iMessage pictures not saving to info section photo gallery of iMessage iOS 16.0.3

[ios3]

One thing I’ve read to “force” an iMessage sync with iCloud is to just backup your device. I’m not sure if that applies to only backing up to iCloud, or to a computer as well. But it doesn’t hurt to try!

If you still have your older iPhone with all the iMessage data on it, I think you can turn off iMessage in iCloud on that device and let it download everything to that phone. That will take time. Then do a full iPhone backup to your computer or iCloud, then transfer to the new phone as you normally would.

Of course with anything relating to downloading from iCloud, many things matter. I’d imagine things like your device being on charge, connected to Wi-Fi, and “downtime” periods where you’re not likely to be using your phone for a long period of time will affect how quickly this process takes. I wish there was an option to just download/sync everything immediately in one go

 

[Randalpaul]

Hello Group,
Sadly, I am one of the self-proclaimed world experts on this exact bug. I have been dealing with this for the last three iPhones, and it's the same thing every time. I have tried every possible suggestion and scoured the web for even the smallest nugget to go on. My 14 Pro Max was a total disaster. I initially did a peer-to-peer, then 12 restores from the cloud and three from iTunes. None were successful. We did the usual resetting of network settings, set up as new, etc., and nothing worked. I have 116 GB in the cloud and experience the same issues mentioned, including pictures disappearing from the thread overnight and when plugged in. I have spent 30-50 hours with tech support, every level, engineering, etc., and they continue to tell me to wait for the next update. Well, there have been a dozen updates with zero success. My Mac has about 90% of the photos, and my iPad has about 80%. Somehow, my 14 has about 80%, so I wonder if, over time, they end up populating. I have tried it all and hope that this thread finds the solution. I have an open ticket and a 200 ET callback tomorrow. I agree with some of you that the old workaround was an iTunes restore, but it no longer works. It's maddening. Come on, Apple, this needs to be fixed! btw I have 700 GB of storage so the 116 is a non issue.

 

[ihakim]

One thing I’ve read to “force” an iMessage sync with iCloud is to just backup your device. I’m not sure if that applies to only backing up to iCloud, or to a computer as well. But it doesn’t hurt to try!

If you still have your older iPhone with all the iMessage data on it, I think you can turn off iMessage in iCloud on that device and let it download everything to that phone. That will take time. Then do a full iPhone backup to your computer or iCloud, then transfer to the new phone as you normally would.

Of course with anything relating to downloading from iCloud, many things matter. I’d imagine things like your device being on charge, connected to Wi-Fi, and “downtime” periods where you’re not likely to be using your phone for a long period of time will affect how quickly this process takes. I wish there was an option to just download/sync everything immediately in one go

Have tried all of that over the years and those solutions no longer work unfortunately.

 

[ihakim]

Hello Group,
Sadly, I am one of the self-proclaimed world experts on this exact bug. I have been dealing with this for the last three iPhones, and it's the same thing every time. I have tried every possible suggestion and scoured the web for even the smallest nugget to go on. My 14 Pro Max was a total disaster. I initially did a peer-to-peer, then 12 restores from the cloud and three from iTunes. None were successful. We did the usual resetting of network settings, set up as new, etc., and nothing worked. I have 116 GB in the cloud and experience the same issues mentioned, including pictures disappearing from the thread overnight and when plugged in. I have spent 30-50 hours with tech support, every level, engineering, etc., and they continue to tell me to wait for the next update. Well, there have been a dozen updates with zero success. My Mac has about 90% of the photos, and my iPad has about 80%. Somehow, my 14 has about 80%, so I wonder if, over time, they end up populating. I have tried it all and hope that this thread finds the solution. I have an open ticket and a 200 ET callback tomorrow. I agree with some of you that the old workaround was an iTunes restore, but it no longer works. It's maddening. Come on, Apple, this needs to be fixed! btw I have 700 GB of storage so the 116 is a non issue.

Let us know what they say. I’ve probably read every thread about this issue over the years and have essentially given up.

 

[Randalpaul]

Let us know what they say. I’ve probably read every thread about this issue over the years and have essentially given up.

I can't let it go,so I will report back ASAP. I have no doubt they will say there is nothing they can do about it. Hopefully, someone reads this and has an actual solution.

 

[ios3]

Ah I’m sorry guys, seeing how you have struggled with this for years, I don’t have any other solutions as I’ve never used the feature for a long time.

