What happened to the "recently deleted" folder in the photos app? It was at the bottom of the screen for a while under utilities. This was really the only folder that was set as visible. Now the only way to find it is to search for it? How do I set it back so its somewhere that is always visible in the home screen for the photos app?
iPhone 12 Pro Max
For iOS 26.1, the default location of Recently Deleted is near the top of the items under Utilities, which is near the bottom of the Collections view.
Two caveats:
Recently Deleted may not appear at all if it is empty (meaning no items have been deleted recently or any deleted were removed by expiration or recovery).
Under 26.1, the user has the ability to reorder the sections of the collections view and the line items within the Utilities section, so yours may not be in that exact location.
Which system version are you using on your iPhone? It will depend on the system version where to find the Recently Deleted album: Delete or hide photos and videos on iPhone - Apple Support (EG)
On iOS 26 the "Others" section of the Collections has many columns. You may have to scroll the "Others" horizontally to see all columns, which might be confusing. I have to scroll "Others" to the left to see "Recently Deleted", for me it is shown in the third column, hidden behind the right border of the display. It can help to hold the iPhone in landscape orientation to see more columns at once.
Where is the "recently deleted" folder in photos?
