Transferring Windows Phone texts/SMS to Android

[Chris Sandiford]

Just moved over to a OnePlus 3 this week and found this the defacto way of doing it.

The guy has even written a python script to do all the jiggery pokery of conversion for you.

https://medium.com/@matteocontrini/...hone-smses-to-android-6d5e941f3362#.d6wttz955

 

[Victor Gladkikh]

I've created a telegram bot that will convert sms.vmsg to SMS Backup & Restore xml format.

For those that don't want to use bot - there is downloadable exe in bot source repository in download section.

Several apps required:

- `Telegram` account and app on both devices
- `Transfer My Data` on Windows Phone
- `SMS Backup & Restore` on Android Phone

With `Telegram` account say hi to Telegram: Contact @Wp2AndroidBot bot.

On Windows Phone device with `Transfer My Data` app export all sms to `sms.vmsg` file. Send this file to `@Wp2AndroidBot` bot. Bot will reply with `xml` that compatible with `SMS Backup & Restore` app.

On Android device open `xml` file from bot with `SMS Backup & Restore` app. Now You can import all messages.

Bot is running on `Azure Functions` with free tier so it cost me nothing and I don't expect it to run out of power.

Bot do not store any files. Conversion is happen on the fly.

Code sources of bot here: https://bitbucket.org/AlfeG/windowsphone2android/overview

I've tested only on my devices and only with my history. If anything breaks - ping me in telegram, I will take a look.

 

[Omprakash Kyadas]

OK guys it can be done, thanks to other tips from the forums plus a little research.
On your Windows phone go to "settings/contacts&message backup/backup" and just tick the sms box and backup to sd card. Oh no you don't have a separate sd card? Don't worry there is one built in - trust me.
When you have done that you can connect your Lumia to your pc and navigate to sd card/backup/Data/ and you'll find a folder with a long number. Inside that folder you'll find a SMS folder and inside that a file sms.vmsg
Copy that file and paste it into your default download location on your Android phone (I put it in my sd card)
Now, on your Android phone go to the store and download VMG Converter and install it.
When it's installed run it - whoopee it sees all your sms texts! You might get some advertising but just close that and you'll see all those sms from your old phone, and I mean all of them.
At the bottom of the screen you can choose to "Select All" or you can just scroll through them and tick the boxes of the ones you want.
Now "IMPORT" and when you are asked to make VMG Converter the default reader for SMS select "YES" and the ones you want will be imported to your phone. As soon as the import is completed you will be asked to change it back to the standard sms application.
So now you have the sms transferred and still have the sms.vmsg file to go back to if you want to import some others... Or you could clear the sms.vmsg file and uninstall VMG Converter if you really want to.
It's easy - I'm an old man and needed those sms because some important insurance details and phone numbers were there. I worked it out because I'm a stubborn old git who hates to be told that something can't be done. It will take you about as long as it took you to read this, just follow each step and you'll get the results you're looking for.

Thanks for the steps, it works so nice without any effort.

 

[boonesmi]

thanks pampurio97 the python method was fast and easy and worked perfectly

 

[CRH37]

huge leap in process after downloading the contacts+messaging app (as Pampurio97 mentions in his blog that I was following for the other option) that wasn't on the windows phone originally, backing up to a random file with no SD card and then following Chas' instructions below...

 

[pampurio97]

which version of python should I install? There are so many not sure which is best. I'll be installing on a Windows 10, but my phone was 8.1, will be transferring from Nokia 929 Windows to a Galaxy S7 android, just wanting my texts.. thx!

2.7

 

[CRH37]

OK guys it can be done, thanks to other tips from the forums plus a little research.
On your Windows phone go to "settings/contacts&message backup/backup" and just tick the sms box and backup to sd card. Oh no you don't have a separate sd card? Don't worry there is one built in - trust me.
When you have done that you can connect your Lumia to your pc and navigate to sd card/backup/Data/ and you'll find a folder with a long number. Inside that folder you'll find a SMS folder and inside that a file sms.vmsg
Copy that file and paste it into your default download location on your Android phone (I put it in my sd card)
Now, on your Android phone go to the store and download VMG Converter and install it.
When it's installed run it - whoopee it sees all your sms texts! You might get some advertising but just close that and you'll see all those sms from your old phone, and I mean all of them.
At the bottom of the screen you can choose to "Select All" or you can just scroll through them and tick the boxes of the ones you want.
Now "IMPORT" and when you are asked to make VMG Converter the default reader for SMS select "YES" and the ones you want will be imported to your phone. As soon as the import is completed you will be asked to change it back to the standard sms application.
So now you have the sms transferred and still have the sms.vmsg file to go back to if you want to import some others... Or you could clear the sms.vmsg file and uninstall VMG Converter if you really want to.
It's easy - I'm an old man and needed those sms because some important insurance details and phone numbers were there. I worked it out because I'm a stubborn old git who hates to be told that something can't be done. It will take you about as long as it took you to read this, just follow each step and you'll get the results you're looking for.

