HELP! Upgaded from X to XS Max + and my photos are gone

[djrobsd]

I had the iPhone X with thousands of photos. I did a full iCloud backup prior to trading it in for my XS Max. I was NOT using iCloud photos, but I did have camera roll turned on.

It appears that the only photos that my backup restored are the ones from the camera roll. How do I get the rest of my photos back?

This is sad - the first time I've put my trust (and my $2.99 per month) in a backup service and I don't have anything to show for it (except for the 1000 photos from my camera roll which always worked even before iCloud backup came around). Hopefully I'm just missing a setting or there is some delayed response in getting all the photos back.

 

[chscag]

Were you using Photo Stream and syncing your photos to iCloud? If so, they are still there.

 

[Minorite]

First check icloud.com manually and see how many photos you have there. Also, how exactly have you added other photos if they were not in Camera Roll? Photos added with iTunes or third-party apps are usually not included in the backup so this will explain everything.

 

[djrobsd]

First check icloud.com manually and see how many photos you have there. Also, how exactly have you added other photos if they were not in Camera Roll? Photos added with iTunes or third-party apps are usually not included in the backup so this will explain everything.

All of the photos were taken on my iphone, or saved screen shots from web sites browsed on the iphone.

I will try to login to icloud. I did not have the "photos" app turned on, because I still use iPhoto on my Mac.
[doublepost=1538112254][/doublepost]

Were you using Photo Stream and syncing your photos to iCloud? If so, they are still there.

Yes, the photo stream photos are just fine, showing on my phone.

The rest are not.. because photo stream only holds 1000.

 

[Minorite]

All of the photos were taken on my iphone, or saved screen shots from web sites browsed on the iphone.

I will try to login to icloud. I did not have the "photos" app turned on, because I still use iPhoto on my Mac.
[doublepost=1538112254][/doublepost]
Yes, the photo stream photos are just fine, showing on my phone.

The rest are not.. because photo stream only holds 1000.

It's software so better to double-check Also check iTunes for a local backup, if there is one with photos you should be able to extract them with-third-party software without restoring a backup.

 

[djrobsd]

Well I called Apple support to discuss this. They have NO CLUE what's in my iCloud backup - no way of extracting or viewing its contents. Yay for backups that are invisible. I tried 3 different tools including Enigma Recovery, Mac Phone Lab, etc. that supposedly connect to iCloud backup and let you view the contents of the backups, my backup is like 8 gigs. But those tools didn't work they kept asking me to do my 2 factor authentication, which I did, but then it kept logging me out... Which just goes to show yet another failure on Apples part to provide a reliable way for 3rd party API's to access the data.. And of course once you turn 2 factor on your account you can't turn it back off.

I'll never trust iCloud again. Going back to plugging my phone in every night to iTunes and backing up. At least with that, I can use several tools to extract the contents from the backup rather then dealing with the invisible cloud that has zero transparency and zero dependability when this kind of stuff happens.

 

[Minorite]

Well I called Apple support to discuss this. They have NO CLUE what's in my iCloud backup - no way of extracting or viewing its contents. Yay for backups that are invisible. I tried 3 different tools including Enigma Recovery, Mac Phone Lab, etc. that supposedly connect to iCloud backup and let you view the contents of the backups, my backup is like 8 gigs. But those tools didn't work they kept asking me to do my 2 factor authentication, which I did, but then it kept logging me out... Which just goes to show yet another failure on Apples part to provide a reliable way for 3rd party API's to access the data.. And of course once you turn 2 factor on your account you can't turn it back off.

I'll never trust iCloud again. Going back to plugging my phone in every night to iTunes and backing up. At least with that, I can use several tools to extract the contents from the backup rather then dealing with the invisible cloud that has zero transparency and zero dependability when this kind of stuff happens.

No chance to get a spare device to restore the iCloud backup and check for photos?

About backups, I would recommend iMazing if your data is local and you don't use any other third-party solution. I'm using it for over a year and it saved me from data loss several times. They have incremental backups (shalow copies like in Time Machine), so you can make backups like every week and have a good data protection due to backup history. Also there's a lot of additional stuff including possibility to change backup location to external drive and .ipa download from the AppStore.

 

[djrobsd]

Minorite, I asked all my peeps on Facebook, got no takers to volunteer an old iphone. Most people trade their phones in these days... Kind of makes me want to keep my next phone rather than trading in, but at $550 for my X at T-Mobile that was an offer I couldn't refuse.

Anyway I'll check out iMazing.

GOOD NEWS!!! On my 2012 RMBP with Sierra, it turns out that the photo stream cache has never been deleted on the computer!! I had no idea, I have 50 gigs of photos on there since the day Apple first released Photostream and I turned it on. I was able to restore almost all of my missing photos.

I had no idea, but look on your computer for a folder called iLifeAssetManagement. That assumes you had photo stream turned on in Apeture or iPhoto. But yes!! ALL my pictures restored.

Unfortunately, voice memos not so much. All of the voice memos are there, but they don't play back..

 

[Minorite]

Minorite, I asked all my peeps on Facebook, got no takers to volunteer an old iphone. Most people trade their phones in these days... Kind of makes me want to keep my next phone rather than trading in, but at $550 for my X at T-Mobile that was an offer I couldn't refuse.

Anyway I'll check out iMazing.

GOOD NEWS!!! On my 2012 RMBP with Sierra, it turns out that the photo stream cache has never been deleted on the computer!! I had no idea, I have 50 gigs of photos on there since the day Apple first released Photostream and I turned it on. I was able to restore almost all of my missing photos.

I had no idea, but look on your computer for a folder called iLifeAssetManagement. That assumes you had photo stream turned on in Apeture or iPhoto. But yes!! ALL my pictures restored.

Unfortunately, voice memos not so much. All of the voice memos are there, but they don't play back..

Nice! And thanks for the tip! I ususally don't use cloud storage or streaming services, but who knows what can happen if future

 

[XS Max]

Were you using Photo Stream and syncing your photos to iCloud? If so, they are still there.

No not using iCloud as don't want my photos on other peoples servers

 

[StellarVixen]

If something failed to back up, and the new owner wiped clean their X, I am sorry to inform you that they are lost. Forever.

No not using iCould as don't want my photos on other peoples servers

People's servers or "People's Servers"?


If you know what I mean.

 

[KATRIYANTI]

First check icloud.com manually and see how many photos you have there. Also, how exactly have you added other photos if they were not in Camera Roll? Photos added with iTunes or third-party apps are usually not included in the backup so this will explain everything.

This is sad - the first time I've put my trust (and my $2.99 per month) in a backup service and I don't have anything to show for it (except for the 1000 photos from my camera roll which always worked even before iCloud backup came around). Hopefully I'm just missing a setting or there is some delayed response in getting all the photos back.

 

[Minorite]

This is sad - the first time I've put my trust (and my $2.99 per month) in a backup service and I don't have anything to show for it (except for the 1000 photos from my camera roll which always worked even before iCloud backup came around). Hopefully I'm just missing a setting or there is some delayed response in getting all the photos back.

You mean redownloading from iCloud Photo Library? If yes then put your device charging overnight with a good Wi-Fi. iCloud syncs photos only when charging and on Wi-Fi (and most other heavy data as well).