The only way this feature is going to be fixed is if there is large negative publicity online regarding this, or if people stop using iCloud/the feature, or simply stop paying extra for iCloud. Bad press and loss of revenue is what it’ll take. Report this to Apple, post on other forums and get this noticed

 

[Maxell]

Let us know what they say. I’ve probably read every thread about this issue over the years and have essentially given up.

I have tried everything again. I called apple support. They can see I have 13GB in iMessage but they have no idea how to get it to sync/ download to my new iPhone 15 Pro. They suggested a restore on computer. I wiped the phone and did that. Nope. Doesn’t help. My iPhone 14 pro has all 13gb on it but it just won’t transfer to iPhone 15 pro no matter what I do.

Please let us know what you find out. Thank you!!! Holding on to hope for a fix

 

[Maxell]

Have tried all of that over the years and those solutions no longer work unfortunately.

I tried that today. Didn’t work

 

[Randalpaul]

Sadly, unless they figure it out on Apple's end, I have no hope.

 

[ios3]

I have tried everything again. I called apple support. They can see I have 13GB in iMessage but they have no idea how to get it to sync/ download to my new iPhone 15 Pro. They suggested a restore on computer. I wiped the phone and did that. Nope. Doesn’t help. My iPhone 14 pro has all 13gb on it but it just won’t transfer to iPhone 15 pro no matter what I do.

Please let us know what you find out. Thank you!!! Holding on to hope for a fix

Okay disable iMessage in iCloud on your iPhone 15. Back up your iPhone 14. Then disable iMessage in iCloud on your iPhone 14. Does it give you the option to “download all”? If yes, then download all. Wait until that process completes on your 14. Let me know when this is completed and that all your messages are on this iPhone

 

[Maxell]

I tried that. I couldn’t download all messages to iPhone 14 because they are all there already. I also checked with carrier that iPhone 14 is not active. Only iPhone 15 is active I removed iPhone 14 from iCloud. Then re enabled iMessage on iPhone 15 and still have the same issue. Next step? Thank you!

 

[ios3]

I tried that. I couldn’t download all messages to iPhone 14 because they are all there already. I also checked with carrier that iPhone 14 is not active. Only iPhone 15 is active I removed iPhone 14 from iCloud. Then re enabled iMessage on iPhone 15 and still have the same issue. Next step? Thank you!

No problem, I like to try and help!

So you have turned off iMessage in iCloud on that iPhone 14 and all your messages and their media are still on it correct? Turn that iPhone 14 off and on and check your messages and storage to make sure they are on your phone before proceeding to these next steps!

After confirming iMessage in iCloud is OFF and all your messages are on your 14:

1) For your iPhone 14, do a full backup either to iCloud or an encrypted backup to your computer. That should take a while considering the size of the messages and whatever else is on that iPhone.

Note before doing step 2, you will have to erase your new iPhone 15, meaning your newer messages and media (that are NOT on your 14) will be lost! This is the only way to get your messages from your old iPhone onto your 15. So please transfer any new documents or media from your 15 to iCloud Drive so you can retrieve them later.

2) Erase your iPhone 15 through iOS settings or via computer. During set up, restore from the backup of your iPhone 14 that you made earlier. When completed, make sure iMessage in iCloud is still turned off. The messages should’ve been transferred to your iPhone 14 backup, and now onto your 15.

Let me know if this helped

 

[Maxell]

No problem, I like to try and help!

So you have turned off iMessage in iCloud on that iPhone 14 and all your messages and their media are still on it correct? Turn that iPhone 14 off and on and check your messages and storage to make sure they are on your phone before proceeding to these next steps!

After confirming iMessage in iCloud is OFF and all your messages are on your 14:

1) For your iPhone 14, do a full backup either to iCloud or an encrypted backup to your computer. That should take a while considering the size of the messages and whatever else is on that iPhone.

Note before doing step 2, you will have to erase your new iPhone 15, meaning your newer messages and media (that are NOT on your 14) will be lost! This is the only way to get your messages from your old iPhone onto your 15. So please transfer any new documents or media from your 15 to iCloud Drive so you can retrieve them later.

2) Erase your iPhone 15 through iOS settings or via computer. During set up, restore from the backup of your iPhone 14 that you made earlier. When completed, make sure iMessage in iCloud is still turned off. The messages should’ve been transferred to your iPhone 14 backup, and now onto your 15.

Let me know if this helped

I have done the above steps. My iMessage threads are on iPhone 15. Photos are in the iMessage text thread going back a few years but when I tap on the contact name at the top, it does not show the photos in the photo gallery, nor the links that should be in the section below that nor the document attachments that should be in the section below the links. This means I have to scroll the entire text thread to find a photo.

