Links on Super Easy may earn us a commission. Our Editorial Guideline.

How to Backup and Restore SMS on Android | The Only Guide You Need

SMS backup and restore

This post shows you how to backup and restore SMS in your Android device, even if you have deleted SMS text messages without a backup.

Try these methods

Here are the ways to backup and restore SMS in Android devices.

  1. Backup and restore via the built-in backup feature
  2. Backup and restore via SMS Backup & Restore
  3. Backup and restore via dr.fone

Note: If you want to recover the deleted SMS but haven’t backed up, you should try Method 3.

Method 1: Backup and restore via the built-in backup feature

Since Android 8.0 released, Google has improved the system backup feature, so you can now choose to back up your SMS in your Android device.

Google has allowed to back up SMS since Android Nougat, but only on Google Pixel devices. For other Android devices, it requires Android 8.0. But some may fail to back up SMS via the system backup because of your carrier.

Here’s what you need to do:

1) Open the Settings app in your Android device.

2) Go to System > Backup.

3) You’ll see a list of items available to backup. Turn on SMS backup.

4) A notification pops up saying “Backup includes messages sent and received. This does not include MMS media.”, then tap Got It.

Then your SMS will be backed up to Google Drive.

When you want to restore SMS from your Google Driver backup, follow these steps:

1) Open the Google Drive application.

2) Tap the Menu button.

3) Tap Backups.

4) Choose the backup you want then follow the prompted instructions to restore.

Method 2: Backup and restore via SMS Backup & Restore

If you want to back up your SMS:

1) Download and install SMS Backup & Restore in your Android device.

2) Open SMS Backup & Restore.

3) Tap Set Up A Backup.

4) Tap Messages to turn on, then tap Advanced Options.

5) Turn on Media, pictures, videos, group messages (MMS), and Emojis & special characters. Then tap Next.

6) Choose a place where you want to save your backup messages:  Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Your phone. In my case I choose Google Drive. Then tap Next. You’ll need to log in your Google Drive account for the first time.

7) Turn on Schedule recurring backups, then choose Daily, Weekly, or Hourly.

8) Tap Back Up Now.

9) Wait for a while to finish the backup.

Then you’ll see a backup folder in your Google Drive.

If you want to restore your SMS:

1) Open SMS Backup & Restore in your Android device.

2) Tap the Menu button on the upper left.

3) Tap Restore.

4) Choose the location where you save your backups. In my case I choose Google Drive.

5) Choose what you would like to restore: Message or Phone calls or both.

6) Choose a backup you want to restore, then tap Restore.

If you have deleted your SMS without backing up, don’t worry. There are workarounds to recover your deleted SMS messages. Try Method 3.

Method 3: Backup and restore via dr.fone

SMS backup and restore requires time and patience. In most cases, if you didn’t back up your SMS and other data, you can restore from your data. But don’t worry. You can try this all-in-one solution to resolve your problems – dr.fone.

dr.fone is a powerful data management tool, allowing you to backup and restore your device data and application data, transfer your device data between mobile phones and computers, and recover your deleted data (including SMS and MMS) from your phones.

If you want to backup and restore your SMS:

1) Download and install dr.fone in your computer.

2) Launch dr.fone.

3) Connect your Android device with your computer. Then dr.fone will start to connecting.

4) Click Backup & Restore.

5) You’ll see three options on the left: Device Data Backup & Restore, WhatsApp Backup & Restore, Social App Data Backup & Restore. Choose the one you want.

6) Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process.

If you want to recover the deleted SMS in your Android device:

1) Download and install dr.fone in your computer.

2) Launch dr.fone.

3) Connect your Android device with your computer. Then dr.fone will start to connecting.

4) Once connected, click Recover – Recover data from your phone.

5) In the Recover from Android Device section, choose Messages & Attachments, then click Start Scan.

6) Wait for it to scan. This can take several minutes depending on your data size.

7) After scanning, check the box next to Messages and Message Attachments, then click Recover to Computer.

So there you have it. Hope this post helps you back up and restore your SMS on your Android device.

By Lillian Lai

Lillian, a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), is a technology enthusiast, longing to share the technical tips and solutions to computer problems. Also as a person who enjoys writing, she’s found the perfect match for writing and technology. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her either reading or playing mobile games.

Contributor(s):

0 0 votes
Article Rating
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Failed to load the Search bar. Please refresh the page and try again.
Click here to reload
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x