How To Backup Text Messages Android

[Colby DuLin]

3Accept permission for the app to access your phone information.

It will request access to contacts, make and manage phone calls, your phone call logs, access photos, media and files, and send and view SMS messages on your device.

6. Choose how, when and how often to back up your text messages.

Once in, you can choose how often to delete backups whether to back up over Wi-Fi and how often you want your backups to occur.

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Our smartphones hold countless conversations and memories. There's a risk of losing messages due to a lost, stolen, or malfunctioning phone. Similarly, you'll want to move your messages when you sell your old phone or perform a factory reset. Backing up your Android text messages preserves your communications. Whether you have a top-selling phone or an affordable Android handset, the process is the same. You can also automate your SMS backup to safeguard your messages.

You can restore backed-up data (including SMS messages) after the initial setup of a new phone. The simplest way to do so is to look for the "Finish setting up" notification at the top of the settings panel. When you tap the Finish Setup button, it performs the same restoration maneuver it would on the initial setup. This can include restoring previously backed-up SMS messages from your devices.

The data is stored in Google Drive as a part of Android's automatic backups. You can view the backups via the Android app, but not the contents. To start the backup process, go into your phone settings. Tap Settings > System > Backup. You can also use the search function in Settings to find Backup. SMS backups created this way can't be easily copied or moved and don't include MMS media.

The built-in system is useful and automatic. Still, there isn't a way to start the restoration process manually or view the backed-up contents. For instance, you can't read those messages off-device, and you can't save them long-term. The backups expire, and you can't set them aside permanently. This automatic system might not fit your needs.

Several apps can back up and restore your SMS messages with better utility. Two of the best free apps in this category are SMS Backup+ and SMS Backup & Restore. Both let you back up and view your messages with more control than the default system.

If you want to move your messages (without having local access to them), SMS Backup+ is your best choice. This open source app allows you to automatically back up your SMS, MMS, and call history to your Gmail account. It presents your messages in Gmail using a convenient "SMS" label and displays them in the same format as email conversations. This method makes your messages accessible anywhere via phone, computer, or tablet.

Google changed how SMS Backup+ signs in and integrates with Gmail by default as a result of changes to the API settings. You can still use the app, but it requires a different setup process than before.

Google gives you a randomly generated 16-character password. Handle it as carefully as your regular password. Don't write it on a note and stick it on your monitor. Don't copy it to Google Drive or Keep. This password grants access to your Google account without the security of two-factor authentication. Treat it like something that would ruin your life if it fell into the wrong hands.

The backup process for SMS Backup+ is slow. That isn't much of a problem, as messages only need to be backed up once (and it often takes place without being prompted). It's more of a concern if you use the system for a one-time migration between devices. If that's your intention, the next app might suit your needs better.

To restore backups on another device, swipe from the left edge to pull up the navigation menu and select Restore. You can also use the Transfer option, which sends files from app to app over Wi-Fi. If you perform a restore with a local file, make sure it was copied to the device.

SMS Backup & Restore has other features for performing and maintaining scheduled backups. The advantages of Gmail storage, conversation view, and one-at-a-time backups in SMS Backup+ may be more useful for those seeking a versatile tool. With larger backup sizes and no easy way to view them online, SMS Backup & Restore is more suited to one-time backups or migrations.

The features introduced by RCS chat have improved texting on Android. If you don't see the appeal of SMS, WhatsApp might be the texting app for you. You can make free voice and video calls, send large documents, and use it on a desktop. Looking for more options? Check out the best free texting apps.

Whatever your reasons for wanting to backup or transfer messages from your Android phone, we've got you covered. This article explains how to back up text messages to a Windows PC, export WhatsApp messages, and create a full backup of your Android device to your Google account.

For full control of your messages, you'll need to export them to your computer. Backing up with the other methods covered in this article is great if you should need to restore your messages in the future. However, if you wish to view your messages via your PC, export or print your conversations, you'll need to use a third-party app to help.

For this method, we'll use the excellent Droid Transfer software for PC alongside the Transfer Companion app. Droid Transfer not only copies SMS and MMS messages from your Android to your computer but also manages and transfers other data like music, photos, and contacts.

The great thing about Droid Transfer is that you can save all message conversations at once, as well as one at a time. Droid Transfer ensures that all MMS media like photos and videos are copied along with your messages.

You may also be interested to know that you can perform regular backups of your Android to your Google Account. Google One (Google's cloud storage and device backup solution) is free to use, however you may wish to upgrade your account if you run out of space (15GB with a free account).

This method is great for making regular, automatic backups of your Android, but there are a couple of drawbacks. You can't view the full content of your backups (use Droid Transfer in Method 1 for full access to your backed up content). Also, the backups can expire if you don't use your device for a while (57 days, to be precise), so it's possible that you could lose your data when you need it most.

You can then check that your backup has completed by going to the Google One website. Ensure that you're logged into your Google Account and click the "Storage" section on the left of the screen. Here you can see how much space you have available after your Google Drive, Gmail and Google Photos content.

Select your device backup, then click "See details". Here you'll see information all about your backup: Device name, when the backup was made, all the content backed up, as well as how much data was backed up in each category.

Backing up your messages in this way enables you to restore your WhatsApp messages to your phone if anything should happen to it. You can even use the backup to restore your messages and media to another phone!

For the best experience with the most control over your Android content, go for Droid Transfer. You can view your Android messages on your PC, choose exactly what messages and conversations to back up, and save them in your choice of formats. This is the method to use if you want to be able to look back and read your exported messages.

For a full backup of your device, use Google One. If you lose or damage your device, you'll be able to restore your messages to a new device. However, you'll be unable to access each conversation and view the messages.

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