Level 1 (4 points)

Help iCloud syncing/iphone 17 pro max

Hello.

I am in a dilemma. Hopefully this isn’t just anxiety. Back in January of 2026 someone took a video of me that I wanted gone. So I was able to delete it from his phone in may 2026. i know it’s deleted from his physical phone (camera roll) but now I am worried that it is in his iCloud. He never payed for iCloud, so that means he only had the free 5gb of iCloud storage. But what if the video already got to the iCloud website, and then he turned iCloud syncing off after it got to the website? That means if I deleted the photo in may, and the picture already made it to iCloud website , but iCloud Photos/syncing was off, that means it’ll stay there forever. Can someone help me figure this out? Is it likely he turned off iCloud Photos or syncing on his iPhone 17 pro max? Does the iPhone 17 pro max come with iCloud Photos and syncing already on? Please any comments is helpful.

Posted on Nov 2, 2026 2:49 PM

10 replies

Chattanoogan

Level 8 (43,489 points)

Nov 2, 2026 2:58 PM in response to Jessica163g

Photo syncing is “on” by default on a new iPhone’s iOS.

But many folks migrate from previous phones, so settings made long ago can still override the defaults.

If he was syncing, a deletion from the phone should have deleted it from all devices.

If he wasn’t syncing … it was deleted.

BUT … Was the video ALSO deleted from the “Recently Deleted” folder ???

An iPhone will generally give the user 30-days to restore a just-deleted photo or video.

Chattanoogan

Level 8 (43,489 points)

Nov 2, 2026 3:02 PM in response to Jessica163g

We’ll never know w/o access to his devices or knowledge of the actual setup.

But it’s probably safer to assume that a version of the video still exists and proceed accordingly.

Chattanoogan

Level 8 (43,489 points)

Nov 2, 2026 3:03 PM in response to Jessica163g

If the phone wasn’t syncing it never would have gotten on iCloud.

Jessica163g Author

Level 1 (4 points)

Nov 2, 2026 2:56 PM in response to Chattanoogan

Do you think he possibly turned off iCloud syncing because of the constant notifications it can give?

I deleted it in may. He took the video in January. What if it uploaded to iCloud website and then after that he turned off iCloud Photos/syncing when I got the chance to delete it in may?

Jessica163g Author

Level 1 (4 points)

Nov 2, 2026 3:03 PM in response to Chattanoogan

That doesn’t make me feel too well. I did delete the photo from his camera roll tho. So I was assuming it would delete from the iCloud website as well. If syncing is off tho, let’s say he turned it off, the video would’ve stayed in iCloud website even if I deleted it from his physical camera roll?

Jessica163g Author

Level 1 (4 points)

Nov 2, 2026 3:15 PM in response to Chattanoogan

sorry I have been freaking out. So if he turned off the iCloud syncing and the video already uploaded to iCloud website it will forever be there?

becuase I deleted the video from his camera roll and his recently deleted on his physical phone camera roll.

Chattanoogan

Level 8 (43,489 points)

Nov 2, 2026 3:24 PM in response to Jessica163g

Don’t get all worked up over something for which you apparently have no “technical” ability to control …

… even if you did have “perfect knowledge” of the technical configuration. (Which you don’t)

Don’t beat yourself up or “what if” it to death.

Assume the worst and hope for the best.

Learn from the experience and move on.

Jessica163g Author

Level 1 (4 points)

Nov 2, 2026 3:01 PM in response to Chattanoogan

I thought if it isn’t syncing then deletions made on the iPhone camera roll don’t delete from iCloud website? Is this not true?

Jessica163g Author

Level 1 (4 points)

Nov 2, 2026 3:04 PM in response to Chattanoogan

I just feel like during that time frame of January to may he could have turned off iCloud Photos/syncing and then the video would have stayed in iCloud website because it had already gotten uploaded.

Chattanoogan

Level 8 (43,489 points)

Nov 2, 2026 3:11 PM in response to Jessica163g

In that hypothetical scenario, you are correct.

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256387793