Restore from iCloud not working properly

[Edward Hyde]

Hi all,

I have recently help a friend moving from his very outdated iPhone 5 to a 'newer' iPhone 7.
As the iPhone 5 was to old to use pairing for the move. Therefore I used the iCloudbackup that should have stored all data.
On first glance everything worked fine, but after a few days it became apparent, that not all massages were successfully restore.
There are messages missing ranging from a few weeks to up to two years. If I disable the backup on the iPhone 7 I get the message, that not all data was downloaded successfully, and that the iPhone will commence doing so, but even after several hours that didn't work too.

I still have access to the old iPhone and no old backups were deleted.
But I have no clue what my options are, not being a IOS pro myself and hope to find help here.

Best,
Edward

 

[J. A.]

Welcome to iPhone Forums!

If your friend used iCloud for messages, these are not included in a backup. They are synced to a new device by iCloud. Depending on Wi-Fi, this means it could take a while until everything is back. If your friend is not always connected to Wi-Fi, it also can last for more than one day until every message is on the new device. So make sure you stay connected to Wi-Fi, until the messages have been synced completely.

Another option would be to turn off iCloud for Messages and backup the older iPhone once again. In this case, the messages will be included in the backup. When you restore from the new backup, they will be downloaded to the new device. Again, make sure you stay connected to Wi-Fi.

Hope that helps.

 

[Edward Hyde]

If your friend used iCloud for messages, these are not included in a backup.

Not sure I can follow (see farther down below). What is included in the backup?
He uses iCloud for messages

They are synced to a new device by iCloud.

How does that work?

Depending on Wi-Fi, this means it could take a while until everything is back. If your friend is not always connected to Wi-Fi, it also can last for more than one day until every message is on the new device. So make sure you stay connected to Wi-Fi, until the messages have been synced completely.

The new device is only for 5 days now, mostly on Wi-Fi (but not connected to a power supply).

Another option would be to turn off iCloud for Messages and backup the older iPhone once again. In this case, the messages will be included in the backup.

Didn't you say, that messages aren't included in the backup? That's the point that got me confuses tbh.

[/QUOTE]
When you restore from the new backup, they will be downloaded to the new device. Again, make sure you stay connected to Wi-Fi.
Hope that helps.[/QUOTE]
How do I restore the backup again without loosing the new date already on the newer device? Normally I have a "blank" iPhone to start with.

Best and thanks, at least I have hope, that I'll be able to recover the lost messages,
Edward

 

[J. A.]

Whether or not the messages are included in a backup, depends on your friend’s settings:
If he uses iCloud for Messages, the messages are not included, but synced. That means: If he has another Apple device with iCloud enabled for Messages, they appear there as well, almost immediately, as soon as he gets or sends a text. (When he gets a new device, it’ll take some time until all of them are loaded to it.)

If he doesn’t use iCloud for his messages, they will be included in a backup.

Try checking his settings on both devices. Go to the Settings app, scroll down to Messages, go to Send & Receive. Is there an Apple ID set up? If so, the messages should appear on both devices, with time.
Also make sure he’s using Forever in Keep Messages.
If the Apple ID is not there, go to Settings - your friend’s name - iCloud, scroll down to Messages, and enable it.
That’s what I’d try in this case, because you’d lose the latest messages otherwise.

 

[Edward Hyde]

Whether or not the messages are included in a backup, depends on your friend’s settings:
If he uses iCloud for Messages, the messages are not included, but synced. That means: If he has another Apple device with iCloud enabled for Messages, they appear there as well, almost immediately, as soon as he gets or sends a text. (When he gets a new device, it’ll take some time until all of them are loaded to it.)

Any guess on how long that might take? It's been 6 days and there's still a lot missing.

If he doesn’t use iCloud for his messages, they will be included in a backup.

Got it.

Try checking his settings on both devices. Go to the Settings app, scroll down to Messages, go to Send & Receive. Is there an Apple ID set up? If so, the messages should appear on both devices, with time.
Also make sure he’s using Forever in Keep Messages.
If the Apple ID is not there, go to Settings - your friend’s name - iCloud, scroll down to Messages, and enable it.
That’s what I’d try in this case, because you’d lose the latest messages otherwise.

Apple ID is set up on both devices and the messages are kept forever.

So, if this isn't working, I need to make a fresh install from a backup? In order to do that I would deactivate the iCloud for messages, make a new backup on the old device and then restore it to the new one, correct?

Is there a possibility to use iTunes to restore only messages? Just to avoid further data loss with other applications.

Best,
Edward

 

[J. A.]

When you restore from a backup, it’s all or nothing. You can’t selectively restore from a backup, no matter which kind of backup.

I forgot that syncing Messages via iCloud came with iOS 11. Since the iPhone 5 wasn’t eligible, that won’t work. Sorry!

Another option:
In Settings - Messages - Send & Receive, make sure there’s a checkmark next to the phone number as well as the Apple ID your friend uses.
Plug in the new iPhone for a few hours and see whether or not the messages are appearing. If they still refuse to get to the new device, turn off iMessages (Messages?) in Settings - Messages for about 10 seconds and turn it on again. Restarting the iPhone 7 might help as well.
Both devices have to be connected to the same Wi-Fi.

I can’t tell you how long this will or should take. Partially, it depends on the Wi-Fi. If there are lots of messages, loading them to the iPhone 7 will also need more time.

 

[Edward Hyde]

So far nothing of this worked. I might try the following: Backup the new stuff, restore the iPhone 7 from the last iPhone5 backup using iTunes, restore messages from icloud. I don't find it again, but I think I have read somewhere that I can merge messages if during a restore from iCloud.

If not I might try one of the restore softwares that is out there, which you need to buy.