Back Up and Restore Text Messages on an Android Device

5 Parts:

Install SMS Backup & Restore

Back Up Text Messages on Android

Restore Text Messages on Android

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Sending and receiving text messages is something pretty much every Android device owner does fairly frequently. In fact, a lot of people rarely talk on their phone because texting is quicker and sometimes more convenient. Because texting is so popular, we sometimes forget that there is valuable information contained within our conversations. This is why it's a good idea to back up your messages from time-to-time. Messaging on Android has been spotty at times over the years, and you never know when your device could be damaged, stolen, or lost. If you've ever lost your text messages, you know very well just how unpleasant it is not to have backed them up.

In the following VisiHow tutorial, we're going to walk through the steps for backing up and restoring text messages. For this guide, we used a Google Pixel running Android Oreo, and a free app called SMS Backup & Restore.

**Please Note**

Android Oreo allows users to back up their SMS messages via system settings. At this point, it only offers the ability to back up basic SMS, not MMS or special characters (Emoji).

1. 1
   On the home screen, swipe up to access your app drawer.

   

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2. 2
   From your app drawer, tap the "Play Store" shortcut.

   

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3. 3
   Once inside the Play Store, type "SMS backup & restore" (without the quotes) into the search box. You should land directly on the app's info page but if you don't, tap the first link when the search results populate.

   

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4. 4
   Once on the app's info screen, tap the green "INSTALL" button.

   

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5. 5
   When SMS Backup & Restore has finished installing, tap the green "OPEN" button, then head the next section of this tutorial.

   

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1. 1
   On the Welcome screen, tap "GET STARTED".

   

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2. 2
   Next, you will be prompted to grant the app access to your contacts. Tap "ALLOW" to continue.

   

   Do the same for the remaining three permission requests.

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3. 3
   Once you allowed all the permissions, tap the "SET UP A BACKUP" button.

   

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4. 4
   On the Set Up Backup screen, select either Messages, Phones calls, or both by toggling the switch next to each. For additional backup settings, tap "ADVANCED OPTIONS".

   

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5. 5
   With ADVANCED OPTIONS expanded, you can choose to backup MMS (images, videos), as well as special characters and Emoji. You can also choose to back up select conversations, or all your messages.

   

   Once you know what you want to back up, tap "NEXT".

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6. 6
   The next screen is where you select the location you want to back up your messages to. The options are; Google Drive, Dropbox, or Your Phone.

   

   It is recommended that you use one of the cloud services. This will ensure your messages will be accessible in the event your device is lost or damaged. For our example, we opted to backup our messages on the device.

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7. 7
   Once you've where you want your messages backed up, you can choose to enable scheduled backups. For additional scheduling settings, tap "ADVANCED OPTIONS".

   

   When you're happy with your scheduling options, tap "BACK UP NOW".

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8. 8
   When the backup process is finished, you'll see a message that says; "Backup complete".

   

   To restore your messages, head to the next section of this guide.

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1. 1
   Open SMS Backup & Restore from either your home screen or app tray.

   
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