An iOS 15 bug is reportedly deleting photos saved from the stock Messages app when specific conditions are met.
Messages is used both for iMessage, the communications platform that Apple executives identified as a key lock-in factor in 2016, and messages sent via SMS or MMS. Enabling these communications is a core aspect of the iPhone experience—at this point the fact that Messages and Phone are installed by default is practically the only thing making it an actual phone.
But it can be frustrating to find images shared in Messages, so many people save those photos to iCloud Photo Library. This makes it easy to search for and organize these images without losing them amidst the clutter of a particularly busy conversation. The problem, as first reported by MacRumors, is that iOS 15 is deleting some of those pics without warning.
The issue appears to be limited to photos saved from message threads that a user later deleted. This can be useful for hiding sensitive communications (which is probably what many people’s minds jumped to), but some folks also delete threads just to maintain something resembling sanity in one of the countless inboxes we’re expected to manage as part of modern life.
Photos aren’t deleted right away, MacRumors says, but are instead removed the next time an iCloud Backup is completed. This is an automated process that occurs on a daily basis when an iOS device is plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi by default. There are other ways to back up the device, but iCloud Backup is typically the most convenient option.
The issue appears to be present in iOS 15.1 Beta 2, as well as the official iOS 15 release so it’s not clear if Apple is aware of the problem or when it might be fixed. The company didn’t immediately respond to our request for comment.
