Photos
Recently Deleted
Most people call this the 30 day safety net for deleted photos.
Deleted photos stay in a Recently Deleted album for 30 days before they are removed permanently, and they still count against your storage until then.
Available
This setting is present on your iPhone.
- We have this path on file but have not yet confirmed it against an official source.
Where to find it - iOS 16 and later
- Photos
- Albums
- Utilities
- Recently Deleted
What it does
The album is locked behind Face ID or Touch ID on recent releases. Emptying it is what actually frees the space.
What changes
When it is on
Not applicable. This is an album.
When it is off
Not applicable.
Should you turn it on?
Battery
No real change
Privacy
Helps
Performance
No real change
Cellular data
No real change
Storage
Helps
Out of the box: 30 day retention.
Worth reading first
Questions people actually ask
- Why has deleting photos not freed any space?
- They are in Recently Deleted for 30 days. Empty that album to reclaim the storage.
If it is not working
- Empty the album to actually reclaim space.
- The album is under Utilities in the Photos albums list and needs Face ID to open.
- Deleting on one device deletes everywhere when iCloud Photos is on.