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iPhone's hidden cache retains deleted photos for years, user finds

A user discovered that their iPhone, running iOS, retains deleted photos and videos in a hidden cache, accessible by any app with file access. This cache, part of the Spotlight search index, stores compressed copies of deleted media indefinitely, contrary to user expectations of permanent deletion. The user found over 145,000 deleted files, including sensitive personal information like passport photos, bank details, and private images, dating back several years. They have provided instructions on how to limit app access to this cache to mitigate the privacy risk. AI

IMPACT Highlights potential privacy risks in AI-powered file analysis tools and prompts users to review app permissions on mobile devices.

RANK_REASON User-discovered privacy issue with a specific app's audit capabilities revealing a system-level flaw.

Read on HN — claude-code stories →

AI-generated summary · Google Gemini · from 1 sources. How we write summaries →

iPhone's hidden cache retains deleted photos for years, user finds

How we ranked this

Signal score
24 / 100
Composite score across the factors below. Higher = stronger signal that this story matters right now.
Newsworthiness bucket
Tool
User-discovered privacy issue with a specific app's audit capabilities revealing a system-level flaw.
Source corroboration
Single-source cluster
Only one publisher covered this so far. Single-source stories can still rank when the publisher is high-authority, but they lack cross-source corroboration.
Topics
safety, product
Editorial topic classification. Feeds into how the story surfaces on /topic/<slug> hub pages and into the per-entity coverage mix.
AI-industry relevance
High
Clearly on-topic for AI-industry coverage.
Story freshness
Breaking (< 6h)
Fresh story with cross-source coverage still developing. Ranking may shift as more sources report.

Full methodology in our editorial standards.

COVERAGE [1]

  1. HN — claude-code stories TIER_1 English(EN) · CGMthrowaway ·

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