SMS Backup Apps.

[nuraman00]

I've been using SMS Backup+ since 2016. However, in 2018, I noticed that it wasn't backing up ALL messages anymore. There were certain contacts it seemed to start skipping. I couldn't figure out why.

I tried emailing the developer, but never got a response.

Today I tried a few more apps.

* Droid Transfer. After doing the backup, I saw that it only saved the first 5 messages of conversations, in the free version.

If I buy the full version of the app, then it will back up the entire conversation. That costs $30. I haven't ruled this out yet, but wanted to see other options.

I liked the format that it created the backups in. The HTML files it generates, for every conversation, are easy to read. I can also see the images in each conversation too.

* SMS Backup and Restore.

It generated a XML file and backed it to my Google Drive. It was a single giant XML file for all of my messages.

I looked at the XML file. I didn't see whether it saved any pics. I couldn't tell if it did save them, in the format that it provided.

So because of that, I don't know if I like this app as much.

Not that space is a concern, but I saw that the XML file took 131 MB, whereas the Droid Backup one 22.2 MB (but also incomplete).

Are there any other apps which work on Android 6? Something that works well, backs up EVERYTHING (including media within the messages), and preferably is free or cheap, but if it's not, that's ok.

 

[Rukbat]

I looked at the XML file. I didn't see whether it saved any pics. I couldn't tell if it did save them, in the format that it provided.

Pics are MMS, not SMS, so an SMS backup app won;t back them up - but if you have sync enables (the default), the pictures (if you downloaded them when you got the texts) are at Google Photos.

Are there any other apps which work on Android 6? Something that works well, backs up EVERYTHING (including media within the messages)

Since there's no media within the messages, of course not. (All there is in the media is a link to the media on the carrier's server - which doesn't stay there for too long. Once you download it, the link should change to a link to the file on your phone. That should get backed up.)

 

[nuraman00]

Pics are MMS, not SMS, so an SMS backup app won;t back them up - but if you have sync enables (the default), the pictures (if you downloaded them when you got the texts) are at Google Photos.

Since there's no media within the messages, of course not. (All there is in the media is a link to the media on the carrier's server - which doesn't stay there for too long. Once you download it, the link should change to a link to the file on your phone. That should get backed up.)

Thanks.

SMS Backup+, which works by emailing the messages to the email account that you configure, did back up the pictures.

Droid Transfer, also saved the pictures within the conversations, in the HTML files that it generated, for each conversation.

For SMS Backup And Restore, if I go to Settings-->Backup Settings, there's an option for MMS. I had it enabled.

Therefore, when it generated the XML file of all of my messages, I expected the MMS to be there too.

Especially since I had the option enabled.

I see what you mean about the media not being within the messages. But regardless, the other two apps are extracting the pics from the conversations, and saving them.

It's just that I have an issue with each one.

With SMS Backup+, sometime around 2018, it stopped backing up EVERYTHING. It skips certain conversations. I tried to see if it was based on how that contact was created (whether through Google or SIM card), but couldn't draw a definitive conclusion.

With Droid Transfer, I'll have to pay if I want the full features. I don't mind doing it, but before I spend $30, just wanted to see if there were alternatives.

With SMS Backup And Restore, it doesn't seem to save the MMS, even though I have it enabled.

Does anyone have any other suggestions or alternatives?

If not, I'll keep using SMS Backup+ and having the messages emailed, but for completeness sake, I'll then purchase the full version of Droid Transfer.