Recently Deleted
Deleted photos and videos move to the Recently Deleted album and stay there for about 30 days. To remove them right away, open Recently Deleted (it is locked like the Hidden album), select the items and delete them again.
Guide · Updated
How to delete photos permanently on iPhone
Tapping Delete in Photos doesn’t make a picture disappear everywhere at once. If you are moving private photos into a vault, or just want something gone, these are the places to check.
iCloud Photos and other devices
With iCloud Photos turned on, deleting a photo on one device deletes it on all devices that use the same library. Without iCloud Photos, a copy may still be on another device or in an older backup.
Copies you sent
A photo you shared in Messages, a chat app or a shared album is a separate copy. Deleting your original doesn’t remove it from those conversations or albums; remove it there too where you can.
Moving photos into PureVault
Importing into PureVault creates an encrypted copy; your original stays in Photos. Check that the vault copy opens correctly first. When you delete an item in PureVault, you can choose to remove only the vault copy or also delete the linked original from Photos, which needs Photo Library access. Afterwards, empty Recently Deleted to finish the job.
Get it on the App StoreFree to start · iOS 18+