Apple’s upcoming iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia update offer a significant improvement to the Photos app with the addition of a “Recovered” album. This feature is designed to help users recover lost or damaged images and videos, offering a straightforward way to restore missing content.
With the software update, devices will automatically scan for recoverable photos and videos, making them accessible in the Recovered album.
The Recovered album, located in the Utilities section of the Photos app, appears only if there are images or videos on the device that are not part of the Photos Library. If the album is present, users can tap into it and choose to permanently delete or restore any stored media.
Photos and videos can be lost due to various reasons, including database corruption issues, images not saving correctly after being taken with a camera app, or third-party apps with access to manage the Photo Library. The introduction of this feature addresses these scenarios by providing an easy method for recovering such media.
How does the Recovered album feature work?
When users access the Recovered album, they are presented with two straightforward options: permanently delete or restore the media to the Photos Library.
- Open the Photos app and navigate to the Utilities section.
- Select the Recovered album.
- Browse through the recovered media.
- Choose to delete or restore the selected items permanently.
The Recovered album feature in iOS 18 is also a response to a previous issue seen in iOS 17.5.1 and iPadOS 17.5.1, where a database corruption bug caused long-deleted images to reappear in users’ Photo Libraries. Apple addressed this issue with a fix in the updates, and the new Recovered album feature further mitigates such problems by providing a dedicated space for recovering lost media.
Additionally, the iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia updates come with several other enhancements to the Photos app, such as a new Clean Up tool. This tool utilizes Apple’s on-device AI to allow users to select and remove objects within an image, adding another layer of functionality to the already robust app.
As these updates are currently in beta testing for developers and public beta testers, the full release is expected in the fall alongside the launch of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro.
