Text messages history gone prior to 2023

Hello ddcdds,

You completed some greats steps in trying to recover those messages. In your troubleshooting, did you also check to see if there's anything in the Recently Deleted folder? Here's how to check: Recover deleted text messages on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

If that doesn't help, you mention using iCloud to backup. If you have an available backup where the messages existed, you could restore them by restoring your backup. Though you'll need to keep in mind that when you restore from a backup, you lose all data from the data of the backup until present time. Please note, the messages are only included in a backup when "When you use Messages in iCloud or turn on iCloud Photos, your content is automatically stored in iCloud. That means that they're not included in your iCloud Backup.". Those details can be found in Note 2 at the bottom of the page here: What does iCloud back up? - Apple Support

Here's how to locate a backup and how to restore too:

Locate backups of your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support

Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup - Apple Support

Let us know how it goes.

Take care!

Yep just noticed this after updating to iOS 16.3.1. In the main message thread, all messages are gone up to about 24 hours for me. I can still see all the attachments from years back by tapping on the persons name and looking at the attachments but all the messages are gone up to around 24 hours.

It feels like an iOS bug that most have not yet noticed. I updated a few weeks ago and just now noticed it.