Back Up Your Text Messages on Android with These 5 Tools
Hey there! Today, I want to talk to you about a topic that will make your life easier – backing up your text messages on your Android phone. It’s happened to me before, you know – losing important text messages that I wanted to keep forever. So, I did some research and found these 5 amazing tools that will help you keep your text messages safe and sound. Let’s dive in!
Tool #1: SMS Backup & Restore
This handy tool allows you to easily back up and restore your text messages. It’s user-friendly and offers various options for customization. Whether you want to back up all your messages or just some specific ones, SMS Backup & Restore has got you covered. It even lets you schedule automatic backups, so you don’t have to worry about manually doing it.
Tool #2: Google Drive
If you’re a fan of cloud storage, Google Drive is the perfect tool for you. It not only allows you to back up your text messages but also syncs them across your devices. So, whether you’re switching to a new phone or simply want to access your messages on your computer, Google Drive has got you covered.
Tool #3: SMS Backup+
This nifty tool not only backs up your text messages but also keeps them in sync with your Gmail account. It’s simple to set up and offers a seamless experience. Plus, with its search functionality, you can easily find specific messages when you need them.
Tool #4: Titanium Backup
For the tech-savvy individuals out there, Titanium Backup is the way to go. It not only backs up your text messages but also backs up your entire phone. So, if you’re looking for an all-in-one solution, this tool will definitely impress you. Just be mindful that it requires your device to be rooted.
Tool #5: SMS Backup & Restore (A new take)
Lastly, there’s an alternative version of SMS Backup & Restore – one that allows you to back up your text messages to the cloud. With this tool, you can rest easy knowing that your messages are being safely stored in the cloud. It’s a convenient option if you prefer cloud backups over local ones.
So, there you have it – 5 incredible tools to help you back up your text messages on your Android phone. Now, you don’t have to worry about losing those precious messages. Give them a try and see which one suits your needs the best. Happy backing up!
If I were to pinpoint one area where Android is lagging behind iOS, it would be user backups. Unlike iOS, which has iCloud to seamlessly sync most of your phone’s data online, many Android devices lack a similar native service. Sure, Google’s own Pixel devices sync with Google Drive when you sign in to your Google account, but most third-party Android devices, including those from Samsung, leave you on your own when it comes to managing your texts. And even phones with their own backup service often don’t allow you to restore texts if you switch to a different manufacturer’s Android device. So, if you decide to ditch your Galaxy S9 for a Google Pixel 2 XL or the new LG G7, Samsung’s backup tool is useless on your new device.
Thankfully, most people opt for backup services from the Play Store due to their versatility and reliability across phone models. Some of these backup apps have been around since the days of Android 2.1 Froyo and continue to receive updates. They also save their files in open file formats, like XML, making it easy for you to transfer and protect them on different devices. Of course, no message backup service is flawless, and you can still lose text messages if you fail to properly back up your content. But for most users, using a trusted third-party backup service from the Play Store is the way to go if you want to keep your meaningful messages from loved ones safe and sound.
Now, finding the best text message backup apps on the Play Store can be a challenge. With countless backup applications available, it’s time-consuming to find the one that suits your needs. Some backup apps haven’t changed their design since the early days of Android, while others haven’t been updated since 2016 or earlier, making them challenging to use on newer versions of Android. Don’t let subpar backup apps jeopardize your messages. Make sure you choose a reliable backup app by considering the five apps we recommend below. We extensively tested each of them on a Pixel 2 XL, so you can trust that they are up to date and worth installing on your device. These are our favorite and most trusted backup apps for Android.
SMS Backup & Restore
Android
For years, there’s been one standout backup app that remains unbeatable: SMS Backup & Restore. This app has been around since the Ice Cream Sandwich days of Android, making it a veteran in the world of text message backups. With SMS Backup & Restore, making backups, scheduling reminders, and transferring texts to new devices has never been easier.
What sets SMS Backup & Restore apart isn’t a flashy design or an overwhelming number of features. Instead, it’s the app’s simplicity that makes it a winner. Unlike its competitors, SMS Backup & Restore focuses on getting the basics right. And boy, does it deliver.
So what makes SMS Backup & Restore the ultimate tool for your smartphone? Let me break it down for you:
First things first: If you’re someone who keeps up with Android news, you might have come across SMS Backup & Restore a few times over the past couple of years. The app has gone through a couple of ownership changes. Initially, it was sold by its original creators in early 2016 to Carbonite, a popular online backup service. Then, towards the end of 2017, it was sold once again to SyncTech, an Australian-based company. Now, I understand that this might make new users skeptical about the app’s future, but let me assure you that from what we’ve seen, the new owners are supporting the app well and your data is safe and secure. Plus, if privacy is a concern for you, there’s an option to create local backups to keep your files protected.
