The good news about accidentally deleted photos: both major mobile platforms hold deleted images in a hidden folder for 30 days before permanently erasing them. You have a recovery window — use it.

Recovering Deleted Photos on iPhone

  1. Open the Photos app.
  2. Tap Albums at the bottom, then scroll down to find Recently Deleted under Utilities.
  3. You may need to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode to open this folder.
  4. Tap the photo(s) you want to recover, then tap Recover. They go straight back to your library.

If a photo isn't in Recently Deleted, check whether iCloud Photos is on and whether the photo might exist in iCloud backup. Go to Settings → [your name] → iCloud to check. Recovering from an iCloud backup requires restoring the whole device, which is a last resort — exhaust the Recently Deleted folder first.

Recovering Deleted Photos on Android

Google Photos (most common)

  1. Open Google Photos.
  2. Tap your profile icon (top right) and make sure you're signed into the right account.
  3. Tap the Library tab, then Trash.
  4. Tap and hold the photo(s) you want, then tap Restore.

Samsung Gallery

  1. Open the Gallery app.
  2. Tap the three-line menu icon and select Recycle bin.
  3. Select the photos and tap Restore.

What If 30 Days Have Passed?

After 30 days, photos are deleted permanently from the phone. Your options then are:

  • Cloud backup: If you had Google Photos or iCloud Photos backup running, the photo may still exist in your account even if it's gone from Recently Deleted — check your cloud library online at photos.google.com or icloud.com.
  • Computer backup: If you ever transferred your photos to a computer, search there for the file.
  • Data recovery software: Third-party tools that scan phone storage directly sometimes recover permanently deleted files, but success is not guaranteed, especially on encrypted devices. These tools are more useful on older, unencrypted Android phones.

Prevention Going Forward

Enable automatic cloud backup so your photos are always safe even before they're deleted. On iPhone: Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Photos → iCloud Photos. On Android: open Google Photos, tap your profile, then Photos settings → Backup.

If you're unable to find a photo you need, ask us — we may know of additional recovery options depending on your specific setup.