It can be heartbreaking to lose precious memories captured on your iPhone, and think that they cannot be recovered.
Thankfully, by following a few proactive steps your pictures can be protected from accidental deletion and memories can be safely preserved.
Without further ado, let’s look at some of the ways you can prevent accidental photo deletion disasters.
Photos are Deleted? Act Quickly to Recover Them
Can you retrieve deleted photos on an iPhone? Yes, you can, with a quick and easy process.
On an iPhone, photos are not permanently deleted when the Delete button is pressed.
The pictures are sent to the Recently Deleted Album, and they remain there for thirty days before they are permanently removed.
As soon as you realize the mistake, quickly restore all the photos by going to the Recently Deleted album on your device or on iCloud.com.
PRO TIP
If it has been more than thirty days, all the photos will be lost permanently. In that case, you have to rely on other recovery methods.
When Spring Cleaning your iPhone, Turn off iCloud
Do you want to prevent accidental deletion of all or some photos? One of the best ways to avoid this is by ensuring iCloud is turned off while deleting videos and photos from the iPhone.
This way, the videos and photos that are accidentally deleted from the device will not be removed from the cloud. Hence, no loss and recovery is possible of your memorable photos
To turn off iCloud, open the Settings app > click the Apple ID > choose iCloud > choose Photos > toggle off the Sync this iPhone option.
When you have finished deleting the photos and videos from your device, you can turn on iCloud so that new pictures and videos will be automatically saved to the cloud.
Backup Your Photos to The Cloud
Accidental deletion nightmares can be prevented by regular backup of photos and videos to the cloud.
You can turn on iCloud for this or even download the Google Photos application as an additional way to store all photos or videos.
Turn on Family Sharing
Another option is to turn on Family Sharing so that the pictures and videos not only remain on the device but also on the devices of your family members who are in the pictures or videos.
Set this up by going to the Settings app and tapping your name > tapping Family Sharing > tapping Set Up Your Family.
Then, follow the instructions on the screen and invite your family members. If your child doesn’t have an account, then create an Apple ID for your child.
Tap the different features you want to set up for your family, such as Apple Music, iCloud+, or Location Sharing.
It is also possible to set up parental controls, Apple Watch, and Apple Cash for your children.
Once this is set up, it is easy to see what all is shared with your family and then adjust the settings accordingly whenever needed.
The settings can be adjusted by going to Settings > tapping your name > tapping Family Sharing.
Additional Safety Net Features and Recovery Strategies to Keep in Mind
Setting up any new feature or toggle between sign up or sign out is easy on an iPhone. Here are some additional safety features to recover your precious photos or videos.
- Safety Net features
Activate passcode protection to access your photos or videos, which will prevent accidental deletions.
Another option is to enable guided access, as this will restrict certain features and apps.
So, while showing videos or photos to others, you will prevent accidental deletion.
Consider exploring third-party photo vault applications offering security features like private folders for sensitive photos, encryption, and password protection.
- Recovery Strategies
If the photos or videos are accidentally deleted from your iPhone, recover them from iCloud Photos.
Enable iCloud Photos on your device by going to photo settings to restore the deleted items within thirty days.
It is also possible to recover the deleted items from a Mac or iTunes backup. But for this, a backup on your phone with iTunes or Mac is necessary. One of the best software is Disk Drill.
Conclusion
You must remember the following to avoid accidentally deleting any photos or videos from your iPhone:
- Do regular backups on the device, as this acts as a safety net
- Do not hastily delete the photos. Exercise caution.
- Take action immediately when you realize you have made a blunder. Within thirty days, easily recover the deleted photos as they are kept in the deleted album.
However, if it ever happens that you have accidentally deleted photos or videos and don’t know what to do, don’t hesitate to reach out to Apple Support. The technicians will be more than willing to assist you.
And prevention is better than cure. So, always exercise a little bit of caution when deleting photos or videos from an iPhone.
