Technology2 min read

Claude Code found 145K photos I deleted from my iPhone sitting in a hidden cache

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

A local device backup examined using Claude Code revealed that over 145,000 removed images and videos remained stored within an iPhone's hidden thumbnail directory. The unpurged data dated back to 2021 and contained highly confidential records, such as identification cards, banking credentials, and cryptocurrency recovery phrases. Crucially, the lingering full-resolution and thumbnail media remains readable by outside software installed on the device. An inspection identified that 23 installed applications—ranging from basic utilities like flashlights to PDF tools—held direct access to the folder housing this retained media.

Key points

  • Removing images from the camera roll and the Recently Deleted folder does not permanently…: Removing images from the camera roll and the Recently Deleted folder does not permanently erase them from iOS storage.
  • Third-party applications granted Files and Folders permissions can access the unpurged ca…: Third-party applications granted Files and Folders permissions can access the unpurged cache containing deleted user media.
  • An audit revealed that 23 separate utilities, including weather apps and QR code scanners…: An audit revealed that 23 separate utilities, including weather apps and QR code scanners, had access to the vulnerable directory.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Claude Code found 145,763 photos I permanently deleted from my iPhone.

Three years of deleted photos and videos still sitting in a hidden cache. Any app with file access can read them.

I plugged my iPhone into my MacBook to run a backup. Claude Code was doing the security audit from my last post and flagged a directory I wasn't even looking for.

PhotoData/Thumbnails. Over 146,000 files. Photos, videos, screenshots. Every single one was something I deleted.

Photos from 2023, 2024 and 2025. The ones I deleted the second after taking them. The ones I cleared from Recently Deleted. The ones I deleted three separate times because I wanted to be sure they were gone. All still there.

Passport photo I took for a visa application in 2023.

Screenshots of my bank app with full account numbers visible.

Private photos I sent someone and immediately deleted after a breakup.

Screenshot of my crypto seed phrase I took temporarily in 2022.

Photo of my ID and credit card I took to remember the numbers and deleted 5 seconds later.

Screenshots of my ex's private Instagram stories I saved and permanently deleted in 2023.

Some were full resolution. All organized by date going back to 2021.

When you delete a photo on iPhone, iOS removes it from your camera roll and Recently Deleted. It keeps a compressed copy in a Spotlight search index cache so your phone can find things when you search. Apple never clears it. Not after 30 days. Not after a year. Never.

They told you it was permanently deleted. It wasn't.

I checked which apps on my phone had Files and Folders access. 23 apps. Weather apps. QR code scanners. PDF readers. A flashlight app I downloaded in 2022. Any one of them could have been reading every photo I ever deleted this entire time.

Went from 23 apps to 3 in about two minutes.

Full step by step below. Takes 2 minutes. Save it so you don't lose it and send it to anyone with an iPhone.

Original source: twitter.com

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