Did you accidentally delete the birthday photo, a picture of a document or a vacation video? Before installing any app that promises miracles, take a breath: on most phones, deleted items go first to a trash folder and stay stored for a while. This guide shows where to look, in the order most likely to work, what a recovery app can really do, and when it's worth taking the device to a technician.
Prices and availability checked on Google Play and the App Store in Brazil in November 2026.
In a few words
- Start with your phone's own trash folders: Google Fotos, Recently Deleted album on iPhone, Gallery Trash on Samsung Galaxy and Files do Google. In all of them, the official help says the deadline is up to 30 days.
- Past the deadline? Look in your cloud backup and other copies, such as conversations, email and your computer.
- Recovery apps help very little: on Android they do a limited search and, on iPhone, they have no access to what was deleted.
- Phone broken, wet or not turning on? That's a case for technical service, not an app.
First of all: the photo may not have been deleted
Many "missing" photos are just hidden. The Google Fotos help notes that some images seem to have disappeared because you opened the app with a different GoogleAccount. Tap your profile photo at the top of the screen and check whether it's the right account. It's also worth opening the archived items area: what was archived leaves the main screen but remains stored.
On iPhone, Apple points to three places to check: the Hidden album (in the Utilities section of the Photos app, unlocked with Face ID or Touch ID), the Shared Library of iCloudif you take part in one, and whether Fotos do iCloud is turned on on the device. A photo you hid yourself disappears from the gallery until it is shown again.
Where to look first: the phone's own trash folders
The trash is your best chance: if the photo is there, it comes back whole, with its original quality. The key is to act before the deadline runs out.
1. Trash of Google Fotos (Android and iPhone)
If you use Google Fotosthe official help says removed photos and videos stay in the trash for 30 days before being permanently deleted. This applies to what was in the backup and also to what wasn't, for devices with Android 11 or later. After that deadline, or if the trash is emptied, the item can no longer be restored.
- Open the app Google Fotos.
- At the bottom, tap Albums and then Trash.
- Tap the photo or video and hold your finger on it. You can select several at once.
- Tap Restore. The item returns to the library, to the albums it was in and to the phone's gallery.
Note: according to the help for Google, when you delete a photo through another app or the manufacturer's gallery, it may disappear before a backup was made. In that case, it will not be in the cloud.
2. iPhone Recently Deleted album
On iPhone, everything you delete in the Photos app goes to the Recently Deleted album. Apple says content stays there for 30 days; after that, it is permanently deleted. If you use Fotos do iClouddeleting on one device deletes on all others with the same Apple Account, and the way back is the same.
- Open the Photos app, swipe up the screen and tap Recently Deleted, in the Utilities section.
- Tap View Album and unlock with Face ID or Touch ID.
- Tap the photo or video and then Recover. For several at once, tap Select, choose the items, tap the more options button and Recover.
- Confirm the recovery.
On a computer, you can do the same on the iCloud.com, sign in with your Apple Account, open Photos and choose the Recently Deleted album in the sidebar. In older versions of iOS, the iPhone album also had this name.
3. Gallery Trash on Samsung Galaxy
The Samsung phones use the Gallery app, which has its own trash. The brand's support page in Brazil says deleted photos and videos stay there for up to 30 days. Some of the brand's own pages call the option Recycle Bin.
- Open the Gallery and tap Menu.
- Tap Trash and then Edit.
- Choose the photos and tap Restore.
Note: the Samsung warns that the trash must be enabled before the photo is deleted. If it is off, turn it on now in the Gallery settings to protect yourself next time.
4. Trash of Files do Google
The Files do Google is the file manager of Google for Android. If the photo was deleted through it, the official help says files stay in the trash for 30 days and are then deleted automatically. According to the same help, the trash arrived with Android 11 and is being rolled out gradually to other versions.
- Open the Files do Google.
- In the top left corner, tap Menu and Trash.
- Find the files and tap Restore.
- Confirm in the box that appears.
Note: what is deleted through the app's "Junk" card is removed permanently and does not go through the trash. On the Google Play page, the app states that it has no ads.
Trash summary
| Where to look | How long it stays | Attention |
|---|---|---|
| Trash of Google Fotos | 30 days | Emptied trash cannot be recovered |
| Recently Deleted album (iPhone) | 30 days | Unlock with Face ID or Touch ID |
| Gallery Trash (Samsung) | Up to 30 days | Must be enabled before deleting |
| Trash of Files do Google | 30 days | "Junk" deletes directly, with no trash |
Not in the trash? Look in the backup
If the photo was copied to the cloud before being deleted, it may be there. See what to check in each case:
- Google Fotos: with backup turned on, photos are at photos.google.com. To check the settings, tap your profile photo at the top of the app and Back up. See whether the backup is on, whether the account is the right one and whether the device's folders (such as the WhatsApp or screenshots folders) are included.
