S21 pictures disappeared from gallery, folders still showing in DCIM

[happylife1]

2 years worth of photos have disappeared. I'm assuming with the last update. No, I didn't delete.  The 159 folders are still showing in the DCIM but each folder is saying 0 items and the pictures aren't showing in the gallery and the creation date has been changed to August 7 @ 2:09 pm for all of them - which was most likely when the update happened.

Yes, everything is backed up to Google photos - but that doesn't help. These are client photos taken over 2 years that were put into their own folders - and google doesn't save them that way.

How do I get my photos & folders back?

[Helenna]

Hi happylife1,

Please check file manager, if the photos are hidden or moved to another location. Sometimes, updates or settings can change visibility. Also, While Google Photos doesn't save folder structures, it does back up photos. Use Google Photos to locate your images. You can use the search function to look for specific images or dates.

Thank you.

[happylife1]

Not sure where file manager is on my phone. As I've said, the folders are showing in the DCIM folder - but the creation date has changed from their original creation dates (various dates over last year +) to all showing the same date of August 7 @ 2:09 pm. So, this is obviously an issue created by an update.

I know all the photos are backed up on google - but the issue is it's 149 folders with at least 3-5 pictures in each folder - each labeled with a client's name. For me to go back through Google & download each photo back onto my phone, and try and figure out which client's photos are which - well - you can see that's going to take a copious amount of time - which I don't have.

Google doesn't save the photos in folders the way they were saved in the Gallery app.

[RobertZ]

Unless you have everything backed up using Smart Switch you'll likely have to restore from Photos.

Bad bug by Samsung.

[happylife1]

I have a feeling I don't - how do I find out if I do? 

[RobertZ]

You would have Smart Switch on your computer, plugged your phone into the computer, and then ran the program to backup your phone to the computer. Or you would have run it from your phone (Settings->Accounts and backup->External storage transfer) and backed up to a USB drive plugged into your phone.

[happylife1]

Yup - that's what I thought. I'm screwed. It was a brand new account - for a new business - so new phone - so nothing to switch from a previous phone. I guess I've got days of sifting through client files and trying to connect files with pictures and dates to recreate...and then somehow download them all back onto my phone. Insert string of curse words here.