SMS Backup

Anonymous
2013-03-10T00:41:45+00:00

I'm brand new to windows phone 8 and I realize that the built-in SMS backup service only restores texts present on the phone. I need a true backup service that I had on my android phone so I can backup all communications with my ex-wife. Is there anything available on the store?

Windows for home | Other | Devices and drivers

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Anonymous
2015-06-06T16:18:29+00:00

I just found an app that someone (tfadi <- I think) wrote in the Windows App Store titled

"Windows Phone Message Backup".

The app allowed me to pull down all of my backed up SMS and MMS messages from my WP8 phone to my Windows 8.1 machine, and export individual messages or entire threads to .txt files out on my OneDrive account.

That's exactly what I needed to get to my old text messages.

I just downloaded and ran it against my SMS/MMS messages.  It worked very nicely.  It has a few rough edges, but that's the beta experience.  It's from Tafidi software.

You can get the app from here.  That link will run the Windows Store app and take you to the app.

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Anonymous
2015-04-26T12:52:06+00:00

There is NOW an app for that called contacts+message backup

Contacts + Message Backup app is a Settings app that enables you to make backup of all your contacts (in VCF format) and messages (SMS & MMS including attachments) to SD card (in XML format) for later restore to same or another Windows Phone.

Backup is stored in 'backup+restore' folder on the SD card.

Known Issue: Restoring a backup of messages from a dual SIM Windows Phone restores all messages to message store for the first SIM/slot.

Note: To use this app, please go to Settings on your Windows Phone.  This app will NOT appear in your list of installed apps.

http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/contacts-message-backup/07f078fb-cdbb-42e8-9027-25eddccbebf2

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Anonymous
2015-06-09T02:35:44+00:00

Great stuff, thanks for testing it and replying here.  Also many thanks to Tafidi** for putting this together.

I've given this a go with very positive initial results.

To add to your post:

  1.  The app cannot be installed directly onto a WP8 phone.  It's intended to be installed on, and run from the Windows 8.1 device (which is why you can't find it when looking for it using your phone's Store app).
  2.  Two step authentication does not need to be disabled to use the app.  One just needs to set up an "app password" here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/app-passwords-two-step-verification.  Once you follow the directions on the screen you'll get a long password that you use when logging into the app on your Windows 8.1 device.
  3.  The app will connect to your WP8 phone after you plug the phone into your device using the USB port on the device.
  4.  The app needs to have focus in order to load all text messages.  If you start up the app, plug in the phone, and then swap to a different screen, SMS loading into the app will halt until you swap back to the app.  I didn't realise this and was wondering why the heck it was taking forever to get all my messages :P
  5.  The sort order of the addressees on the left panel is not alphabetical, and not time-based (like most recent addressees first/last. etc).  
  6.  Group chats are supported, but I notice the last one or two messages in the chat aren't populated.  I see the "bubbles" on the app screen, but the actual text content is missing.  Doesn't seem to happen with single-user chats.
  7.  Downloading to text is easy - right-click a bubble on the right, or right-click a sender/receiver on the list on the left.  Options will appear in the lower right panel to download as text or message.  You'll be prompted for the target location and name and the export is done as expected.
  8.  Downloading to image is trickier but not bad.  Only the currently-highlighted (selected) bubble is exported to image.  I was hoping i'd be able to download all images sent to me by a sender by right-clicking the sender's name on the left but that doesn't work as expected.  Still not bad and I'm very happy to have this option.

** I was originally put off by the developer's website - there's no mention of this app on the web page, and it looks a bit odd to have just a "Back to the Drawing Board" message up front.  Hope he/she gets more content on the landing page or less adventurous folks will shy away from this helpful app.

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Anonymous
2013-03-13T11:44:41+00:00

If you want to retain the texts, it is possible to copy the content of the texts and paste them to a OneNote document.  From there, you can copy/paste to wherever you like.

This is a manual process per individual text.  There's no automated way of exporting multiple text messages.

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-11-22T16:40:40+00:00

    Agreed on the points noted above.  I just got a WP to try it out after having had very good upgrade and experience with Windows 8.1 on my old Dell laptop (circa '09).  I was hoping I'd be able to find ways to more closely integrate the lappy with the phone.

    I have used 'droids for a long time and have donated $$$ to a utility maker (myphoneexplorer) because of the seamless way I can manage, back up, and more importantly view my backed up details.  Also that utility allows me to sync & store everything in thunderbird and lightning apps.

    I have just recently archived over 7,000 sms messages - most not important, some somewhat important as they had legal and client feedback, and some vitally important as they had memorable interaction with my parents and children.  There are still about 3,000 current on my 'droid as they are from this year (I keep the current year's worth of SMS's on my phone for direct use).

    Now, after seeing the somewhat flippant and curt 'support' responses from MS reps about what is a serious business, I'm not so much inclined to make that switch.  The WP phone will probably be a very nice backup phone but not my main one for sure, until this feature is added.  It doesn't even have to be added by MS - if they open up APIs for this and allow a 3rd-party app maker to do this I'd be on board.

    It's not just the response above on this thread that bothers me - it's the same curt response type through many MS threads on this forum by moderators and no apparent plans to integrate this.  An SMS is a document just like Word or Excel or Outlook's documents are and should be treated as such, now that Windows Phone manages these objects.

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