protections against permanent deletion, there are still ways photos can be erased without the possibility of recovery.
The good news is that with some effort, there are methods to try retrieving deleted photos on an iPhone 5s even without a backup. This guide will walk through various options to attempt recovering lost iPhone photos, as well as tips to prevent accidental deletion in the future.
Why Restore Deleted Photos?
Photos often hold special sentimental value as they capture meaningful moments and memories in our lives. Once deleted, these photos can be very difficult or impossible to retake, especially for one-time events like weddings, vacations, childhood moments, and other special life milestones.
As this article discusses, photos play an important role in preserving our memories, culture, heritage, and mental well-being. Losing these photos means losing an invaluable visual record of our most cherished life experiences.
According to this article, photos stimulate our brains and transport us back to those special moments in a very powerful way. Restoring deleted photos brings back our ability to re-live those meaningful memories.
Therefore, retrieving deleted photos from your iPhone can recover those sentimental snapshots and reinstate your ability to connect with your most precious life events and memories.
Preventing Deleted Photo Loss
The best way to avoid needing to retrieve deleted photos from your iPhone is to set up automatic backups that save copies of your photos. Here are two easy options:
Enabling iCloud Backup
Apple’s iCloud service can automatically back up your iPhone photos. To enable it, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos and turn on “iCloud Backup.” This will store copies of your photos online so you can access them if photos get deleted from your iPhone (1).
Using Google Photos Auto-Backup
The Google Photos app for iOS can automatically back up your camera photos and videos online. Just install the app, allow access to your photos, and turn on auto-backup. Google provides unlimited free storage for photos up to 16MP (2). This creates a backup so you can restore deleted iPhone photos if needed.
By having an auto-backup enabled, you help safeguard your memories in case of accidental deletion. While not foolproof, it’s an easy precaution to take.
Checking Recently Deleted Folder
The Recently Deleted folder on your iPhone 5s stores deleted photos and videos for up to 30 days before permanent removal. This gives you a window of opportunity to recover your lost media. Here’s how to check the Recently Deleted folder and restore deleted photos:
Open the Photos app and tap on the Albums tab at the bottom. Scroll down and tap on the Recently Deleted folder under Utilities. This will display all your recently deleted photos and videos.
To restore a deleted photo or video, simply tap on it to select it, then tap Recover at the bottom. You can select multiple photos and videos to recover them all at once. The selected media will be restored back to your Camera Roll or other albums.
Keep in mind that photos and videos are automatically removed from the Recently Deleted folder after 30 days. So check back often and recover important media before it’s permanently erased. The sooner you can restore from Recently Deleted, the better.
For more details, see Apple’s guide on recovering deleted photos from Recently Deleted: https://support.apple.com/en-us/104967
Using iCloud Photo Library
iCloud Photo Library automatically uploads photos and videos from your iPhone to iCloud and stores them for up to 30 days after deletion. This gives you a backup that can be used to restore recently deleted photos.
To recover deleted photos using iCloud Photo Library:
- Open the Photos app and go to the Albums tab.
- Tap the Recently Deleted album.
- Select the photos you want to recover.
- Tap Recover to move them back to the Camera Roll album.
Keep in mind that photos stored in iCloud Photo Library are only kept for up to 30 days after deletion. After that time, the photos are permanently deleted. So it’s important to restore them from iCloud before they are purged from the cloud storage.
Enabling iCloud Photo Library backup gives you an easy way to recover recently deleted iPhone photos. Just make sure to act quickly within that 30 day window.
Using iTunes or Finder Backup
If you had iTunes or Finder backups of your iPhone 5s before the photos were deleted, you may be able to restore the photos from the backup. Here are the steps to restore deleted photos from an iTunes or Finder backup:
1. Connect your iPhone 5s to your computer using the USB cable. Open iTunes on a Windows PC or Finder on a Mac. Select your iPhone when it appears.[1]
2. In iTunes or Finder, select the option to restore from your latest backup. This will restore your iPhone 5s to the state it was in during that backup, including any photos that were on it at that time.
3. After the restore completes, your deleted photos should reappear in the Photos app on your iPhone 5s. You can now sync them back to your computer’s photo library if desired.
