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When you switch to a new device without transferring data, you can lose your important messages. It can also happen for various other reasons, such as malware or software issues. Since messages are stored on the device, they may disappear if a reset is performed or the device malfunctions. Yet, iCloud allows retrieving lost messages on Apple devices and ensures that important conversations are not permanently erased.

There are a few different ways by which users can restore or transfer their conversations through this cloud storage service. To help you out, this guide will explain how to recover text messages from iCloud using two different methods. In addition, we will share an advanced backup and restore tool that allows transferring your data from iCloud to Android phones.

Recommended reading: What if you need to restore permanently deleted photos from iCloud? Read the other article to find out solutions.
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In this article

Part 1. Is It Possible to Restore Messages from iCloud to Android or iPhone?

Messages stored in cloud backups cannot be transferred directly to an Android device because Apple’s backup system is not compatible with other platforms. While you can use many third-party software for this purpose, there is no official method for restoring messages to another operating system. Therefore, users switching to Android should use a reliable tool to transfer their messages before making the transition to avoid losing important data.

It is relatively simple to transfer your messages if the device is part of Apple's ecosystem. Users can reset the phone and restore messages from iCloud during setup or sync them manually by logging into the cloud on another device. Moreover, this cloud service ensures that stored messages are successfully retrieved on all iOS devices without any problem.

Part 2. How to Check iCloud Backup Availability to Ensure Messages Are Stored

Before attempting to recover messages, it is important to check whether they are included in a backup. Since cloud backups do not save data unless the feature is enabled, users must verify their settings. Additionally, message recovery will not be possible if no backup is available. Therefore, follow these steps to confirm its availability before you retrieve messages from iCloud backup:

Step 1: Access your “Apple Account” options in the “Settings” app and select “iCloud” from the new screen. Afterward, you need to press the “See All” option to get a detailed list of the apps using the cloud services.
access icloud and see all options
Step 2: From the given options, go to the “Messages in iCloud” and confirm if the “Use on this iPhone” option is enabled.
toggle use messages on this iphone

Part 3. How to Recover Text Messages from iCloud Backup [Full Restoration]

After verifying that the message backup is available, you can then restore it to your device. Nevertheless, note that restoring messages through a comprehensive backup demands a device reset, which will erase all data on the device. After the reset, users can recover all data, inclusive of messages, from the backup stored in the cloud. Utilize these steps to learn how to restore SMS from iCloud via this approach:

Step 1: Make your way to phone settings and access the “General” tab from the main screen. Following that, scroll down to the very end and hit the “Transfer or Reset iPhone” option.
transfer or reset iphone settings
Step 2: Here, opt for the “Erase All Content and Settings” button and enter your mobile passcode for confirmation. As you move past that, tap “Continue” to conclude the erasure of your iDevice.
continue to erase all content
Step 3: Once the phone is restored to its default, start setting it up to approach the “Transfer Your Apps & Data” screen. Now, tap the “Restore From iCloud Backup” option and select the targeted backup after logging in to get back your texts.
restore from icloud backup and login
Tip: For those who want to read text messages from iCloud on the computer for a clearer view, we also have solutions. Check out the other article for steps>>

Part 4. How to Recover Text Messages from iCloud Manually via Settings

Instead of resetting the phone, users can also retrieve messages manually by signing into their cloud account on another device. By enabling message syncing, all stored messages will reappear on the new device. This method is useful when switching to a new phone or accessing messages without performing a full reset. With the steps given below, you will be able to learn how to retrieve old text messages from iCloud:

Step 1: To commence, access “Apple Account” from settings, choose the "Sign in Manually" option, and enter your credentials on the following screen. Once done, tap the "Continue" button and move on with the process.
manually sign in and continue
Step 2: Enter the code received on your other iOS device and complete the login process by entering your device’s password. After you’re logged in, access your “Apple Account” option from your device’s settings.
complete log in to apple account
Step 3: Here, you need to select the “iCloud” option and then select the “Messages” app. Make sure the “Use on this iPhone” option is toggled on to access your messages on this device.
locate messages from icloud settings

Pro Tip. How to Transfer Your Important iCloud Data to Android

Now that you have retrieved messages from iCloud backup to iPhone, let's learn to securely move your data from iCloud to an Android device. Since the transferring process is not supported by the operating system by default, you will need help from advanced data-transferring tools. For this purpose, the MobileTrans App is the ideal option as it allows moving all types of iCloud data to Android, including messages and media files.

