iMessages not in iPhone but all in iPad

• Enabled to keep messages 'forever' --> When did you enable this feature? 2017
• ALL my messages disappeared from my iPhone --> Are you using the correct Apple ID? Yes, only have one.
• Cloud is enabled, --> Is iCloud enabled on both the devices? Yes
• have the latest update (OS14.4) --> Good. :)
• restarted the devices --> Still not solved --> Force restart iPhone - Apple Support - I have restarted the phone this way already though it was not frozen or stuck.
• turned on and off iMessage --> Is iMessage activated? Can you please check that? Mere Off and On sometime does not activate iMessage Yes it is. Messages are blue when sent to iPhone users and green when using regular text. Is there another way to check this? Please let me know how.
• The Send & Receive setting is exactly the same in both devices --> It can't be. On one, you would have enabled the iPad and on the other iPhone must have been enabled. Of course, but they have been linked to each other since I had them; with the cell number on the iPhone being first under this list, and my email second in both devices
• I am sure others have the same issue --> I am unable to understand this. Meaning, someone else in the world must have this same issue as do I; so hopefully there are some answers to what am I doing wrong.

Thanks for reading this :D

It was a storage issue. iCloud was full. Deleted some photos and voilà.