[Solved] How to Fix the iPhone Photos Disappeared from Camera Roll?

"As I checked my camera roll, I realized I was missing 500 photos/videos. I originally had 1.2K, and now I have 700. I didn't delete them myself & nobody else did. I didn't update my phone and made no changes whatsoever. I went on iCloud Photos and didn't have them on there either; they weren't in the Recently Deleted folder. I have no clue how this even happened. I haven't backed up my phone on a computer, and I did not have an iCloud backup as I didn't have enough storage. Yes, it was a big mistake. Are my pictures/videos gone? Is there any way I can get them back or reappear?"

- Apple Support Community

It is annoying that iPhone photos disappeared from the camera roll. However, it is quite a common issue that many Apple users may encounter. To help you out, we dig out the iron truth about why the camera roll is missing from the iPhone and how to resolve the photos not showing up on the iPhone camera roll issue.

Part 1. Why Are My Photos Disappearing from My iPhone Camera Roll?

There are many causes for the camera roll missing from iPhone, such as:

• Accidental deletion.
• iOS update failure.
• The photos get hidden in the camera roll.
• You have signed in to iCloud with a different Apple ID.
• You have restored your iPhone with the wrong backup.
• There are issues with the iCloud Photo Sync option.
• Not enough iPhone storage space.
• Invalid Date and Time.
• Unstable operating system.
• iCloud Photos is turned off.
• iPhone system error or setting abnormality.
• Sign out of iCloud.

Part 2. What to Do When iPhone Photos Disappeared from Camera Roll?

After identifying the possible causes, we will now provide you with detailed solutions for camera roll photos disappeared.

Trick 1. Check the Recently Deleted Album

Generally, the Recently Deleted album stores the deleted photos and videos for up to 30 days. If the iPhone photos disappeared from the camera roll, you could check the Recently Deleted folder to see whether you have mistakenly removed them.

Step 1. Open the "Photos" app on your iPhone and go to "Albums" at the bottom.

Step 2. Scroll down to tap the "Recently Deleted" album and choose the desired photos.

Step 3. Tap "Recover" at the lower-right corner to restore the disappeared photos to their original albums.

Trick 2. Unhide iPhone Photos

As mentioned above, another reason for the camera roll photos missing from the iPhone is that you may have hidden your photos. You can check the hidden folder to see if the desired photos are there.

Step 1. Run the "Photos" app on your iPhone and tap "Albums" at the bottom.

Step 2. Click "Hidden" and check if there are any wanted photos.

Step 3. Click "Select" to pick the photos you want to unhide.

Step 4. Tap the "Share" icon > "Unhide".

Trick 3. Enable iCloud Photo Library

Suppose you don't turn on the iCloud Photo Library feature on your iPhone. In that case, you cannot access all photos with the same Apple ID across all Apple devices. Thus, open "Settings" on your iPhone > tap your name > select "iCloud" > "Photos" > enable "iCloud Photo Library".

Then, the All Photo album will replace the Camera Roll album after enabling the iCloud Photo Library.

Trick 4. Sign In with the Correct Apple ID

You should also check whether you use the same Apple ID to sign into iCloud. When logging in with an incorrect Apple ID, the photos may disappear from the camera roll. If the Apple ID is incorrect, click here to learn how to change Apple ID without losing data.

Trick 5. Restart the iPhone

A simple restart can resolve many minor issues in the iPhone system. If the iPhone photos disappear from the camera roll due to a system error, trying a restart might be effective.

Trick 6. Set Date & Time

In rare cases, a failed communication with Apple servers may also cause the camera roll to be missing from the iPhone. Enabling the "Set Automatically" feature can ensure the system runs correctly.

Here are the steps:

Step 1. Go to "Settings" > "General" > "Date & Time".

Step 2. Check if the "Set Automatically" option is enabled.

Trick 7. Restore Backup with iTunes

Suppose you have backed up your iPhone with iTunes previously. In that case, you can restore the disappeared photos from the iTunes backup to your iPhone. However, the restoring process will overwrite the existing iPhone data.

Here is how to do it:

Step 1. Run iTunes on your computer and connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable.

Step 2. Click the iPhone icon when it appears in the iTunes window > "Summary" on the left side > "Restore Backup".

Step 3. Select the most relevant backup file and tap "Restore".

Trick 8. Restore Disappeared Camera Roll Photos Selectively

Coolmuster iPhone Data Recovery also allows you to get back the missing camera roll photos from the iTunes backup to a computer. It is a professional iPhone data recovery software. Compared to the official Apple method of restoring from iTunes, you can preview and check the desired photos to restore, rather than restoring the entire backup, which prevents data loss. Additionally, it doesn't require running iTunes or connecting your iPhone.

Highlights of Coolmuster iPhone Data Recovery:

• Selectively recover disappeared camera roll photos on iPhone from iTunes backup without overwriting existing iOS data.
• Directly retrieve iPhone contacts and messages without a backup.
• Support to recover photos, messages, contacts, call history, notes, calendar, voice memos, and more from iTunes backup to PC.
• Restore from iCloud backup without reset.
• Preview and choose specific files to recover.
• Work well with the latest iPhone 16 and iOS 18.

Here is how to recover iPhone photos that disappeared from the camera roll using iPhone Data Recovery:

01Install and run the software on your computer, then select "Recover from iTunes Backup File" on the left.

Free Download for PC

02Select a backup file from the list and tap "Start Scan". If you cannot find the desired backup file, click the "Select" button below to pick the iTunes backup file from other customized folders.

03Tick "Albums" and "Photos" on the interface and hit "Start Scan".

04Tick off the wanted photos and hit "Recover to Computer" below to save them to your computer.

Video Tutorial:

Part 3. Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Why did the Photos app disappear from the iPhone?

Sometimes you may not find the Photos app on the home screen. Why does it happen? Below are the possible reasons.

• So many applications on your iPhone have occupied large storage space and made the Photos app unable to show. You can clear the junk and unnecessary data to free up more storage space.
• iOS update failure or crash causes the Photos app to disappear.
• The Photos app has been folded into an app folder. You can use the App Store to search and locate the Photos app to see whether it is hidden or deleted from the screen.
• The third-party photo apps removed from the App Store won't appear after an update.
• You have switched to a different Apple ID on your iPhone that didn't purchase the Photo app or other Apple apps.
• You may have removed the Photos app from the screen by accident. You can ask Siri to search for the app.

Q2. Why did the Photos icon disappear on iPhone?

• You may have dragged the Photos icon to an app folder unconsciously. You can use the spotlight search to find it across all the home screens.
• An iOS update may alter the screen display.

Q3. How to prevent photos from being lost again?

• Regularly back up data: Use iCloud or your computer to back up photos, ensuring data can be restored even if the device encounters issues.
• Check storage space: Ensure the device has enough storage to prevent photos from failing to save or load due to insufficient space.
• Be cautious with photos: Before deleting photos, confirm they are backed up or no longer needed to avoid accidentally deleting important ones.
• Avoid power loss or insufficient storage during system updates: Make sure the device has sufficient battery and free storage before updating to prevent errors during the update process.

Conclusion

You can follow our instructions one by one to troubleshoot the "iPhone photos disappeared from camera roll" issue. Or you can restore them from an iTunes or iCloud backup if there is one. I will highly recommend Coolmuster iPhone Data Recovery to restore missing camera roll photos from iTunes. It won't cause data loss and allows you to view and check the wanted images to restore.

We hope this tutorial will help you get back the missing photos. If you have anything to tell us, please leave a comment below.

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