SMS Pics
Accidentally deleted a thread of SMS. Recovered nicely on iPhone but while iPad also recovered texts, no images showed up.
iPad Air 2 Wi-Fi
Pictures embedded in “SMS” actually requires use of MMS Messaging - this being a Carrier feature supported by iPhone. If your Messages App on both your iPhone and iPad are configured to backup to iCloud, then your MMS Messages might resynchronise between your devices.
Settings > [Your Name / AppleID] > iCloud > Messages - switch to ON.