Sometimes you may see random photos pop up on your device and you do not know what to do or how they got to your device.
It is weird when you are scrolling through your gallery and you randomly see a picture you don’t remember taking or even saving to your device.
Whether you use an Android or iOS device, it doesn’t matter. This can happen to you but do not worry.
In this article, you will learn the reason random photos appear on your phone and you will also see how to fix them.
Why Are Random Photos Appearing On My Phone?
Here are some reasons why random photos keep appearing on your phone:
Signed Email Account To Another Device
If you have signed into your Google Account or iCloud on another device, then this may be why you are seeing strange photos on your devices.
This is because the photos you take are synced to your Google Drive or iCloud Drive.
And if you log in on another device, then the photos will appear. So the photos you see are those that have been taken with the other device.
Auto-Download
Seeing random photos on your mobile device then may be caused by the auto-download feature that has been enabled for some social media apps.
If you enable the auto-download feature for WhatsApp and Telegram, for instance, pictures and videos are automatically downloaded to your gallery.
Bluetooth Or Airdrop Enable
If you have your Bluetooth or Airdrop turned on, then you might be receiving random images that will be saved to your device without your knowledge.
Although you would have to accept the request first.
Downloading Outside The Primary Source
Downloading from sources aside from the Google Play Store or App Store can cause you to see random photos in your gallery.
Although you think you are just downloading a single file, it comes with its additions.
Most especially if you’re downloading a zip or rar file. When you extract, other media is also extracted from the zip file.
How To Fix Random Photos Appearing On Your Phone
Here are a few things you can try to fix seeing random photos on your phone
Fix 1: Prevent Apps From Accessing Photos
You can prevent the apps on your phone from accessing photos. This is a setting that you have to disable.
This will ensure that random photos by apps are not downloaded in your gallery.
Using an iPhone: Go to Settings > Select Privacy > Choose Photos > This will display a list of all the apps that want access to your gallery > Switch the ones that have access to photos to none.
Using an Android: Go to Settings > Select Apps & Notifications > Choose Permission Manager > Scroll through and select Files and Media> Disable apps that have access to your gallery, media, or camera.
Fix 2: Delete Photos
Another option if you see random photos in your gallery is to delete them.
Although this is kind of tedious, deleting random photos will ensure that you won’t see them again.
Also, it frees up the space in which such pictures are taken. Just head on to your gallery, scroll through, and select any app that is open and unwanted.
Delete them, head over to the Recycle Bin and permanently delete them.
Fix 3: Turn Off Auto-download On Telegram And WhatsApp
Telegram and WhatsApp both have an auto-download feature that downloads random photos to your phone’s gallery.
To solve this problem, all you need is to disable the Auto-download feature on both apps.
For WhatsApp: Go to Settings on Android by tapping the More options [three dots] > (For iOS, tap Settings at the bottom right) > Tap Storage and data > Turn off all Media auto-download.
For Telegram: Open Telegram > Go to the menu option > Tap Settings and select the Data and Storage option > Under the Automatic Media Download section > Toggle off the switch for Auto-Download Media
Fix 4: Check Devices Logged Into iCloud
It may be possible that you may not be the only one having access to iCloud on your iOS device.
Therefore, you must check how many people have logged into your iCloud and have access to your photos.
Go to Settings > Tap on your Profile > Check out the devices logged into your iCloud > Log out devices that you do not recognize.
Fix 5: Log Out Of Devices
This might have been what caused it, so check if there are devices that you have previously logged in to and which ones are active.
Then you’ll need to sign out from those devices. When you do this, you’ll no longer see random photos appearing on your phone.
If you don’t know how to see the devices, you’ve previously login to, Go to your Settings on your mobile device > Select Google > Select your current account > Tap on Manage your Google Account > Go to Security and scroll to Your devices (This will display a list of all devices that are currently using your account) > Tap Manage devices and Select the device you want to log out of your account from.
Make sure you review your account security, check for any unknown devices, see how devices are with your Google Account, and enable 2-step verification.
Conclusion
Random photos appearing on your phone are an odd situation to find yourself in. The reasons are detailed in this article, along with ways to resolve such a problem.
FAQs On How To Fix Random Photos Appearing On My Phone
Why Are Random Photos Appearing On My Phone?
This may be because your device has been hacked or installed apps are automatically downloading images onto your phone, zip files, and Auto-Download on social media apps.
Can your phone take pictures without you knowing?
Yes. If your phone is in your pocket or the screen is faulty, then it might accidentally open the camera app and take pictures and videos. Reduce the screen sensitivity to prevent this from happening.
