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Older text messages not transferring to new iPhone

I switched from the 12 Pro Max to the 14 Pro Max, and ran a full backup on my phone to iCloud, and then restored to the new phone. My older text messages, before 2020 do not show up and there are a few that I keep such as ones from my dad who passed away. I have the setting on the new phone set to keep messages forever.


Any idea why it would not bring over the older messages, is there a true limit? Perhaps those messages were created before iMessage existed so that's why?


I still have the old phone, so any ideas to transfer them over?


Thank you!


Posted on Sep 30, 2022 8:07 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 1, 2022 6:24 PM

Hello djrobsd1,


If you restored a backup to the device, it should totally mirror what was on the old phone. Depending how long ago you started the restore, and how big the backup file is, it may still be running. You can check in to Settings > your name at the top > iCloud > iCloud Backup, to see if the restore is still in progress. If it is, you'll want to wait until it finishes to be able to see all of your data.


If the restore has completed and you're missing data, then you'll want to create a new backup on the old phone, and then restore it to the new one. To get back to the restore option on the new phone, you'll just need to erase it. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content & Settings.


Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup


Once you have started restoring the backup, you'll want to make sure the device stays in range of the Wi-Fi network. If you leave the Wi-Fi connection before the restore has finished, it can cause it to stop wherever it's at and the rest of the data won't restore. It's also good idea to keep the device connected to a charger to make sure it doesn't die during the restore. Depending on the size of your backup, the restore process can take anywhere from minutes to hours to complete.


Cheers!


1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 1, 2022 6:24 PM in response to djrobsd1

Hello djrobsd1,


If you restored a backup to the device, it should totally mirror what was on the old phone. Depending how long ago you started the restore, and how big the backup file is, it may still be running. You can check in to Settings > your name at the top > iCloud > iCloud Backup, to see if the restore is still in progress. If it is, you'll want to wait until it finishes to be able to see all of your data.


If the restore has completed and you're missing data, then you'll want to create a new backup on the old phone, and then restore it to the new one. To get back to the restore option on the new phone, you'll just need to erase it. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content & Settings.


Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup


Once you have started restoring the backup, you'll want to make sure the device stays in range of the Wi-Fi network. If you leave the Wi-Fi connection before the restore has finished, it can cause it to stop wherever it's at and the rest of the data won't restore. It's also good idea to keep the device connected to a charger to make sure it doesn't die during the restore. Depending on the size of your backup, the restore process can take anywhere from minutes to hours to complete.


Cheers!


Older text messages not transferring to new iPhone

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