- iCloud: if Fotos do iCloud was on when the photo was taken and was later turned off, Apple says it may still be in the iCloud. To turn it back on, open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud, then Photos and enable syncing for this iPhone. Apple says every account starts with 5 GB free.
- Gallery of the Samsung: the brand says Gallery sync with the cloud is now done through the OneDrive, from Microsoft. If you enabled this in the past, look there.
- Memory card: the help of the Google Fotos warns that photos deleted through the app may remain on the removable card. Open your device's Gallery and check the card's folder.
It's also worth remembering the copies we forget exist: a photo sent in a conversation stays with whoever received it, the attachment may be in an old email, and the computer may hold a copy from when you backed up your phone. An important note: the Google Takeout, the data export service of the Google, only exports what exists today and does not recover what was permanently deleted.
And recovery apps? What they can and cannot do
The store is full of dozens of apps promising to bring back any photo. The reality is more modest, and it's better to know that before spending time or paying a subscription.
On Android: a limited scan, with DiskDigger as an example
The DiskDigger, from Defiant Technologies, is one of the best known and has over 100 million downloads on Google Play. What makes the app a good reference is the candor of its own description: on an ordinary phone, without system changes, it performs a limited scan, looking in the cache and photo thumbnails. In practice, what usually comes back are small versions of the images, the thumbnails the phone stores to display the gallery faster.
Even so, for a photo with no other copy, a thumbnail may be better than nothing. The download is free, and as of the November 2026 check, the store page did not show ad or in-app purchase notices. For other file types, the developer offers a separate Pro version.
A tip that applies to any attempt: if the photo isn't in any trash folder, avoid filling the phone with new photos, videos and downloads until you decide what to do. The space the deleted photo occupied can be reused by the system at any time.
On iPhone: apps can't see what was deleted
On iPhone, Apple isolates each app in its own area (the so-called sandbox), precisely to prevent one app from collecting or modifying information stored by others. An App Store app only accesses the photos the system grants, that is, those still in your library. So no app can search memory for deleted photos. The iPhone route is the Recently Deleted album, the iCloud or a backup made on the computer.
Beware of similar names too: on the phone, the DiskDigger of the Defiant Technologies exists only for Android, and the App Store has apps with similar names published by other developers.
How to evaluate a recovery app before installing
- Install only from the official store. “APK” files downloaded from websites may carry viruses, and no legitimate recovery app needs that.
- Read the entire description. An honest app explains what it can and cannot do; be wary of anyone promising to recover everything.
- Look at the page notices: “Contains ads” and “In-app purchases” appear right below the developer's name.
- Check the “Data safety” section and which permissions the app requests. A photo app doesn't need your contacts or messages.
- If the app only unlocks recovery with a subscription, first check whether the preview shows the full photo or just the thumbnail, and when billing starts after the free trial.
When to seek technical service
No app fixes a physical problem. If the phone was dropped and won't turn on, got wet, has a completely dark screen, or the memory card is no longer recognized, the path is a trusted technician, preferably the brand's authorized service center. Stay away from homemade attempts, such as opening the device or heating the card, which can make the damage worse.
When taking the device in, say that the photos matter most and ask whether the repair could erase the data. For memory cards, ask for a diagnosis before approving any amount: recovery isn't always possible.
So it doesn't happen again
- Turn on backup. On Google Fotos, via the profile picture and the option Back up; on iPhone, via the Fotos do iCloud.
- Keep the trash enabled. In the SamsungGallery, check the app settings.
- Don't empty the trash on impulse. It clears itself after the deadline.
- Keep a second copy of what is irreplaceable. Family photos and documents can also go to a computer or an external hard drive.
Frequently asked questions
Can you recover a photo deleted more than 30 days ago?
Through trash folders, no: after the deadline, items are deleted permanently. The remaining chance lies in other copies, such as a cloud backup, a conversation where the photo was sent, an email, or the computer.
I emptied the trash. Is there still a way?
On Google Fotos, the official help is direct: what was permanently deleted cannot be restored. Look for copies elsewhere. On Android, a recovery app may find thumbnails, but don't count on the photo at original size.
I deleted a photo from a conversation. How do I recover it?
The WhatsApp help explains that deleting a file only affects you: the other people in the conversation still have it. The simplest way is to ask the person to send it again.
I restored the phone to factory settings. Did I lose everything?
Factory reset erases the device's content, including trash folders. What can come back is what was in the backup: sign in on the new device, or the same one, with the account used before and check the Google Fotos or the iCloud.
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