How do I get iMessage to put the photos back in the iMessage photo gallery like they were on iPhone 14?

Things I have tried on iPhone 15

Settings, scroll to messages, turn off Siri and search and messages. Restart phone. Go back to messages, turn on Siri and search and messages, wait for activation. That did not help

Then I went to iCloud and scroll down to messages and toggle off iMessage sync. Restart phone. Go back and toggle it back on. All this on strong WiFi and plugged into power. This process did not help

I am now left with iMessage text message threads with photos etc in the threads but not sorted for easy access and reference in the iMessage photo gallery.

Any ideas on how to get it to go back to the way it was sorted and organized on iPhone 14 when I could tap the contact name or initials at the top and then see all photos, links and documents organized?

Thank you!

 

[ios3]

I have done the above steps. My iMessage threads are on iPhone 15. Photos are in the iMessage text thread going back a few years but when I tap on the contact name at the top, it does not show the photos in the photo gallery, nor the links that should be in the section below that nor the document attachments that should be in the section below the links. This means I have to scroll the entire text thread to find a photo.

How do I get iMessage to put the photos back in the iMessage photo gallery like they were on iPhone 14?

Things I have tried on iPhone 15

Settings, scroll to messages, turn off Siri and search and messages. Restart phone. Go back to messages, turn on Siri and search and messages, wait for activation. That did not help

Then I went to iCloud and scroll down to messages and toggle off iMessage sync. Restart phone. Go back and toggle it back on. All this on strong WiFi and plugged into power. This process did not help

I am now left with iMessage text message threads with photos etc in the threads but not sorted for easy access and reference in the iMessage photo gallery.

Any ideas on how to get it to go back to the way it was sorted and organized on iPhone 14 when I could tap the contact name or initials at the top and then see all photos, links and documents organized?

Thank you!

Okay from what you’re telling me, your messages and media are at least on your iPhone 15, which is great! And you’ve tried the turning off all options under Siri and search for Messages, which usually forces a re-indexing of your messages.

I think now this is simply an iOS 17 bug, as I’ve seen this issue on other threads now. I would try one more time to enable and disable all the Siri and search options for Messages and keep your phone plugged in overnight.

If this still doesn’t sort and organize your media in the Messages media viewer, continue using your phone normally and wait for future iOS updates as this should be fixed as others have the issue too. If I’m correct, at least you don’t have iMessage in iCloud issues anymore, which is a huge win lol.

I can’t think of any other suggestions right now. I recently updated my iPhone to iOS 16 and had to troubleshoot some Messages issues with the advice I gave you, along with what I found online.

Let me know if any thing else came up, otherwise enjoy your new iPhone!

 

[Harryhaj]

I’ve had this problem since moving to a 15 pro this Saturday. No iMessage photos and iMessages only go back a couple of weeks.

I’ve somehow managed to fix it. I can’t specifically say which step did the trick but I did the following:

- Removed VPN from both devices

- Removed my old phone from the beta program and updated to 17.0.1

- Turned off iMessage in the cloud on both devices, restarted and turned back on

All of a sudden my 15 pro said syncing messages at the bottom of iMessage. Now the old messages are loading and images are available to download from the cloud (found in message info panel)

Hope these steps fix it for anyone else struggling.

 

[Maxell]

Okay from what you’re telling me, your messages and media are at least on your iPhone 15, which is great! And you’ve tried the turning off all options under Siri and search for Messages, which usually forces a re-indexing of your messages.

I think now this is simply an iOS 17 bug, as I’ve seen this issue on other threads now. I would try one more time to enable and disable all the Siri and search options for Messages and keep your phone plugged in overnight.

If this still doesn’t sort and organize your media in the Messages media viewer, continue using your phone normally and wait for future iOS updates as this should be fixed as others have the issue too. If I’m correct, at least you don’t have iMessage in iCloud issues anymore, which is a huge win lol.

I can’t think of any other suggestions right now. I recently updated my iPhone to iOS 16 and had to troubleshoot some Messages issues with the advice I gave you, along with what I found online.

Let me know if any thing else came up, otherwise enjoy your new iPhone!

I tried the turn off Siri and search turn off and toggle messages on and off to force reactivation. It didn’t help.

I had my phone plugged in all night last night. I’ll try plugging it in again all night tonight.

Thank you for your help!

