Restore after factory reset gone bad

[TonyGSD]

S21 Ultra was acting buggy, so I decided to do a factory reset to try to fix it. (It didn't)

I backed up everything on my google drive and on my Samsung account.

Long story short, it's a PITA to restore a factory-reset phone compared to a new device. I wish I would've just upgraded to the S24 Ultra and never attempted the cloud backup / restore on the old device.

Anyway, I lost my notes (the app on Samsungs) in the restore process. I cannot find anything on google drive, and the Samsung account restore did not bring them back, either. Since the reset didn't help my phone issues, I bought a new S24 Ultra but am unsure of the best way to set it up; I'd like to try to locate and restore my notes, first.

Do google drive backups save the "Notes" app data? The backup I selected said it did backup app data.

Why didn't my Samsung account backup/restore save the Notes? Is there a way to verify they exist somewhere in the cloud, or try to specifically restore them now? 

[LongHiker]

@TonyGSD Samsung Notes syncs to the Samsung Cloud. You have to enable this inside of Samsung Notes settings.

This is separate from the Samsung Cloud backup in phone settings -> Accounts and backup -> (Samsung Cloud) Back up data. 

[TonyGSD]

Well that's good to know, it was turned off, so it's now on.

How can I restore a temporary backup from my Samsung account? Samsung cloud app is no longer available, apparently. I can log into my Samsung account and see a temporary backup that will expire in 19 days, but nowhere on the phone can I see any restore options. It's as if they can only be done while setting up the phone. 

[LongHiker]

@TonyGSD To restore from a Samsung account backup, go to phone settings -> Accounts and backup -> (Samsung cloud) Restore data 

[TonyGSD]

Restore Data is not an option I see; only manage accounts, back up data, then (Smart Switch) transfer data for device setup, external storage transfer.

[realaud]

You do not get this screen?

[TonyGSD]

Nope. Samsung Cloud app has been discontinued apparently, and is not on my phone, or downloadable.

[LongHiker]

@TonyGSD The app is still on the Galaxy Store. 

Do you have a Samsung account signed in at phone settings -> Accounts and backup -> Manage accounts ?

[TonyGSD]

Yes, my Samsung account is logged in. Searching the Galaxy store, Samsung Cloud is not listed as an available app download.

[TonyGSD]

Apparently, this is only an issue for Verizon customers?