My Pictures Disappeared from My iPhone. Here's the Full Fix

2023-05-11 00:00:00/Posted by Alleny Gavinto iOS Recovery Topic/Follow @ MobiKin

Nowadays, more and more people are quite into taking and storing photos with iPhones. And the phone seems as a portable digital camera for them. Yet it is really a panic when you find that photos disappeared from iPhone after update or in other obscure circumstances. You may seek through the entire photo album, but nothing came of it. Photos disappeared from iPhone? Why and how do iPhone photos disappear? How to trace them back on my iPhone?

OK, all you need to know is right here. Just keep reading, and I believe you'll learn what you want.

photos disappeared from iphone

Part 1: FAQs for Photos Disappeared from My iPhone

"I can't find photos I took with my iPhone". This is a common case that many people would come across. In most cases, images are somewhere hidden without allowing you to find and view them. Before getting back lost iPhone photos, it's essential to know the reason why iPhone photos disappeared, for it is a hint for next time. Now, let's check the main causes first:

- Why Did My Photos Disappear on My iPhone

  • Low storage space caused by heavy stuff, making iPhone unable to show up all the photos.
  • Mistaken Settings of your Camera Roll like turning off Photo Stream.
  • iPhone OS upgrade or other background operations done on your phone.
  • Unconscious deletion by someone else.
  • Wrong erasure made by yourself.
  • Restoring from unfamiliar backup.
  • Signed in with the different iCloud account.
  • More...

- Where Did My Photos Go on iPhone

First, photos missing from iPhone doesn't mean they disappeared for good. They would be automatically assigned to some Unallocated space in your iPhone. If you operate your phone, and thus create new data during this period, it is likely that the data will overwrite the space containing the deleted pictures. Then it's quite difficult to fetch them.

If you don't have a previous iPhone backup, you're allowed to retrieve them with some third-party software before they are rewritten.

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Part 2: Fix Lost Photos on iPhone by Adjusting Phone Settings

It's not an easy job to trace lost pictures on iPhone without technical tools. But sometimes it might work by adjusting iPhone settings. OK, here are 5 easy tips for you, but not guaranteed to work. You can employ one or all of them as per your needs.

Fix 1: Restart your iPhone

Rebooting the iPhone can, to some extent, clean up some unnecessary running programs, relieve the processor pressure, and speed up your iPhone. If you have updated the iOS version recently, or your iPhone has run for a long time, this would be the basic tip worthy of a shot.

To do this, simply press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the slider appears, then swipe it to turn off your device. After a few seconds, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button again until you see the Apple logo.

restart iphone

Fix 2: Check Recently Deleted Album

It is probable that you delete the images accidentally. But take it easy, you can find the lost pictures on iPhone's Recent Deleted album. They will be saved there for 30 days after the deletion. Here's how:

Go to Photos app, followed by Albums option. Then you'll get into "Recently Deleted" album. Just open it, and if you see the missing iPhone photos there, you could tap Select to choose desired pictures, and press Recover to fetch them.

recover recently deleted photos on iphone

Fix 3: Unhide iPhone Photos

You'll only find the pics in the Hidden album, if you hide them in your Moments, Years and Collections view. Now follow the easy steps to unhide your images:

Go to the Photos app on iPhone to touch the Albums section. Next, hit Hidden tab under Other Albums. Choose the pictures you need, and touch share icon, followed by Unhide.

unhide iphone photos

If you use iCloud Photos on your iPhone, the images you hide on one device are also out of sight temporarily on another.

 

Fix 4: Switch on iCloud Photo Library

If none of the above tips works, just check whether you've turned on the iCloud Photos Library switch from Settings menu. This feature enables you to sync Camera Roll pictures to iCloud storage for backup. Assume the switch is switched off, then go right to enable it.

Unlock your iPhone, and go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud to find iCloud Photo Library. Then move the switch to the right side. After a while, back to Photos app to see if the images are there.

enable icloud photo library

Fix 5: Log in Right Apple ID

iCloud Photo Library is enabled, and photos are still missing from iPhone? Now, you ought to check if you have logged in a correct Apple ID. Because an incorrect ID could lead to some unexpected sync errors. To achieve this:

Navigate to Settings on your iPhone, and touch your name. The email address you see under the name is the Apple ID you've signed in with. If you find it's a wrong Apple ID, scroll all the way down to find and tap Sign Out. At last, type in the right one.

sign out and log in right apple id

See Also:

Part 3: What if Photos Disappeared from iPhone? Try iOS Photo Recovery

"All my photos disappeared from iPhone, is there any tools available to restore them?" This is the query from Quora. Now, imagine you are faced with such a hot potato, and the above Settings do not work, it is wise to look for a specialized recovery program. Here, don't hesitate to give iOS Photo Recovery - MobiKin Doctor for iOS, a shot. It allows you to retrieve photos disappeared from iPhone in simple clicks, saving your time and simplifying the procedure.

Brief Overview of iOS Photo Recovery:

  • Recover lost photos from iPhone/iPad/iPod by extracting the iTunes backup.
  • The supported data types: photos, videos, messages, contacts, call history, notes, calendar, reminders, voice memos, etc.
  • Can also be used to restore iTunes backup files as you wish.
  • It never interferes with privacy of its users.
  • Enable you to preview and select the files for recovery.
  • Run on various Windows and Mac computer.
  • Work well on overall iOS devices, containing iPhone 14/13/12/11/XS/XR, iPhone 13/13 Pro (Max)/13 mini, iPhone 12/11/11 Pro (Max), iPhone X/XS/XR/XS Max, iPhone 8/8 Plus, iPhone 7/7 Plus, iPhone 6/6s/6 Plus, iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini, and iPod touch.

download for win download for mac

Steps: How to Recover Lost Pictures on iPhone from iTunes Backup File

If you have a previous iPhone backup on iTunes, then it's a good idea to retrieve them from iTunes by using Doctor for iOS. This program allows you to regain disappeared iPhone photos selectively without erasing any data on your mobile.

Step 1: Download and install the software before launching it on computer. Select the "Recover from iTunes Backup File" mode. Then the tool will scan your computer and displayed all the iTunes backup files.

launch doctor for ios

Step 2: Select the iTunes backup that would contained your disappeared photos and click "Start Scan". After a while, all files in the iTunes backup will be scanned out. Choose "Camera Roll" and "Photos" and click "Start Scan" again.

scan itunes backup files

Step 3: All photos in the iTunes backup will be scanned out. Opt for the needed stuff for restore, and click Recover to Computer to save them on computer.

recover disappeared iphone photos with doctor for ios

If your contacts and text messages are deleted from your iPhone, you can choose the "Recover from iOS Device" mode to retrieve deleted contacts and SMS from iPhone directly, without any backup.

 

Word in the End

Well, that's all! Here, I believe you have a preliminary understanding of this topic, including the cause of photo loss, the whereabouts of them, searching for them via iPhone settings, and great recovery methods. Now, it's your turn to rescue disappeared photos from iPhone.

Before that, check if you've created a backup before, then choose a suitable method. Last but not least, once you find photos disappeared from iPhone due to accidental deletion, you'd better not operate your phone to prevent images from being overwritten, but pick MobiKin Doctor for iOS to save the situation with the least possible delay.

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