Where are SMS messages stored?

[ubigred]

My only question is where can I get my deleted pictures or messages I've recieved on my Samsung. I'm not sure where to look to acess my sms or SIM card, whatever it involves if anyone can help me with that, that'd be great.


Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Core Prime

Root the phone. Then look in root folder

 

[MiBoulder]

If you have your database file on hands, you can use something like https://www.dbvis.com/ which is quite powerful tool. There free alternatives but i find this one convenient for me. Or you can use somthing like DB Browser for SQLite (very generic but free)
For those who got their phones busted, shattered screen - replacing screen would probably be cheapest way to do it, as alternatives are more complex and costly.
You can also get some of the Forensic Linux distributions that are packed with free tools:

1. Kali Linux (28)
Kali Linux (formerly known as BackTrack) is a Debian-based distribution with a collection of security and forensics tools. It features timely security updates, support for the ARM architecture, a choice of four popular desktop environments, and seamless upgrades to newer versions.

2. BlackArch Linux (44)
BlackArch Linux is an Arch Linux-based distribution designed for penetration testers and security researchers. It is supplied as a live DVD image that comes with several lightweight window managers, including Fluxbox, Openbox, Awesome and spectrwm. It ships with over a thousand specialist tools for penetration testing and forensic analysis.

3. Parrot Security OS (46)
Parrot Security OS is a Debian-based, security-oriented distribution featuring a collection of utilities designed for penetration testing, computer forensics, reverse engineering, hacking, privacy, anonymity and cryptography. The product, developed by Frozenbox, comes with MATE as the default desktop environment.

4. BackBox Linux (67)
BackBox Linux is an Ubuntu-based distribution developed to perform penetration tests and security assessments. It is designed to be fast and easy to use. It provides a minimal yet complete desktop environment, thanks to its own software repositories, which are always updated to the latest stable versions of the most often used and best-known ethical hacking tools.

5. CAINE (134)
CAINE (Computer Aided INvestigative Environment) is an Ubuntu-based GNU/Linux live distribution created as a project of digital forensics. It offers a complete forensic environment that is organised to integrate existing software tools as software modules and to provide a friendly graphical interface. The main design objectives that CAINE aims to guarantee are: an interoperable environment that supports the digital investigator during the four phases of the digital investigation, a user-friendly graphical interface, and a semi-automated compilation of the final report.

6. URIX OS (191)
URIX OS (formerly NetSecL) is a security-focused distribution and live DVD based on openSUSE. To improve the security aspect of the distribution, servers have been removed, incoming ports closed and services turned off. Additionally, several penetration tools have been included.

7. DEFT
DEFT (Digital Evidence & Forensic Toolkit) is a customised distribution of the Ubuntu live Linux CD. It is an easy-to-use system that includes excellent hardware detection and some of the best open-source applications dedicated to incident response and computer forensics.

8. HELIX
Helix is a customised distribution based on Ubuntu with excellent hardware detection and many applications dedicated to incident response and forensics.

You can check my facebook page, i post many pictures from cell phone data recovery cases, including CHIP-OFF's which will give you full image of the internal nand memory chip including system folders aka root folders, even if no root was applied to a phone. Fun stuff. search "qubex data recovery" on facebook or just click this link https://www.facebook.com/Qubex-Denver-Data-Recovery-473541326020759/

Added: Perhaps you may want to see where you can get all those linux distributions, so here it is: https://distrowatch.com/ this is by far the best portal for someone who is looking for ANY Linux distro.

Also, here: http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPs.html some publications and guidelines for forensics stuff. Official NIST documents.

 

[Amamiya Hotaru]

Really works!!!! Thanks!

 

[syncalvo]

I too, need some help with this. My S6 screen is completely black after being crushed, but the phone itself still turns on (I can hear it boot up, the LEDs come on, and my alarms still go off every morning). I need to recover the text messages from it, and hopefully my contacts too, since apparently I didn't have them all backed up to Google.

How can I root it from my computer and then find these files (and transfer to my new S7) since that's the only possible display for it?

 

[CarloCarlo]

It does not start with data/data it starts with Android/data

How come my samsung J2 Prime (marshmallow 6.0) doesnt have "telephony" inside android/data?

 

[Etanarvazac Taseet]

Actually, it is data/data. data/data is where most apps store most of their data in.

(In reply to a comment in 2012)

 

[ubigred]

Actually, it is data/data. data/data is where most apps store most of their data in.

(In reply to a comment in 2012)

 

[mmcarroll87]

I love SMS Backup&Restore but the issue I am having is that MY side of the conversation in the beginning is not being backed up. It will be further down but at first it doesn't. Does anyone know how to resolve this issue?

 

[Chriss1974]

The problem I am having is it doesn't restore deleted texts.

I am looking for an app that restored deleted texts. Of a text is sent and deleted seconds or minutes later

 

[Anders Johnson]

Hey syncalvo, did you ever come up with a solution to this? My screen isn't working, but I do have touch input.. .I need to get my files to a new Samsung.