Help! My Photos Disappeared After Turning on Optimize iPhone Storage

Don't panic! It's common for this to happen, but your photos probably aren't deleted. When you turn on Optimize iPhone Storage, your full-resolution photos get moved to iCloud, leaving only thumbnails on your device. After a restart, it can take time for everything to sync back up.

Here are a few tips:
- Keep your phone plugged in and on Wi-Fi. The "Restoring from iCloud" message means it's working, but this can take some time – sometimes even overnight.
- Go to your Photos app, scroll to the bottom, and check if it says "Restoring X items."
- If you can, log in to iCloud.com from another device to see if your photos are still there. If they are, you’re okay!
- Ensure you're signed in with the correct Apple ID and that iCloud Photos is still activated.

This is a typical issue, and with a little patience, your photos should reappear! If nothing happens after a day, then reaching out to Apple Support might be the next step.

It can be pretty slow when syncing optimized photos. I find it crazy how long it takes sometimes! Just keep your phone on Wi-Fi, and it'll do its thing. Try not to mess with the settings; just let it be for a bit. It should be fine!

Did you give it some time to sync your photos? Sometimes it can take a while, especially if you have a lot of photos like I do. It usually takes a day or so for the thumbnails to appear. Just let it sit on Wi-Fi and see if they start showing up. If you're on cellular data, that might slow things down a bit too.