Recover photos from data transfer in iCloud

Hi Mark!

You are correct. Be sure to keep a current backup of your current iPhone so you don't risk losing any of that data.

If it's easier, you can also request a copy of the data associated with the Apple ID from your iPhone X as outlined here: Get a copy of the data associated with your Apple ID account - Apple Support

"About the data associated with your Apple ID 

You can request a copy of the data that Apple stores which is associated with your Apple ID. This information includes, but is not limited to:

• Your Apple ID account details and sign-in records.
• Data that you store with iCloud such as contacts, calendars, notes, bookmarks, reminders, email, photos, videos, and document.
• App usage information, as it relates to use of iCloud, Apple Music, Game Center and other services. 
• A record of the items you have purchased or downloaded from the App Store, iTunes Store, and Apple Books, as well as your browsing history in those stores.
• Records of your Apple retail store and support transactions.
• Records of marketing communications, preferences, and other activity.

Any data that isn’t provided is either in a form that is not personally identifiable or linked to your Apple ID, is stored in an end-to-end encrypted format that Apple cannot decrypt, or is not stored by Apple at all. Additionally, some data may have been held only for a very short time and is no longer on our servers.

Apple strives to collect and store the minimum amount of data required to provide the services you use. Learn more about Apple’s privacy policy and practices."

Take care!

That's a great question, Mark,

First, are you signed in with the same Apple ID you were using with your iPhone X on your new iPhone? If so, and you had iCloud Photos enabled on your iPhone X and your new iPhone, you should have access to the same photos that were available on your iPhone X.

If you're not using the same Apple ID on your new iPhone, you could restore the backup from your iPhone X to your new iPhone. Keep in mind, when you restore that backup, any data stored on your new iPhone would be lost. You can reference this article which explains how to restore your iCloud backup: Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup - Apple Support

"Restore your device from an iCloud backup

1. Turn on your device. You should see a Hello screen. If you already set up your device, you need to erase all of its content before you can use these steps to restore from your backup.
2. Follow the onscreen setup steps until you reach the Apps & Data screen, then tap Restore from iCloud Backup. 

3. Sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID.

4. Choose a backup. Look at the date and size of each and pick the most relevant. After you choose a backup, the transfer starts. If a message says that a newer version of software is required, follow the onscreen steps to update. If you don't see onscreen steps to help you update, learn what to do.

5. When asked, sign in with your Apple ID to restore your apps and purchases. If you've purchased iTunes or App Store content using multiple Apple IDs, you'll be asked to sign in to each. If you can't remember your password, you can tap Skip this Step and sign in later. You won't be able to use the apps until you sign in with your Apple ID.

6. Stay connected to Wi-Fi and wait for a progress bar to appear and complete. Depending on the size of the backup and the network speed, the progress bar might need a few minutes to an hour to complete. If you disconnect from Wi-Fi too soon, the progress will pause until you reconnect.

7. Now you can finish setup and enjoy your device. Content like your apps, photos, music, and other information will continue to restore in the background for the next several hours or days, depending on the amount of information there is. Try to connect often to Wi-Fi and power to let the process complete.

Get help with restoring from your iCloud backup."

You may consider requesting a copy of the data associated with the Apple ID from your iPhone X to ensure that you don't lose any data in the process. When you request a copy of your data associated with your Apple ID, your photos stored in iCloud are included.

Kind regards.

Hello me7057092,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. Allow us to share some information and details with you. If you're looking for details on how to view and manage your iCloud backups, you'll want to review the following resource here: View and manage iCloud device backups - Apple Support

View and manage iCloud backups on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

1.) On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.

2.) Do one of the following:

-iOS 16, iPadOS 16, or later: Tap iCloud Backup.

-iOS 15, iPadOS 15, or earlier: Tap Manage Storage, then tap Backups.

3.) You see the devices with iCloud Backup turned on.

4.) To delete a backup, tap the name of a device, then tap Delete & Turn Off Backup (or Delete Backup).

You won't be able to extract individual data from that backup. You can only select to restore your device from a backup. If you were syncing your photos with iCloud, you can enable iCloud Photos on your new device to sync your photos to that device: Set up and use iCloud Photos - Apple Support

If you were not using iCloud Photos, you might still be able to recover your photos by restoring from the iCloud backup you created. This resource explains more: About missing information after you restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iCloud Backup - Apple Support

If you haven’t turned on iCloud Photos, iCloud Backup may include photos and videos in your Photos or Camera Roll. Not sure if iCloud Photos was turned on when you made the backup? After you restore your device, check Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos. If iCloud Photos is turned on, then the photos were stored in iCloud Photos.

If the photos and videos were included in the backup, they’ll download to your iOS device in the background when you restore. Stay connected to Wi-Fi until the process finishes. The time it takes to restore depends on the size of your backup and the speed of your Wi-Fi network.

For more details on what exactly iCloud backs up, click here: What does iCloud back up? - Apple Support

We hope this information was helpful. Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.