You're in a critical window, but the good news is that you still have time to recover your Messages in iCloud, including all the photos and attachments. Apple provides a 30-day grace period after Messages in iCloud is turned off, which means your data isn’t permanently deleted yet. However, the error message you're seeing - “Unable to update iCloud settings at this time” - usually points to a temporary syncing issue between your iPhone and Apple’s servers. This could be due to a network problem, a software glitch, or a conflict in your iCloud settings.
Start by ensuring your iPhone is connected to a stable Wi-Fi network and plugged into a charger. This is essential because syncing large amounts of data from iCloud, such as messages and attachments, requires both a reliable internet connection and adequate power. Once your device is connected, perform a full restart. For the iPhone 14 Pro, press and quickly release the Volume Up button, then the Volume Down button, and finally press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo. This can help resolve temporary glitches.
After the restart, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Show All > Messages, and try turning Messages back on. If the same error appears, wait a few minutes and try again. Sometimes, iCloud needs a little time to reset after being toggled off. While you're in iCloud settings, check your available storage under Manage Account Storage to make sure you have enough space. A full iCloud account can prevent sync and recovery operations from completing.
Although Messages and their media can’t be accessed directly through iCloud.com, it’s still helpful to log in to the iCloud website and confirm that other services like iCloud Drive and Photos are working normally. If those services are syncing properly, it indicates that the issue is limited to Messages.
If the Messages toggle continues to show the error after you've waited and retried, and you’re certain that your iCloud account contains the data, you may try signing out of iCloud and signing back in as a last resort. To do this, go to Settings > [Your Name] > Sign Out, and when prompted, choose to keep data on your iPhone. After restarting the device, sign back into iCloud and immediately return to Settings > iCloud > Messages to turn syncing back on. This will reestablish the connection between your device and iCloud and may allow the recovery process to resume.
Keep in mind that the 30-day warning you received doesn't mean your messages and photos have been deleted—it simply means you have 30 days to reverse the change. If you re-enable Messages in iCloud within this window, your data should restore automatically. Waiting beyond that period can result in permanent deletion.
If none of these steps resolve the issue, check Apple’s System Status page to see if there are any ongoing outages affecting iCloud Messages. If everything appears normal but the issue persists, contact Apple Support right away. Let them know you accidentally disabled Messages in iCloud, are still within the 30-day recovery window, and are encountering an error when trying to turn it back on. They may be able to intervene on the server side to help you restore your messages.