Restoring from a backup will revert your iPhone 5s back to the state it was in when that backup was made. So you’ll lose any new data or changes made since then. But it’s an option if you need to get those deleted photos back.
[1] https://www.syncios.com/itunes/recover-deleted-photos-from-itunes-backup.html
Using Third Party Software
One of the most common solutions for recovering deleted photos from an iPhone is to use third party software. There are many options available, but some of the top recommended software include:
Dr. Fone – This comprehensive data recovery tool by Wondershare allows you to recover photos, messages, contacts and more from iOS devices. It has a user-friendly interface and works without needing to backup or jailbreak your iPhone. Learn more at https://www.wondershare.com/iphone-recovery/.
EaseUS MobiSaver – This program can recover lost data from iOS devices in various situations like accidental deletion, iOS upgrade, device damage or forgotten passwords. It supports the latest iPhone models and allows previewing recoverable data. Get it at https://www.easeus.com/iphone-data-recovery/free-iphone-data-recovery-software.html.
FoneLab – Offering iOS data recovery even without backups, FoneLab can retrieve deleted photos, messages, notes and more from iPhones and iPads. It has a high recovery rate and intuitive interface. Download at https://www.fonelab.com/.
To use third party software to restore deleted photos on an iPhone 5s:
- Download and install the data recovery software on a computer.
- Connect the iPhone to the computer using a USB cable.
- Select the type of data to scan for (photos in this case).
- Allow the software to scan the device.
- Preview and select the photos to recover.
- Designate a location on the computer to save the recovered photos.
- Finally, recover the photos to the computer.
Be sure to use a trusted data recovery app from a reputable provider. Also, save the recovered photos to a different drive than the iPhone itself to avoid overwriting the deleted data.
Using a Photo Recovery Service
If you are unable to restore your photos using free methods like iCloud or iTunes backups, you may want to consider using a professional iOS photo recovery service. Companies like DriveSavers, Secure Data Recovery, and SalvageData specialize in recovering lost or deleted data from iPhones and other devices.
These services use proprietary data recovery software and techniques to extract photos from your iPhone’s storage. In many cases they can recover photos even if your phone is damaged or won’t turn on. The process involves removing the memory chip from the device and reading it using advanced tools.
The costs for iPhone photo recovery services typically range from $300 to over $1000 depending on the specific service and amount of data you need recovered. Expedited services tend to cost more. It’s a good idea to get an upfront quote before agreeing to have your device serviced.
Professional recovery services have high success rates, but it can be an expensive option. Still, for irreplaceable photos it may be worth the cost. Be sure to research reviews and find a reputable provider.
Tips to Avoid Future Deletion
Here are some tips to help prevent accidentally deleting photos from your iPhone in the future:
Turn off the Recently Deleted folder auto-delete feature. The Recently Deleted folder automatically deletes photos after 30 days by default. To turn this off:
- Open the Photos app and go to Albums.
- Tap on Recently Deleted.
- Tap on the 3 dots in the top right corner.
- Toggle off “Automatically Delete” to prevent the folder from emptying itself.
This will keep your deleted photos in the folder indefinitely until you manually remove them.
Be very careful when selecting multiple photos to delete. It’s easy to accidentally select too many images and delete photos you wanted to keep. Whenever you delete multiple photos at once, double check which images you have selected before confirming the deletion.
Enable iCloud Photo Library or iTunes/Finder backups. Having backups of your photos in the cloud or on your computer gives you the ability to restore images if they are accidentally deleted from your iPhone (cite source1).
Use third party apps sparingly when deleting photos. Many third party apps allow batch deleting images from your iPhone, which can be risky. Stick to the native Photos app for most deletions so you have more control (cite source2).
Conclusion
Recovering deleted photos from your iPhone 5s without a backup can be challenging but is possible in some cases. The key is acting quickly before the photos are permanently overwritten. Checking the Recently Deleted folder, using iCloud Photo Library, restoring from an iTunes or Finder backup, and employing third party software or services are all potential options to retrieve deleted photos.
To avoid finding yourself in this situation, it’s critical to regularly back up your iPhone photos. iCloud Photo Library and iTunes/Finder backups both allow you to restore photos if they are accidentally deleted. You can also utilize third party cloud storage services. Backups provide peace of mind that your photo memories can easily be recovered.