One of the great things that happened after Carbonite acquired the app before it was sold was that they improved its user interface. The newer design looks more in line with what you’d expect from a modern app in 2018. Now, I don’t mean to say that the app’s graphics are groundbreaking, but they definitely don’t look out of place on your phone. Once you’ve installed the app and allowed the necessary permissions for backing up your data, you’ll be greeted with the backup display. If you’re a new user, the display will indicate that you haven’t created a backup yet. It’ll show you the number of SMS messages and call logs that have or haven’t been backed up.
On the left side of the screen, there’s a sliding menu with different options. This menu lets you do some important tasks with your messages. You can create a backup of your messages, restore old conversations, view your list of backups, and even transfer messages and calls between phones using the app on both devices. This transfer feature is especially useful when you upgrade to a new phone that doesn’t support wired transfers.
When you start a backup, the app will show you various choices. First, it will ask you what you want to back up within the app. You can choose to back up your text messages and call log. The app will also let you know how many messages are still unbacked up on your device. If it’s your first time backing up, there may be a large number of messages, especially if you use SMS as your main way of communicating with others.
In the advanced options menu, you can decide whether or not to include media in your messages. This includes photos, videos, and even group messages. There’s also an option to include emojis. By default, both of these options are enabled, and it’s best to keep them that way. Otherwise, you might end up losing some of your content during the backup. Finally, if you have a large collection of messages from years ago that you don’t need, you can choose to only back up a specific number of messages.
When you move to the next page, you’ll have the chance to choose where your files will be stored as a backup. You have plenty of options to pick from, so you can decide the best place for your files. By default, Google Drive is already set up and connected to your account when you first sign in to the app. If you want to make changes, simply tap on “Configure” to adjust where your files will go within Google Drive. You can choose a specific folder for your backup XML files instead of saving them to the main folder. It’s a simple change that gives you more control.
In the app settings, there are more choices available. You can choose to automatically delete backups that are older than a certain amount of time. This helps keep your feed organized and tidy, without old backups cluttering up the space. Besides Google Drive, you also have the option to upload your backups to Dropbox and OneDrive for cloud storage. This way, you can access your files from anywhere. And don’t forget, you can always keep local copies safely stored on your phone.
If you want to back up your text messages, you should set up SMS Backup to save your XML files to both a cloud service and a local copy. It’s important to mention that this screen also lets you choose how your phone backs up to the internet. By default, your device will wait until it’s connected to WiFi to upload the file to Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive. You have the option to disable this feature and only upload when your phone is charging. These options make it easy for you to control how your phone manages your data backup to the cloud. This is especially useful if you want to avoid using up too much mobile data or draining your battery life while using your phone.
Before you activate the backup, you’ll come across one last settings screen. With SMS Backup & Restore, it’s a breeze to set up recurring backups that quietly happen in the background of your device. This means you don’t even need to worry about the backup taking place. By default, recurring backups are scheduled for 2 o’clock in the morning. This time is chosen to ensure that you never miss any important text messages. However, you have the freedom to set the backup for any time that suits you. While hourly backups may seem a bit excessive, opting for daily or weekly backups gives you the peace of mind of never losing a text from your loved ones again. And of course, if recurring backups aren’t your thing, you always have the option to disable them. It’s all about what works best for you.
Once you’ve finished adjusting your settings, simply click the “Back Up Now” button to start backing up your SMS and call logs. Before, it used to take a long time to back up SMS messages, but now the app is much quicker. Most SMS messages are backed up instantly, while MMS messages may take a few minutes (the app can still back up around 100 MMS messages per minute). So, if you have a lot of group texts or photo messages, it might take a while. However, if you use your phone regularly for regular SMS and group chats, you’ll have a smooth backup experience.
Once the backup is complete, it will be quickly verified and uploaded to Google Drive. The time it takes for this depends on your internet speed. In our test, it only took a couple of minutes. This app is surprisingly fast compared to its previous versions, making it the obvious choice for SMS backup. It’s important to note that you don’t need to keep the app open during the backup process. Your messages will be backed up in the background and you’ll be notified when it’s done.
When it’s all said and done, an SMS backup app is basically just a practical tool that needs to do its job quickly and without any hassle. That’s exactly what SMS Backup & Restore is designed to do: it has a sleek and modern appearance, which is really all that matters for a utility app. This app has everything you need for SMS backup, including support for MMS and call logs, the ability to save and restore photos, schedule backups, and transfer data between phones. It’s also incredibly fast – in fact, it’s one of the fastest backup apps with MMS support that we’ve come across. While all five apps on this list are great options, if you want the obvious and simplest choice, go for SMS Backup & Restore.
