Apple fixes bug that revived old photos on iPhones and iPads

Apple has released new software updates for iOS and iPadOS to address a bug that brings back old photos in the Photos app deleted years ago by their owners.

The updates have arrived almost a week after Apple released iOS 17.5.5 and 17.1 updates. Affected users are recommended to install the update as soon as possible. Users raised privacy concerns regarding Apple's handling of user data.

Apple said that this problem happened because of a data corruption issue. The new update fixes this issue and stops photos that were deleted from showing up again in the Photos library.

Apple advised users who are affected by this issue to install the update as soon as they can. To download the latest Apple updates, a user should go to Settings > General > Software Update.

The iOS 17.5.1 update works with iPhone XS and newer models. The iPadOS 17.5.1 update works with iPad mini 5 and newer models, iPad 6 and newer, iPad Air 3 and newer, 10.5-inch iPad Pro and newer, and 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2nd generation) and newer.

These updates follow iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5, which were launched earlier this month. They included support for an offline mode in Apple News+, a new Pride Radiance wallpaper, and a puzzle game.

One important part of the update is a privacy feature called Cross-Platform Tracking Protection. This is a joint effort between Apple and Google. It lets iPhone and Android users know if unknown Bluetooth-enabled tags are following them.