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Where did my deleted photos go, and how do I get them back?

They're in Recently Deleted in the Photos app, where iPhone keeps them for 30 days. To get them back:

1. Open the Photos app and go to Albums, then Recently Deleted. On iOS 18 and later, scroll down to Utilities to find it.
2. Unlock it with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode if asked.
3. Tap Select, choose the photos and videos you want, then tap Recover.

After 30 days, or once they're deleted from Recently Deleted, they're gone for good. If you had the Vault Photos backup turned on, they're also in your Vault Photos.

Why didn't my free space go up right away?

Recently Deleted keeps your deleted photos, and the space they take, for 30 days in case you change your mind. Your iPhone frees the space when they're removed from there.

To free it now: open Photos, go to Albums, then Recently Deleted (under Utilities on iOS 18 and later), tap Select, then Delete All. This can't be undone. Your iPhone may take a few minutes to update its storage numbers.

Why can't it clear caches or system files?

iOS doesn't let any app clear other apps' data, caches or system files. Each app is kept in its own space, which is part of what keeps your iPhone secure. Vault Phone Cleaner works with your photo library and, if you ask, your contacts.

For everything else, open Storage tips in the app. It shows what only iOS can clear, like offloading apps you don't use, large Messages attachments, Safari website data and Recently Deleted, and how to get to each one.

It only sees some of my photos

You've probably given the app limited access, so it can only see the photos you picked. To let it check your whole library:

1. Open Settings and find Vault Phone Cleaner. On iOS 18 and later, it's under Apps.
2. Tap Photos.
3. Choose Full Access.

What about photos in iCloud?

If iCloud Photos is on, deleting a photo removes it from all your devices and from iCloud too.

Photos that are only in iCloud, and not stored on your iPhone, are skipped by the duplicate check. That way nothing is downloaded to your iPhone just to be checked.

Photos show a thumbnail but won't open

When another app or a computer moves photos or videos off your iPhone, the Photos app can keep their thumbnails. They look like photos, but they won't open, share or save, because the file isn't there anymore.

Every scan reads each photo and video on your iPhone to find these. They're listed under Can't be opened and selected for you: deleting one only removes the thumbnail left behind, so it frees almost no space. Just before deleting, the app checks each one again, and leaves alone any that open after all.

If only the video part of a Live Photo was moved, the photo is still there. Those are never listed for deleting. They're selected under Live Photos instead, where keeping them as still photos loses nothing.

Photos stored only in iCloud are a different case: Can't be opened has a button to check whether iCloud can still send them.

How do I restore my purchase or cancel my subscription?

Restore: make sure you're signed in with the Apple ID you used to subscribe, open the app and tap Restore Purchases.

Cancel: open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, choose Vault Cleaner Pro and tap Cancel Subscription. Cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the period to avoid the next renewal. Deleting the app doesn't cancel it.

Refunds are handled by Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com.

How do I put back merged contacts?

When you merge duplicate contacts, the app keeps a copy of them on your iPhone. In the app, open Duplicate contacts; under Merged here, tap Put back. The kept contact goes back to how it was, and the others are added again, in the same account and groups.

One thing can't be kept: notes on the contacts that were merged away. iOS doesn't let apps read contact notes, so the app asks before every merge and says so.

The copy is the only way to put them back, and it's deleted if you delete the app, so put back anything you need first.

How does the Vault Photos backup work?

It's for people who have a Vault Photos account that can upload, and it's off unless you turn it on: in the app, Settings, Vault Photos backup, Sign in to Vault Photos. You sign in with your Vault Photos email and password (and the code from your authenticator app, if your account uses one); the sign-in session is kept in your iPhone's Keychain.

When it's on, the photos you choose to delete are uploaded to your Vault Photos at photos.vaultdoor.app first. They're deleted from your iPhone only after the upload is confirmed. You'll find them in Vault Photos afterwards.