How do I recover missing photos from a wiped iPhone after a trip?

“How do I recover missing photos from a wiped iPhone after a trip?: I went on a trip to a couple states and got back, my phone got messed up and I ended up wiping my phone and deleting the eSIM, I logged back into all my stuff and photos from one month (my trip to Colorado and Illinois) I go to try and find them and they vanished.[…]”

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Loss of Data:

Loss of data is something you would have agreed to upon opening an Apple Account. So, if they were never backed up, then they are gone —that’s just the way it is :(

Troubleshooting Lost Photos:

Were you in such an remote area in which there was no Cellular service (likely a rural area)? Even if Photos was toggled in iCloud Settings, nothing would have uploaded to Apple’s server, without the strength to do so.

Troubleshooting Lost Photos:

Five Things to Try:

A. Start here: If you're Missing Photos or Videos in the Photos app - Apple Support

B. Check "Recently Deleted":

For iOS16 and later, you can tap "Recently Deleted", and see if they are shown there.

C. Check iCloud, Directly:

For Photos: Go here, and see if they reside in iCloud: https://www.icloud.com/photos

D. Restore your iPhone from a Backup:

Have any backups of this iPhone prior to this occurrence? If so, restore your iPhone from one that has these photos (the most recent backup, ideally). If not, then take this as a learning experience, knowing to always back up your device for recovery purposes. Important: Back up you iPhone prior to performing this restoration, should anything go wrong from here on out.

E. Where Else to Check:

1. PC
2. PDA
3. eMail
4. Mac Device
5. Cloud Storage
6. Android Phone
7. USB Flash Drive
8. External Hard drive
9. Secure Digital Card
10. Compact Flash Card

I’ve had this happen after traveling too, especially when moving between places with unstable internet or cellular service. I’d check iCloud Photos on iCloud.com first and make sure the photos aren’t just waiting to sync. Also check Recently Deleted and the device’s storage status before trying anything more drastic.

mbriggs221 wrote: … it said it backed up before deleting everything on my phone.

It's important to note that the iPhone Backup does not back up pictures for users of iCloud Photos, since that would be doubling up on the storage of the same stuff. While this is too late a warning, the best thing to have done would have been to check in Photos at iCloud.com for your pictures before erasing them from the phone.

Perhaps you have shared your pictures with friends-- then you could get them to send copies back to you.

Unfortunately, if you don't keep your own backups to an external drive, then there really isn't any place else to look. To back up your pictures you can just plug in an external drive, select the pictures, and use Share>Save to Files. Alternatively, you can backup to a computer:

Transfer photos and videos from your iPhone or iPad to your Mac or PC

If you haven't done one of those backups, then your remaining pictures continue to be in peril. 

they are in neither sadly

It’s not in either sadly