Unable to delete photos transferred with Move to iOS

I cannot delete old photos that were transferred from my Android phone using the Move to iOS app. The delete button is greyed out/missing for these photos.


This is what I have observed so far:


  • Then I select multiple photos, the delete button is greyed out
  • When I view these old photos individually, I only see "share" and "info" buttons, but no delete or like option
  • For newer photos taken on this iPhone, I can see the delete buttons normally
  • These photos are NOT synced to iCloud: I checked iCloud.com and only found about 200 photos there, none of which are the ones I want to delete
  • The photos only appear in the Timeline view, not in any Albums or the Recents album
  • The photos don't appear in the "From My Mac" album or any similar synced album
  • Under Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Photos, I see 66.94GB of "Documents and Data" but no mention of synced photos from a computer
  • My Nextcloud Photos app also cannot find these photos
  • The "On My iPhone > Move to iOS" folder in the Files app is empty, and there's no DCIM folder visible


I already tried to

  • Restart my iPhone
  • Reset Location & Privacy settings
  • delete single photos instead of bulk selection
  • Look for the photos in different albums and the Files app


Is there any way of deleting my photos?

iPhone 12 mini, iOS 17

Posted on Dec 6, 2025 1:18 AM

Reply
3 replies

Dec 6, 2025 1:40 AM in response to BundeskanzlerinOfficial

Probably you have synced these Photos from your Mac/PC through iTunes. UN-sync then they would be gone from iPhone.


UN-Sync photos to your device

  1. Connect your device to your Mac.
  2. You can connect your device using a USB or USB-C cable or using a Wi-Fi connection. To turn on Wi-Fi syncing, see Sync content between your Mac and iPhone or iPad over Wi-Fi.
  3. In the Finder  on your Mac, select the device in the Finder sidebar.
  4. Select Photos in the button bar.
  5. Note: When iCloud Photos is turned on, no photo syncing options appear when you select Photos in the button bar.
  6. Select “Sync Photos to your device from” tickbox, then choose Photos, Pictures or a folder from the pop-up menu.
  7. Uncheck Sync photos
  8. Click on Apply / Sync


Dec 6, 2025 2:15 AM in response to BundeskanzlerinOfficial

Probably the only way to remove them is to remove all of them by restoring the phone to factory settings. Back up first of course. Then restore the backup.

The nightmare scenario is they will back up and come back.


Resources…


Backing Up: How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support


Erasing:  Erase your iphone to factory settings


Restoring: Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup - Apple Support


 


 

Unable to delete photos transferred with Move to iOS

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