PicWay isn’t out yet. We’re still finishing the details, and it isn’t on the App Store. Get an email when it’s out

Recover deleted photos from Recently Deleted on iPhone

The short answer

You can recover deleted photos from Recently Deleted for 30 days. Open the Photos app, tap Collections, tap Recently Deleted under Utilities, unlock it, and recover what you want. After 30 days, they’re permanently deleted and can’t be recovered.

Last updated:

How to do it

  1. Open Recently Deleted

    Open the Photos app, tap Collections (Albums on iOS 17), tap Recently Deleted under Utilities, tap View Album, then unlock it.

  2. Select what to recover

    Tap Select, choose the photos and videos, tap the More button, then tap Recover and confirm.

  3. If you set it aside in PicWay, get it back there

    Photos that aren’t really deleted yet aren’t in Recently Deleted. Tap Set aside at the top right of PicWay’s Memories tab, then tap Put back at the top right of the photo. You can also select several and tap Put back at the bottom.

The Photos steps come from Apple: Recover deleted photos and Delete or hide photos and videos. Menu names can vary by iOS version.

Why is my storage still full after deleting?

These are the three most common reasons:

  • They’re still in Recently Deleted. Deleted photos and videos stay here for 30 days before they’re permanently removed from your iPhone, iCloud, and your other devices (Apple’s guide). To remove them sooner, select them here and delete them permanently. You can’t get them back after that.
  • You only set them aside in PicWay. Set-aside photos are still in your library until you delete them on the Set aside page. The same goes for compressed copies: space frees up once you delete the original.
  • Optimize iPhone Storage is on. Your iPhone may be holding space-saving copies, with full-resolution versions in iCloud (Apple’s support article), so deleting frees up less than you might expect.

To see how much space is left, go to Settings, then General, then iPhone Storage. For more, see what to do when iPhone storage is full.

Not in Recently Deleted, or past 30 days?

Apple says items in Recently Deleted stay for 30 days, then are permanently deleted and can’t be recovered. Anything you permanently deleted by hand during that time isn’t there either. PicWay can’t recover or empty Recently Deleted for you, so this step only happens in the Photos app.

How to avoid deleting by mistake

When you tidy in PicWay, photos you don’t want are set aside first and stay in your library. Nothing is deleted, and you can review them on the Set aside page when you have time.

  • Swiped the wrong way? Undo appears right below the photo. Tap it and the photo comes back.
  • Really deleting? You review first, then iOS asks you to confirm. If you delete two or more at once, PicWay first asks you to confirm the count.