[2025] Can You Recover Deleted Photos on iPhone after 30 Days?

Can you recover deleted photos on iPhone after 30 days? Yes, but not in the Recently Deleted folder, it requires an iCloud or iTunes backups. If not, attempt using iPhone data recovery software.

Ivy

By Ivy / Updated on December 10, 2025

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Can you recover deleted photos on iPhone after 30 days?

“I deleted photos from my iPhone two months ago. But I went to the Recently Deleted folder, they were no longer there. I haven’t turned on iCloud, so I backed up everything to iTunes. So, is it possible for me to recover permanently deleted photos? Thanks.” 

Yes, but not in the Recently Deleted folder, your photos will be deleted after 30 days. On the iPhone, deleted files go to the Recently Deleted folder first, then remain there for 30 days, and finally are permanently deleted from the iPhone. In this case, you can only seek help from iCloud/iTunes backups (if available) or use data recovery software. 

In this article, we'll show you how to recover permanently deleted photos from iPhone with iCloud backup, iTunes backups, and a reliable data recovery software like MyRecover for iOS. These methods apply to all series of iPhone devices, from iPhone 16 to iPhone 15, iPhone 14, iPhone 13, iPhone 12, and older. 

⚠️Restoring from iCloud or iTunes backup requires you to create a backup first. Also, it will overwrite all existing data on your iOS device, resulting in data loss. Thus, it is not a good option if you just want to restore certain photos and not all of them.

🔥Best option to recover deleted photos on iPhone (without backup)

If you don't have a backup or want to recover certain photos instead of all, try reliable data recovery software - MyRecover for iOS to scan and select any photo you want to recover. The sooner you start iPhone data recovery, the better chances you’ll have. Note that it's read-only and does not delete your data.

Key features of MyRecover for iOS:
  • Recover permanently deleted Photos, Videos, Contacts, Notes, etc., without overwriting all the current data.
  • Preview all data to be sure you select the right one.
  • Compatible with iPhone 13/14/15/16, etc., & iOS 10.0 and newer generations, e.g., iOS 14, 15, and 16.

Download MyRecover for iOS on your PC first. Then, recover permanently deleted photos from iPhone without backup in the following steps.

Download Software iOS 10 and later
Secure Download
❌ Warning: Please avoid taking new photos using this iPhone after data loss, as it may overwrite the permanently deleted photos, causing data recovery more difficult.

Step 1. After running it, connect your iPhone to this computer. Click “Trust your Computer” on your iPhone to authorize this software.

connect-ios-device

Step 2. It will detect your iPhone automatically. Click the “Scan Now” button to get started. 

start-scan-now

Step 3. Wait until the scanning process is complete. In the Photo section, select your desired image files and click “Recover” to recover deleted photos on iPhone. If you are not sure, double-click it to preview it. Note, don't save the recovered photos to their original location, as this may cause data overwriting.

click-recover

 

Recover deleted photos from iCloud backup [All Data Required]

If you’ve made iCloud backups before, try to recover permanently deleted photos from iCloud backups first. Please ensure the selected iCloud backup including the deleted photos for the following reasons.   

⚠️Notes:
  • iCloud backups cannot save the same photos stored in iCloud Photos (after activation). Note, eleted photos will also be removed from iCloud.com.

  • You’re not allowed to preview allthe data and restore selected data to iPhone.

  • The selected iCloud backup will overwrite all the existing data on your iOS devices.

If you’ve met the above premises, you’re ready to follow this approach. Let’s show how it works.

Step 1. Click Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.

erase-all-contents-and-settings

Step 2. Your iPhone will reboot. When it comes to the Apps & Data screen, please select the “Restore iPhone from iCloud Backup” option.

apps-data-screen

Step 3. Then, log into your Apple account and select an iCloud backup among all listed iCloud backups. Follow the on-screen instructions to recover all data including deleted photos.

Recover deleted photos from iTunes backup [All Data Required]

Also, you can recover deleted photos on iPhone after 30 days using iTunes backup, which contains almost everything except those in iCloud Photos. To restore iPhone with iTunes without losing data, it's suggested to backup files currently on the iPhone first. 

Step 1. Launch the latest iTunes on your PC. Then, connect your iOS device to the computer and click the “iPhone” icon.

click-device

Step 2. Select “Restore Backup” after clicking the “Summary” button.

restore-backup

Step 3. Choose the iTunes backup you want to restore and click the “Restore” button.

choose-backup

How to prevent photo loss on iPhone

From above, you may know the importance of creating backup copies, but iCloud or iTunes backup has some limitations you can't ignore, especially when you just want to recover certain photos.

If you enable the "Optimize iPhone Storage" feature, the originals will be in the iCloud while compressed versions are on your iPhone. However, the one on iCloud will be deleted as well if you delete photos on the iPhone. Photos saved in iCloud Photos are not saved in iCloud Backups.

In addition, with iCloud or iTunes backup, you can't select to restore only photos but all data on the iPhone. This means it will delete all the current data on the iPhone if you don't backup them.

In this case, it's suggested to find a 3rd-party backup software like AOMEI FoneBackup that can backup and restore specific photos to avoid overwriting the existing data on the iPhone. 

Bckup Photos

Summary

Can you recover deleted photos on iPhone after 30 days? The answer is yes if you have a iCloud or iTunes backup or are willing to use a reliable iPhone data reocvery software like MyRecover for iOS.

Download Software iOS 10 and later
Secure Download

Please look through the above content and pick up a suitable approach to recover permanently deleted photos. Speaking of iPhone data recovery, restoring from iCloud or iTunes backup will overwrite all the data currently on the iPhone. Please take care. 

Relevant Q&A for iPhone data recovery

Can I still recover recently deleted photos?
 
It’s possible to recover recently deleted photos from the Recently Deleted folder within a month. After 30 days, you can follow the above ways to get old pictures back.
Why is my iPhone stuck on attempting data recovery?
 
In general, the most common reason for an iPhone being stuck in data recovery is the iOS update. Specifically, you have used iTunes to update the iOS. Sometimes, poor Wi-Fi also raises the risk.
Can you retrieve data from a water-damaged iPhone?
 
Before iPhone data recovery, you need to pay attention to a water-damaged iPhone and check whether your iOS device is damaged by water or not. Then you can try to recover data from your water-damaged iPhone.
Ivy
Ivy · Editor
Ivy loves teaching users how to recover lost data or backup files the easy way. With AOMEI FastRecovery and AOMEI Backupper, even beginners can do data backup, SSD cloning, data recovery files like a pro.