Can't delete photos from a smartphone or tablet (iOS)

Maybe the photos are being deleted, or have been deleted already, but it takes more time for this to become visible to you. Maybe the photos app/manager/gallery might have got stuck, or there are resource-draining processes running on your device you are not aware of. In most situations, restarting the device can help you fix the issue with deleting photos, as this course of action will restart all the tasks and processes that are part of the operating system, and other apps installed to your device.

Restart your device using the power button, and see if you can delete photos.

It is very important to check for and update your operating system regularly so that you ensure its stability and security. Every new release includes fixes for different bugs, found and reported by users. One of those bugs may be the one with deleting photos. You will be informed when an update becomes available, however, it's best if you check for updates manually.

Check out the how to update my operating system guide, to learn how to check for updates and update your device.

Maybe you managed to delete the photo partially, and it ended up in the Recently Deleted album. If you can't delete photos from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, i.e. the trash can icon is gray, try to find and delete the photos from the Recently Deleted album.

To find the album and remove photos, follow the steps below:

1. Open the Photos app and tap on Albums;
2. Swipe down and tap on Recently Deleted;
   

   
   
   

3. Select the photos you want to delete and tap on Delete.
   

   

By default, photos deleted from your iOS device (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch) should be automatically deleted from your iCloud account. However, due to an issue with your Internet connection when deleting them, the photos you deleted from your iOS device may still be available in your iCloud account, which is syncing them back to your device, as if you haven't removed them at all. In this case, you will need to delete the photos directly from the iCloud account.

To delete photos via the iCloud account, follow the steps below:

1. Log into your iCloud account and click on Photos;
   

   

2. Find the photo you want to delete, click on it, and then click on the trash can icon.