Chas' solution-without SD CARD- as an edit of the johnGay (i think) did work for me, thanks for pointing out you could store the info somewhere else than an SD as my phone didn't have that option. I saved in a document/download file that was empty on each phone and you were right if I just did what it asked and followed the prompts after using the computer to drag/drop to the location I wanted on each phone...it found the file and imported all 87K messages from 2 years on my windows phone, thanks!! Clarification for anyone else and from another post mentioning the $2 upgrade, on the android you download both the regular converter and also the VMG upgrade that lets you use the original free version. It took me a while to backup all those and download on the phones but the process of transferring and importing was easy! thx to this info!
I was going to use the Pampurio97 python option since it was free, but I'm no programmer understanding scripts, and after downloading last night my computer decided to no longer act right today and thought it might be after installing the new software so I tried another route and it worked. However his blog helped me to understand I needed the "contacts+messaging backup" app and after installing it on windows phone it was the first time I was able to backup my texts! Even the Samsung Smart Switch on both phones (only app compatible between my two) seemed to communicate/connect but then would stall out on the windows (probably due to the 87k texts) as it was trying to find data to transfer, and I didn't get anywhere.
Thanks for all the input hopefully those looking will read through the whole blog before trying or asking more ?s..

 

[Frank Lai1]

So what happens when the "transfer my data app" can not find any text messages? I've run it several times, even restarted it (hard rest and soft reset) and it can not find any SMS. It finds my contacts, but not SMS.

Using a lumia 950xl with a SD card.

Thanks.

 

[jk63tx]

1.Use Contacts & Message Backup and save to your phone in a folder.
2. Email the file to yourself.
3. Install VMG Converter on your Android phone
4. Save the file to your SD card on your new Android phone
5. Change the Path and have let it scan for the file.
6. Select the messages to import (you can select all).
7. Click import and messages will be imported to your phone.

 

[Rcxotic]

FYI VMG Converter works for BOTH MSG and VMSG file formats via a recent update
So*no need to convert files back and forth using scripts or excel or anything*like that.
Also,*I'd*also like to add that*VMG*Converter does not replace your existing messages on your android. it*adds to it. So there's no harm to your existing messages.

 

[Jack Neill]

I used VMG Converter to transfer around 8K from Wp to Nougat 7.1.1 just fine.

 

[Wheatman]

So I just wanted to through my .02 in here. I have a 1520.3 (unlocked non-ATT) windows phone running on Windows Mobile 10 insiders ring. The screen issue has gotten to much and the phone is tripping. So I jumped to the S8+. So here is my experience.
Just like Chas Rodgers said however:
1. You will most likely have to download/install "Contacts+message backup"

2. Either way, with or without a SD card, it will work. If you have an SD card, it will create a folder on your SD card called "backup+restore". If you do not have a SD card, the app will ask you to save somewhere, pick a folder and it will create "backup+restore"

3.Inside "backup+restore", folders will be created based on the check boxes you selected. I did not need contacts since they sync to hotmail so I just selected SMS and MMS. So inside my "backup+restore" there were two folders, mmsBackup and smsBackup.

4. No this is where it is different than the directions from Chas. inside each folder there were two files. A "date it was created".hsh and "a date it was created".msg No VMSG, but that is okay since VMG handles them just fine.

5. Connect your windows phone to your PC. Make your life easy and just copy "backup+restore" to your PC.

6. Connect your android to your PC and copy "backup+restore" folder to the root of your storage. You can delete it later.

7. Download VMG on your android phone and launch it. It is probably not going to find your folder right of the bat, but just it Path button and auto. You are good to follow Chas directions from there.

FYI, I dropped the cash for the unlocked version. I have been on Windows phone since 7, so I had 19K+ SMS and 6600+ MMS, all imported!

 

[ben313]

Hi every one, I don't know whether this forum is still active.

I started importing my SMS from Lumia to Android and for 2 days it has not completed.

What do I do?

Thanks

 

[pampurio97]

Hi, what method did you follow?

 

[Martin Szaloky]

Yeeeesss! This works perfectly. On my Lumia 735 there wasn't an option to export to SD card with the Transfer My Data app, but this method is working great!

Thank you!

 

[Trin3710]

Perhaps I'm missing something by I have Windows Phone 10 and it doesn't appear these options are working. The contacts+message backup app keeps crashing (a known issue based on reviews), so how do I get the messages into a file format to export. There is no option anywhere to back up my sms/mms. And, there is no file when I search my phone on my PC. Please HELP!!

 

[Hoomkerty]

How did you connect your two phones ? just connect two phones to computer ?

 

[lily_lea]

Hello, guys. I've tried an app which was mentioned here: Import SMS from Windows Phone. It imported me over 50000 SMS messages to my Huawei P9. I think in 2 hours.. 2 hours and a half they were imported. A lot of you we're talking about VMG. VMG is paid and Import SMS from Windows phone is free. There were a lot of posts about this app, but they're gone. I don't know why. Anyway, it saved me.

 

[scottwallace5]

Hello, guys. I've tried an app which was mentioned here: Import SMS from Windows Phone. It imported me over 50000 SMS messages to my Huawei P9. I think in 2 hours.. 2 hours and a half they were imported. A lot of you we're talking about VMG. VMG is paid and Import SMS from Windows phone is free. There were a lot of posts about this app, but they're gone. I don't know why. Anyway, it saved me.

THIS. Worked perfectly for me with the Import SMS app, whoever made it thank you thank you since it worked like a breeze and transferred over 60k of SMS over. Unfortunately MMS kept crashing in contacts+messages backup but, at least I got my SMS's over which were more important to me.