iOS 13.6.1 Update deleted all my photos

Question

Level 1

6 points

iOS 13.6.1 Update deleted all my photos

After upgrading to iOS 13.6.1, the entirety of my photos were deleted. My backup failed, and I have effectively lost everything important to me.

I cannot believe that Apple would release an update that would cause this to happen.

Is someone able to assist me to see why this happened?

For context, please see below:

My storage was full before I did the update. I attempted to to an iCloud back-up, which ended up duplicating all my photographs.

I then painstakingly went through all my photographs and deleted the duplicates.

Then, I installed the update. After the update, I opened my photos folder and found that everything had been erased.

I have tried the following:

Checking the 'recently deleted' folder. It is empty.
Plugging in my iPhone to my PC and looking at the internal storage. Empty.
Using iTunes on my PC to see what is left on my phone. iTunes is so completely not user-friendly, so this has yielded no results for me.
I have tried turning on my iCloud photos, and it has done nothing to help.
I have tried signing out of my Apple ID, and then signing back in. No help.

Please can someone let me know if they've experienced the same issue since this update, or if any one has any clarity or assistance on this issue?

Thanks.

iPhone XR, iOS 13

Posted on Aug 15, 2020 6:33 AM

Reply

Answer 1

zinacef

Level 10

88,407 points

Aug 15, 2020 2:45 PM in response to ales_bee

Key to your issue -- "My storage was full before I did the update." What did you do to rectify this prior to updating? Did you increase your iCloud storage? What storage was full specifically - your iCloud or device's?

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Answer 2

zuly176

Level 1

4 points

Aug 18, 2020 2:58 PM in response to ales_bee

Omg 😢😢😢 all my sons’s photos are missing after this update too. Please can someone tell me they will be back !! 🙏🙏🙏🙏 all gone from my pregnancy, to his birth through his whole first year !!! Gone!!! Thousands of photos missing. My head cannot take this 💔💔💔💔💔 please help me !!!!

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Answer 3

Aug 23, 2020 10:43 AM in response to ales_bee

Iv'e had the exact same problem! just updated my iPhone 11 to this software earlier and when it came back on i was to find all my photos prior to December 2019 had been deleted. This includes thousands of photos i took up to 2015.

I signed out of apple ID too and back in yet still nothing and also turned off and on icloud photos but still nothing.

additionally, i also logged onto icloud drive to see if they would be there but only the ones from December 2019 onward

Thousands of photos lost because of an update.

Apple please resolve this and return our photos.

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Answer 4

Aug 24, 2020 1:20 PM in response to MatthewBullerwell1

Have you gotten your photos back yet. I am experiencing this exact problem at the moment with my daughter. Her pictures and videos mean so much to her and she is freaking out that basically all of her photos and videos are gone. Apple please help.

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Answer 5

Aug 24, 2020 1:24 PM in response to melissag1982

Nope not 1 single photo have I got back. I’ve bought the 50gb iCloud storage so my photos and iPhone automatically backs up everynight and also putting photos on the iCloud Drive just to make sure I have what I’ve got now incase it happens again.

So I still haven’t got back any photos from the past 5 years

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Answer 6

Aug 24, 2020 3:17 PM in response to bidadaripagi

Curious if they just had you restore it from a previous back up or not? I was walked through a process but my most recent back up was the 19th. Lemme know what they guided y’all to do. Pls and thanks.

Reply

Answer 7

zinacef

Level 10

88,407 points

Aug 18, 2020 3:03 PM in response to zuly176

Before we try troubleshooting, try going to iCloud.com on a computer and look in the Photos app to see if the photos might there or in the Recently Deleted folder.

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