Apple's latest software updates—iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia—introduce a new feature in the Photos app designed to help users retrieve lost or damaged images and videos. This addition provides a solution for recovering content that has gone missing from the Photos Library.
A new "Recovered" album appears in the Utilities section of the Photos app, visible when there are photos or videos on a device that aren't part of the main library. If users find this album, they can access options to either permanently delete or restore the images and videos stored within it. This recovery process addresses issues such as database corruption, camera app errors, or mishandling by third-party apps with access to the Photo Library.
To recover a lost photo or video, users need to open the Photos app, navigate to Albums, and scroll down to Utilities to find the Recovered album. Tapping on an item within this album, or using the Select option to choose multiple items, allows users to either restore the content to their library or permanently delete it.
Upon upgrading to iOS 18, iPadOS 18, or macOS Sequoia, devices will automatically scan for recoverable photos and videos, making any missing content immediately accessible.
The Recovered album will only appear if there are lost photos or videos on the device. If none are detected, the album won't be displayed. This feature aims to prevent issues like those seen with iOS 17.5.1 and iPadOS 17.5.1, where a bug caused long-deleted images to reappear in users' Photo Libraries due to database corruption.
