What Does Downloading Messages from iCloud Mean in iOS 17/16/15?

What does downloading messages from iCloud Mean? Why does it say downloading messages from iCloud? This article will answer your questions.

Lena

By Lena / Updated on December 7, 2023

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iPhone 13 Says Downloading Messages from iCloud

In iMessage, my iPhone 13 keeps giving the message at the bottom of the screen: 'downloading messages from iCloud'. What does downloading messages from iCloud mean? It’s been almost 9 hours now, and it won’t go away, what do I do...

- Question from Apple Community

Are you experiencing the same problem as this user? Your iPhone is trying to download messages from iCloud, but it never seems to complete the download. Don’t worry too much, iCloud messages not syncing problems like stuck on downloading messages from iCloud can happen on any Apple device. This guide will tell you why does it say downloading messages from iCloud and what you can do to get rid of the message.

What Does Downloading Messages from iCloud Mean?

If you have the “Messages in iCloud” option enabled, then you may see this “Downloading Messages from iCloud...” message at the bottom of the screen.

Messages in iCloud is a great feature that helps us backup iPhone messages. All messages are saved in iCloud servers instead of on the device, which saves storage space on the iPhone. In addition, all messages will show up on any device that has Messages in iCloud enabled. In other words, when you receive a message on iPhone, it will show up on another iPhone or iPad. You can pick up any of your devices to see the latest messages you have received.

When you turn on Messages in iCloud on iPhone, it may take some time to download all messages stored in iCloud. However, sometimes the sync process can be interrupted, then you will see the “Downloading messages from iCloud” in Messages app.

Why Does It Say Downloading Messages from iCloud?

There are many situations that can cause the downloading messages from iCloud stuck issue. Here are some of the main reasons.

● Incorrect Apple ID. You may not be using the same Apple account on both devices, so messages cannot be synced smoothly.
● Poor network connection. iCloud sync requires a stable and active internet connection. Poor connectivity between your iPhone and the iCloud server will make it difficult to download messages.
● The iCloud server is down. There may be a problem with the Apple server, or the server may be under maintenance so your iPhone can’t access iCloud messages.
● Outdated iOS. Bugs and glitches of outdated software can cause unpredictable problems.
● Minor glitches on iPhone. Chances are that some software glitches may prevent you from downloading messages from iCloud.

What Can You Do When It Says Downloading Messages from iCloud?

iPhone is trying to download messages from iCloud but the process is interrupted so you see the “Downloading Messages from iCloud...” message. Depending on whether you want to sync messages or not, there are two solutions.

If you want to stop downloading messages from iCloud, you can simply go to Settings > your account > iCloud to turn off Messages. In this way, your iPhone will not download messages from iCloud and new messages received on another device will not show up on this iPhone.

Tips: After turning off messages in iCloud, the messages on iPhone will not be backed up to iCloud. You can refer to the next part to see how to backup your iPhone messages to computer.

If you want to sync messages between your devices, you can try to troubleshoot the problem to make iPhone download messages smoothly. You can refer to this Fix Downloading Messages from iPhone Stuck guide to learn more.

Bonus Tip: An Easy Way to Backup iPhone Messages

From above you know what does it mean when it says downloading messages from iCloud. If you want to get rid of the messages as soon as possible, you can choose to turn off Messages in iCloud option. However, after that, all iPhone messages will not be backed up to iCloud. Is there a way to backup iMessages without iCloud?

Yes! One easy-to-use iOS data management tool called FoneTool can help you save iPhone text messages and iMessages to computer. Below are its outstanding features.

★ Selectively Backup – It lets you preview and select the messages you want to backup.
★ Check Backup Files Any Time – It allows you to view the backup messages anytime you want.
★ Flexible Restore – It enables you to restore selected messages to any iPhone, iPad, iPod.
★ No Data Loss During Restore – It will not erase any existing messages or other data on the device.
★ Supports More Files – Besides messages, it also supports contacts, photos, music, videos, etc.

In short, FoneTool helps you easily backup and restore messages. The user-friendly interface makes it possible to complete the backup in a few clicks.

Steps to Backup iPhone Messages

1. Download, install and launch FoneTool > Connect your iPhone to computer using the USB cable.

2. When the FoneTool is launched, choose Selective Backup.

Custom Backup

3. Choose Messages. Select the messages you want to backup and click OK to continue.

Select Messages

4.  The selected messages will be listed. Choose a storage path to save(a local folder, external hard drive or USB flash drive). Finally, click Start Backup.

Start Backup

enlightened Besides data backup, FoneTool can also do:

Transfer photos, videos, music, contacts, etc. between iPhone and computer, between iPhone and another iPhone/iPad.

downloading messages from icloud

Manage iCloud and iCloud Drive data, you can download iCloud backups like photos, notes, contacts, videos, and other iCloud drive data to PC/iPhone/iPad.

downloading messages from icloud

Go for it now and discover more by yourself!

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Final Words

Hope you can find the answer to the question "what does downloading messages from iCloud mean" from this article. To get rid of the message, you can turn off Messages in iCloud to stop downloading messages from iCloud. Otherwise, you can try to troubleshoot the problem so that messages can be downloaded smoothly.