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Accidentally deleted the photos app icon from my iPhone 4s.

I've read the previous threads on this topic but none quite fit the bill. I need to re-install the Photos icon, which has disappeared.

This happened while I was holding my phone but not paying attention; when I looked again the icons were all shaking. I don't know how the icon disappeared because the factory defaults don't offer a delete option, but the icon definately disappeared at that time.

The app itself is still there and, because it was running when I deleted the icon, I can currently still access it by double clicking the main button, where app (and icon) is still accessible there at the bottom of the screen. But this is not convenient for general usage, and if I hard close the app from there then I will have no way to open the Photos app.

I can't re-download the app because it is a factory default app and not available anywhere (and as such shouldnt be deletable!).

The icon isnt hiding anywhere amongst my subfolders, and I've checked for restrictions but there arent any.

Restetting the home screen layout to factory defaults presumably means I will lose all the other app icons I have, and their sub folders etc, which I dont want to do either.

I have now backed up my phone and all my photos etc, but if I restore my phone from a previous backup, I will lose the data and messages I've acquired isince then.

All I want to do is re-install the icon and make sure it links to the photos app that is still installed - surley that can't be so hard?


All help appreciated.


I don't have a Mac and run Windows 7 on a Sony VAIO. All versions of iTunes and IoS are up to date.


Patrick

iPhone 4S, iOS 5.1, Sony VAIO; Windows 7

Posted on Apr 30, 2012 6:46 AM

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Posted on Apr 30, 2012 7:05 AM

Patrick,


Go to settings > general > reset, scroll to the bottom of the reset options > reset home screen icons. That should put the icon back albeit you should not have been able to delete a factory application icon but I have heard of this happing before.


Let me know if this fixes it for you?

16 replies

Apr 30, 2012 9:41 AM in response to patrickzero

Patrick,


I am USA Mountain time: 10:35 AM.


I'll be looking forward to you post. Hopefully someone will post the "What actually will happen" to your non-factory icons/folders.


I would like to know the answer to this issue myself.


PS - have you looked everywhere for the missing icon... like I said it is not supposed to be possible to delete a factory application icon but it is very possible for it to get move to some really bizarre page or folder.

Apr 30, 2012 7:24 AM in response to HolmanGT

Holman, thanks for such a swift reply, but when I do this it asks me if I want to restore to factory defaults. If I do that will it only restore the factory defaults, i.e. will I lose the other icons and subgroups I have created (and which will take some time to reassemble)?

I've just discoeverd I can also access the Photos app by searching for Photos in the search screen, but I still cant find a way to restore the icon itself.

Patrick

Apr 30, 2012 7:36 AM in response to patrickzero

Patrick,


Hmmm... I don't know if it will mess up your existing groupings/folders.


I have never done it myself but I know that it has worked for lots of other folks.


I would venture a guess that it will not change anything but the location of "Apple built-in apps" and nothing else. But please don't take my word for that.


Maybe we can get someone that has actually done it to jump in and resolve your concerns.

Apr 30, 2012 10:00 AM in response to HolmanGT

No, I've looked everywhere, in every subfolder and on every page. I've tried a hard restart as well, but it didnt reappear.


Someone posted in another forum about there being a hidden menu page, but I cant find that. The only place the icon now appears is when I search for 'Photos', but like I said I can't drag it from there.


I really don't know how it got deleted. Because the phone was in my hand, but I wasnt aware I had activated the delete option and the icons were shaking, I don't know exactly what I did. Maybe there is some combination of taps that will result in the icon disappearing?


The annoying thing is that if I had the time to book a Genius appointment they'd probably solve it in 2 minutes, but they don't post those fixes on here.


Ho hum! I'll see what happens later.

Patrick

Apr 30, 2012 12:46 PM in response to patrickzero

and the answer is...........


It has restored the original factory default home screen, including the Photos icon.


It has also retained all my downloaded apps....however it has split them all out of the sub-folders I had painstakingly placed them into.


My choice is to now either spend the time sorting 150 apps back into the sub-folders I had put them in originally, or see if restroing from the earlier backup somehow manages to bring back my sub-folders and retain the photo Icon.


I've got this far so I might as well try the restore.


Patrick

Apr 30, 2012 1:20 PM in response to HolmanGT

I'd already done the restore but with no success, and fortunately no apparent damage to data/settings. I've now got a perfect copy of what I had before, still minus the Photo icon.


I guess I have no choice but to restore the Home screen and re-arrange my sub-folders.


Holmnan you're right that its easier to re-organise in iTunes and I'll do it that way.


Thanks for sticking with me through this today and for your helpful advice as well.


If you come across a neat way to solve this problem, I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who have needed it, or will do in the future.


Regards,

Patrick

Dec 27, 2012 8:04 AM in response to patrickzero

Hi Patrick,

I also had the same problem with my mac book pro for i photo and managed to re-install by my self. Try the following steps that helped me to get the i photo back on my mac.


1. Go to apps sotre search for iphoto

2. The application is not free n you have to pay around $14

3. Try purchase the app and if the app in your 4s was originally installed with the phone when you purchased it, then you will be prompted that you own this application and it's free for you.

4. Try installing the app, might take a while to install


Hope this will help you to get your I-Photo back


Cheers


Percy

Mar 17, 2013 11:35 AM in response to patrickzero

PROBLEM SOLVED


ANSWER The exact same thing happened to me today. I accidently deleted my Photo app (with over a 1000 photos in it) but I could still access it by pressing the home button twice. This is because it was with the background running apps (when you press the home button twice it shows all the apps running in the background) but it would not let me drag it to the Home screen.


Well so I was anxiously reading this thread at church to see what to do (I did a search for, 'I accidently deleted my Photo app' and how I came across this thread). Anyway, I searched all my subfolders and everywhere IT WAS NOT IN ANOTHER FOLDER AND THE PHOTO ICON WAS COMPLETELY GONE FROM ANY OF THE DESKTOPS.


Anyway, my phone was dying and no way to charge it so it died at church and so I connected it to my car charger in my car when leaving church and after the iphone came on again, there was the Photo App on my desktop!


So my advice is to let it completely run out of it's charge then later plug into a charger. I have the iPhone 4S going on almost 2yrs now and this is the first time this has happened to me! I was in a hurry getting ready for church and pressed it accidently so I know exactly when it happened (when all the apps have x's and you can delete them ...).


I always delete the backgound running apps to save battery power but I thought now I can never delete the Photo background running app or will lose everything! Hope this works for you all. I know I can connect it to my desktop and all but try this first - much easier...


Maria

Accidentally deleted the photos app icon from my iPhone 4s.

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