My iPhone 13 was stolen while I was in Las Vegas, which happened to fall on my birthday. I didn't get a chance to go to AT&T or the Apple Store until three days later. I have iCloud messages turned on, and after getting my new iPhone 16 Pro, I restored a backup from Thursday. I could see some texts from non-iPhone users received right before my phone was stolen, but restoring the backup erased those messages. I'm looking for help in three areas: 1) Can I recover those non-iMessages? 2) I expected my recent iMessages to sync when I logged into iCloud on my new phone, but they didn't show up. Do I need to restore my iCloud backup to retrieve those? 3) What's the best way to set up my devices to prevent losing messages in case of another phone loss?
2 Answers
Make sure your iCloud messages are enabled for all your devices. You'll also want to get used to the idea that you may need to pay for extra iCloud storage. It can be worth it for peace of mind and keeping your messages safe in the future.
I hear you! It’s frustrating when it seems like things should work one way but don’t. Keeping your iCloud setting on proper sync might help catch any future messages.
You should definitely try restoring from iCloud. Any messages you received before the backup should be there, but anything after won't show up because the system prioritizes the newest backup. If you didn’t have iMessages synced, that could explain why you missed those texts from your birthday.
Thanks! I thought the same thing. My friend said she could still access her iMessages after losing her phone, so I was hoping mine would show up too.
It's possible those messages were just standard text messages, especially if they failed to send as iMessages. Just keep an eye on your iCloud settings for better syncing next time.
I already had iCloud messages before my phone was stolen, which is why I’m confused about not seeing those iMessages from over the weekend. My friend had all her messages appear, so I thought I would too.