iCloud iMessage - a week later - still downloading?

[iamJoshRoth]

Hi everyone

I got the 14 Pro Max on launch day.

• Set up as a new phone (no iCloud restore)
• Turned on iCloud Messages (for some reason this was disabled by default but is turned on on all my other iOS devices)
• Bottom of the Messages app screen reads "Downloading Messages from iCloud..."
• Pauses if the phone is disconnected from power and wifi

Yesterday - finally - a week later, the message disappeared. Only to then reappear, saying it would resume when connected to power and wifi.

Again, left the phone plugged in over night, the same thing... still downloading. But no progress bar.

To resolve this, I tried:

• Turning iCloud Messages on and off
• Reset the phone (vol up, vol down, power until Apple logo)
• Reset network settings
• Logged out of iCloud
• Logged out of iMessaging only - error message that "iMessage and iCloud accounts are not the same" OR that the Messages in iCloud needed to be 'fixed' (there was a fix button). I only have one iCloud / iMessage account FYI
• Finally restored the phone entirely

I have left the phone plugged in, switched off auto-lock and left the messages app open. It appears to be VERY SLOWLY restarting everything again.

I believe I have 150GB of messages and media.

1. Was my phone acting appropriately, and in fact, it should take a week+ to download the above? Remember 7 days later, the message disappeared only to reappear, I would say 80% of my media within my messages had returned
2. I wasted a week of my life by starting over and in 2, 3, 4 weeks everything will be restored?
3. I did something wrong both times? I am not a 'newbie' to iOS or iPhones and pretty switched on... but I don't remember it ever taking this long before. Maybe 3/4 days.

 

[0128672]

That's the largest storage of messages and attachments I've ever heard of by far, yikes. So yes it's going to take quite a while to let it finish. So don't start over again, just let it do its thing.

 

[iamJoshRoth]

That's the largest storage of messages and attachments I've ever heard of by far, yikes. So yes it's going to take quite a while to let it finish. So don't start over again, just let it do its thing.

Really? Crikey! OK. Now I hate myself for letting the bloody thing download for the last 7 days only to start over. If I could turn back time... FML.

Thank you so much.

 

[junglesnake]

Really? Crikey! OK. Now I hate myself for letting the bloody thing download for the last 7 days only to start over. If I could turn back time... FML.

Thank you so much.

It really should have finished in that time period unless you’re using dialup. Fighting the same issue though, first time I have not been able to get my messages back. Keep us posted.

 

[iamJoshRoth]

It really should have finished in that time period unless you’re using dialup. Fighting the same issue though, first time I have not been able to get my messages back. Keep us posted.

Finally I’m done according to the status bar the bottom but if I go into a message thread, and click a contacts name to see all media… often blank. But if I scroll back manually through the thread… the media is therE. Annoying