Hey, Apple if you are reading this thread, please fix this iOS bug!

 

[Maxell]

I’ve had this problem since moving to a 15 pro this Saturday. No iMessage photos and iMessages only go back a couple of weeks.

I’ve somehow managed to fix it. I can’t specifically say which step did the trick but I did the following:

- Removed VPN from both devices

- Removed my old phone from the beta program and updated to 17.0.1

- Turned off iMessage in the cloud on both devices, restarted and turned back on

All of a sudden my 15 pro said syncing messages at the bottom of iMessage. Now the old messages are loading and images are available to download from the cloud (found in message info panel)

Hope these steps fix it for anyone else struggling.

Are your photos loading in the iMessage photo gallery? And do they go back further than recent?

Everyone reading this thread, please call Apple Support and ask for senior tech support. I have done this and reported the issue and hoping the engineers will fix this. The more people that call in to report to Apple, the more likely it is they will fix this.

They can’t fix it if they don’t know about it. Please call Apple Support and report the bug

Thank you!

 

[ios3]

I tried the turn off Siri and search turn off and toggle messages on and off to force reactivation. It didn’t help.

I had my phone plugged in all night last night. I’ll try plugging it in again all night tonight.

Thank you for your help!

Hey, Apple if you are reading this thread, please fix this iOS bug!

You’re welcome! I’m sorry I couldn’t resolve the main issue you had, but at least we got your messages all transferred.

I doubt Apple reads these threads, but you (and anyone else experiencing this bug!) should report to Apple using this link below, and contact Apple via the Apple Support app to report the bug.

Feedback - Messages for iOS and iPadOS - Apple

 

[Harryhaj]

Are your photos loading in the iMessage photo gallery? And do they go back further than recent?

Everyone reading this thread, please call Apple Support and ask for senior tech support. I have done this and reported the issue and hoping the engineers will fix this. The more people that call in to report to Apple, the more likely it is they will fix this.

They can’t fix it if they don’t know about it. Please call Apple Support and report the bug

Thank you!

iMessage photo gallery? The messages now go back right to the start (2010) and all photos are available to download from the cloud.

Spoke to apple 3 times re: this, all useless advice. Hope you can get somewhere trying the steps I tried

 

[Maxell]

iMessage photo gallery? The messages now go back right to the start (2010) and all photos are available to download from the cloud.

Spoke to apple 3 times re: this, all useless advice. Hope you can get somewhere trying the steps I tried

I don’t have VPN on either phone. iMessage is already off in iCloud on old phone. I have tried to toggle iMessage in iCloud on iPhone 15 and restarted phone and it does say “syncing with iCloud” when it comes back on BUT nothing appears. You got lucky! I’m hoping that the next iOS update will fix this issue.

 

[Randalpaul]

I don’t have VPN on either phone. iMessage is already off in iCloud on old phone. I have tried to toggle iMessage in iCloud on iPhone 15 and restarted phone and it does say “syncing with iCloud” when it comes back on BUT nothing appears. You got lucky! I’m hoping that the next iOS update will fix this issue.

 

[Randalpaul]

I've been having these issues for the last three phones. 50 + hours with tech support over three years promises the next update will solve our issues to no avail. I had a follow-up call today and they said that I need to keep the phone plugged in for 72 hours on strong Wi-Fi (I have 980 download speed) before they will escalate back to the engineers that previously promised the fix on each release. This is mind-blowing that we can't get a fix. As mentioned in prior posts I have tried every single suggested fix and still have nothing but the few photos that populated in a handful of messages Let's not give up!

 

[Maxell]

I've been having these issues for the last three phones. 50 + hours with tech support over three years promises the next update will solve our issues to no avail. I had a follow-up call today and they said that I need to keep the phone plugged in for 72 hours on strong Wi-Fi (I have 980 download speed) before they will escalate back to the engineers that previously promised the fix on each release. This is mind-blowing that we can't get a fix. As mentioned in prior posts I have tried every single suggested fix and still have nothing but the few photos that populated in a handful of messages Let's not give up!

72 hours plugged in is ridiculous. That means you have to leave the phone in one place for three days. And you know it won’t make any difference anyway.

I spoke to Apple tonight and amazingly the woman (senior tech level) said she saw two reports called in today on this exact issue. She told me to wait two days and then call back and see what the engineers say. The other two reports have been escalated to the engineers.

 

[ios3]

There was an iOS update today, did you guys get notified for it?

 

[Randalpaul]

Great news. Maybe it's becoming more widespread.