How do I remove the originals from Photos safely?

Why this step matters

Adding a photo to York Vault makes an encrypted copy. The original stays in Apple Photos until you remove it. Many people forget this step, and the photo stays visible to anyone who scrolls the camera roll. Removing the original has a risk too: if the copy were bad, the photo would be gone. York Vault handles both sides.

This page covers Apple Photos on iPhone and iPad. York Vault is also on Android, with the same copy check before it removes anything.

How York Vault decides what to remove

1. You add items from Photos.
2. York Vault saves each item, reads the copy back and checks it against the original. The toast says, for example, “Added 24 items to Travel. York Vault checked each copy.”
3. York Vault removes only items that pass the check. If 2 videos failed to copy, their originals stay in Photos and York Vault tells you: “Added 22 of 24 items. 2 videos did not copy. Their originals are still in Photos.” Tap Try 2 again.

After an add, York Vault asks what to do with originals: Ask, Always or Never. You can change this choice later.

Remove originals from Photos

1. After the add, York Vault shows Remove 24 originals from Photos?
2. Read the screen. It says that York Vault checked all 24 copies and that Photos keeps removed items in Recently Deleted for 30 days.
3. Tap Remove from Photos, or Keep in Photos to leave them.
4. iOS shows its own confirmation. York Vault cannot skip it. Confirm.

York Vault shows one iOS confirmation for each group of items, not one for each photo.

To remove originals, York Vault needs full access to Photos. With limited access, York Vault adds what you picked but can remove only the photos you allowed. It explains this on screen.

Empty Recently Deleted in Photos

Apple moves deleted photos and videos to Recently Deleted and keeps them for 30 days. No app can empty that collection for you. After York Vault removes originals, it opens Photos and shows these steps. They follow Apple’s iPhone User Guide for iOS 27, and iOS 26 uses the same steps:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Tap Collections.
3. Tap Recently Deleted (below Utilities), tap View Album, then unlock your iPhone.
4. Tap Select, then choose the photos and videos you want to delete.
5. Tap the More button, then tap Delete.

If you use iCloud Photos, Apple deletes the items from every device on the same Apple Account. If an item is missing from Recently Deleted, Apple may have put it in a Recovered collection.

Check before you clear

Before you empty Recently Deleted, check two things in York Vault:

• The items open and play in your library.
• The backup row in Settings shows every item backed up, for example Backed up · 1,204 of 1,204 items.

Once Recently Deleted is empty, York Vault and its backup hold the only copies.

Find items still in Photos

York Vault can scan for items that are in your library and still in Photos. The scan runs on your iPhone and needs full access to Photos. It lists each item it finds, and one tap removes the originals. iOS then moves them to Recently Deleted, so finish with the steps above.

If you change your mind right after an add, tap Undo. York Vault removes the new copies while the originals are still in Photos.