How Recently Deleted works
What happens when you delete
Apple says deleted photos and videos are kept in the Recently Deleted collection for 30 days before being permanently removed from all devices. If you use iCloud Photos, a photo you delete on one device is deleted on all your devices where you're signed in to the same Apple Account.
Example: you delete a screenshot of a login code on Monday. It's out of your library, but it's still in Recently Deleted, and anyone who can unlock that collection can see it, until it's removed after 30 days.
Get something back, or remove it now
- Open Photos and tap Collections.
- Tap Recently Deleted (it's below Utilities), then unlock it when your iPhone asks.
- Tap Select, then choose the photos and videos.
- Tap Recover or Delete.
Choosing Delete removes them for good, so be sure. Apple says you can't get them back after that. If iCloud Photos is on, iPhone may ask whether to delete from all devices, and that removes them from your other devices too. If you can't find a photo there, Apple says it may be in the Recovered collection.
The collection is locked
Apple says Face ID or Touch ID is required to view the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums by default. You can turn that off in Settings, but we'd leave it on. Someone who can unlock your iPhone, or who knows your passcode, may still be able to open it, so a private picture shouldn't depend on this lock. Here's how Hidden compares with a vault.
What it means for storage and privacy
- Storage. Deleted items are kept for 30 days, so your free space may not grow right away. This is our reading of Apple's description. More on storage.
- Private pictures. If you delete a card, ID or code picture, it isn't gone until you empty Recently Deleted or 30 days pass.
- Copies elsewhere. Deleting here doesn't touch a copy you sent to someone, or one saved in another app.
Messages has its own
Apple says deleted messages in Messages stay in a Recently Deleted folder for up to 30 days, where you can recover them. That's separate from the Photos one.
How FirstHour fits in
When FirstHour deletes pictures, for example the extra shots of a burst or items you delete from Tidy up or Protect, iPhone asks first and the pictures go to Recently Deleted for 30 days. If iCloud Photos is on, they're deleted from your other devices too. When you move a picture into the Vault, the original in Photos also waits there for 30 days if you let iPhone delete it. FirstHour says so on screen and tells you to empty Recently Deleted in Photos to remove them for good.
FirstHour can't empty Recently Deleted for you, can't bring back a picture you've already removed from it, and doesn't see inside it.
Questions
Can I get a photo back after 30 days?
Apple says it's permanently removed after that. If you have a separate backup of your library, it may be there. Check the backup.
Does emptying it free up space?
It removes those items for good, so it should. That's the way to get the space back sooner.
Sources
- Recover deleted messages in Messages on iPhone, Apple Support
- Delete photos on your iPhone or iPad, Apple Support
- Set up and use iCloud Photos, Apple Support