Hello there, TinyFirefly.
It sounds like you're finding that the restore from an iCloud backup of your iPhone is taking a long time. The following Knowledge Base article offers up some great information to keep in mind, when that is the case:
If you need help restoring from an iCloud backup - Apple Support
Restoring from a backup might take a while because of the size of the backup or the speed of the Wi-Fi network. For example, iCloud can take approximately 1 to 4 hours per gigabyte during a restore process.
There are several steps you can take:
- In iOS 8 or later, check the progress of the transfer on your device under Settings > iCloud > Backup. In iOS 7, go to Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup. If the restore process is underway, the iCloud Backup setting is dimmed.
- Make sure that your device is connected to the Internet with reliable Wi-Fi.
- Make sure that your device is plugged in to a power outlet.
- Check the Apple progress bar that appears while transferring a backup.
Additionally, you can find some useful information about your Photos here:
Get help finding missing information in iCloud after restoring an iOS device - Apple Support
In iOS 8.1 or later with iCloud Photo Library turned on, your photos and videos are stored in iCloud. They aren’t included in your iCloud backup. After you restore your device, connect to Wi-Fi and turn on iCloud Photo Library by going to Settings > iCloud > Photos. Your photos and videos will begin to download.
If you’re using iOS 8.1 or later and haven’t turned on iCloud Photo Library, or if you’re using iOS 7, iCloud backup includes photos and videos in your Photo Library or Camera Roll. They’ll download to your iOS device when you restore.
- Photos in My Photo Stream are already stored in iCloud, so they aren’t part of your backup. iCloud stores the photos that you uploaded to My Photo Stream for 30 days. To keep these photos on your device and make them part of your backups, save these photos to your Photo Library, Camera Roll, or another album.
- To view a My Photo Stream album, make sure My Photo Stream is turned on in Settings (If you use iCloud Photo Library, the My Photo Stream folder is removed).
- To recover photos that originally synced to your device from your computer, sync your device using iTunes on a computer.
- To restore Photo Library (or Camera Roll) photos to an iPhone or iPod touch, the iCloud backup must be from an iPhone or iPod touch. To restore Photo Library (or Camera Roll) photos to an iPad, the iCloud backup must be from an iPad.
Thanks for being a part of Apple Support Communities.
Kind Regards.
