I am having the same issue. No previous messages show up on my new iPad, even though I have synced with iCloud.
We don’t know if “previous messages” means iMessages or SMS messages.
What is the difference between iMessage and SMS/MMS? - Apple Support
We don’t know what “synced with iCloud” means. Some possibilities:
iOS 16 introduced iCloud for Messages.
Keep your messages up to date with iCloud - Apple Support
Now that messages may be stored in iCloud, they are no longer contained in iOS backups as they were prior to iOS 16.
Backup methods for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support
If you didn’t choose iCloud for Messages, they are not available for a new device.
I am using iMessages. I have many previous messages available on my iPhone. I thought that when I got a new iPad the previous iMessages would appear on my iPad.
When I logged into iCloud, my contacts showed up. But not previous iMessages.
If you have an iPhone - and both iPad and iPhone are signed-in to iCloud with the same AppleID - to send SMS/MMS messages (green bubbles) from your iPad you must explicitly enable Text Message Forwarding for your iPad on your iPhone...
On your iPhone:
Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding - set to ON - and explicitly enable your iPad from the list of devices.
Also ensure that Messages in iCloud is enabled on both your iPhone and iPad:
Settings > [Your Name / AppleID] > Messages - set to ON
If you still have your old iPad, if the messages are still present, you simply need to ensure that all devices are signed-in to iCloud with the same AppleID - and that you have enabled iCloud Messages, as described, on all devices.
Wow! Suddenly this morning my old messages appeared. Now I have a different problem. Many of the messages are identified with a phone number instead of a person’s name. They are numbers that are in my contact list that does appear on my iPad.
Here’s general information. It may not address your specific need.
Manage and delete contacts on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support
All of that is done. New messages are coming through fine. It is the messages that were sent and received before I owned the iPad that I cannot get on my iPad.
Unless Messages from your old iPad and your iPhone were previously synchronised with iCloud Messages, your new iPad will have no Messages to retrieve (and synchronise) from iCloud.
I thought all previous messages were in iCloud. I used to get them on my old iPad. I guess I was wrong.
I thought I did. They appeared on my old iPad.
Apparently not all of my contacts transferred to my new iPad.
Some of my contacts, I discovered, are not in iCloud. They are in Yahoo. I am trying to figure out the process for getting them into iCloud.
Message transfer to new iPad.
