Apple Possibly In Violation Of Privacy As iOS 17.5 And iPadOS 17.5 Show Deleted Photos On Devices Users Have Sold To Strangers

iOS 17.5 houses a bug that has been plaguing iPhone users and it appears that there is more to the story than originally expected. The update brought its fair share of issues with it, as users have been complaining of a bug that is making deleted photos reappear in photo libraries. However, it appears that the situation is more serious than originally anticipated as users who have sold their devices to strangers are also impacted, and it is a huge violation of privacy on Apple’s part.

Apple is under scrutiny after its iOS 17.5 update caused old deleted photos to reappear

We have previously reported that iOS 17.5 is reviving photos that were deleted years ago. It was previously speculated that only users who are signed into their accounts are seeing their older photos come to life but in reality, the bug seems to affect users who have given away or sold their device to a stranger or a relative. If this is the case, it means that users who have sold their iPhone or iPad devices in the market to unknown individuals could be at privacy risk.

A user on Reddit claims that he wiped his iPad according to Apple’s guidelines and sold the device to a friend in September of last year. After his friend updated the iPad to iPadOS 17.5, he saw older photos of the prior owner, reappearing even after the device was completely wiped off. Here’s how the Reddit user explained his story.

I wiped the iPad using official Apple guides before selling it. I never logged into that iPad with my Apple ID after erasing the iPad. I sold my iPad to a friend in September 2023, they called me today after updating to iPad OS 17.5 and said my old pictures appeared in their Photos app… HUGE PRIVACY VIOLATION. I see other reports of this. How many people will get other people’s photos on the devices they bought from other people?

The user states that his fourth-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro was completely erased, and it was running the latest update at that time. The iPad was also not logged into the Apple ID of the original owner after the factory reset, which appears to show that some part of his Apple ID or iCloud account was attached to the iPad Pro. It is rather strange how a bug in iPadOS 17.5 is causing deleted photos to reappear, even after the account was removed from the device. The photos that were restored were taken on the iPhone and synced to the iCloud Photo Libraries and Apple ID before the user sold his device to a friend.

The issue possibly stems from the same bug that caused deleted photos to reappear. However, if this is the case, it is a huge violation of privacy as your pictures or videos could end up on any stranger’s device after you have sold them in the market. It remains to be seen how the company is looking to tackle the issue. The issue possibly rests on Apple’s server side, and a fix could be in the works, but Apple has not issued an official statement at this time. We will keep you updated on the story and if there is a workaround to fix it, so be sure to stick around.