In addition to the capability of transferring data from cloud storage, users are able to transfer files from iOS devices to Android devices and conversely. The application employs QR code connections, which serve to maintain the security of your data by preventing access or theft by third-party entities. Plus, you don't need the internet as it creates its own local network for device connections.

Key Features

  1. WhatsApp Transfer: You can migrate your messaging app along with its conversations and media files to the new phone.
  2. Wired Transfers: To further secure your data, the app supports transferring files using a USB cable.
  3. Merge Backup: The app also allows merging old and new data while switching to a different phone.
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Support various data, including files, photos, videos, apps, contacts, etc.
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Compatible with thousands of device types acorss Android and iOS.
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Transfer photos, music, contacts, text messages and more from iCloud to Android.
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Ultimate Guide to Transfer Important iCloud Data to Android

After learning how to retrieve old text messages from iCloud and the advanced features of the MobileTrans App, let’s see the steps to use it. Thus, follow the guide outlined below to securely move your important data from iCloud to an Android phone:

Step 1: Upon installing and launching the app on the Android phone, go to the “Phone Transfer” tab from the bottom menu. Afterward, tap the “iCloud to Android” transfer feature to move on with the process.
move with icloud to android feature
Step 2: Now, you need to enter the credentials of your iCloud account and press the “Sign in” button to log in. Afterward, verify the login and subscribe to a plan to continue with the data transfer.
sign in to icloud on phone
Step 3: Now, choose the data types that you need to transfer and press” Import” to start moving them from iCloud to your new Android device.
select data and tap import

Apart from using the mobile app to restore data from iCloud, you can also access this feature in MobileTrans, the desktop solution. It comes with additional features, like local data backup and restore, for users' convenience. You can learn about using it to move data from your iCloud to an Android phone with these steps:

Step 1: Access the “iCloud to Phone” transfer feature in the “Phone Transfer” tab and log in to your iCloud account.
choose icloud to phone phone transfer
Step 2: After connecting your Android to the computer, choose the data and press “Restore to Device” to move the desired iCloud data.
select content before pressing start
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Part 5. Preventive Measures to Avoid Future Message Loss from iPhone

As the above methods explain how to recover text messages from iCloud, you can see how complicated the process is. Therefore, follow the preventive measures given below to avoid losing your conversations in the future:

  1. Enable Backups: You should turn on automatic backups, as it ensures that messages are regularly saved. It reduces the risk of permanent data loss and automatically stores new messages in cloud storage.
  2. Sync Messages: Enabling message syncing ensures that texts are stored in real time and accessible across all linked devices. When this feature is active, messages are updated instantly, which eliminates the need for a full device restoration.
  3. Use a Secondary Backup: It is a good idea to save messages on another platform since relying solely on iCloud is risky. Users can export important conversations to a computer, external storage, or a different cloud service.
  4. Avoid Resets: A factory reset will erase all your data, including messages not saved in a backup, so avoid it. Before resetting, always confirm your messages are backed up.
  5. Update Software: Device updates help ensure backups function properly and prevent software issues that can cause data loss. System updates commonly bring improvements to mobile functions, which reduces the possibility of backups failing.

Conclusion

To conclude, you can ensure important conversations are never lost by learning how to recover text messages from iCloud. Users can restore messages through a full device reset or sync them manually on another device. To prevent future loss, users should enable automatic backups and sync messages across devices. Additionally, it is better to use a secondary method, like the MobileTrans mobile app and the software, for additional security.

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