How To Save Text Messages on an iPhone and Android Devices – Guide

A follower recently reached out to me after a tragic loss: their three-year text message streak with their partner had been wiped out, just days after the partner’s death.

We have a lot of valuable data stored on our devices, and if we don’t back it up properly, an accident could mean its loss forever. To ensure your data is safe, check your PC’s hard drive for low storage capacity.

Losing your phone can mean missing important messages, but you can back them up with a local company app or an external option.

How to save text messages on iPhone

If you have a PC or Mac running OS Mojave or earlier, iTunes can be used to back up your iPhone, including all text messages.

If you’re using a Mac with the OS Catalina operating system, make sure to download the latest version of iTunes for easier access to your text and other data in the future. iCloud backups are also available as an option.

Backing up your iOS device is essential for preserving important data, such as iMessages, SMS messages and MMS messages. To ensure your information is secure, create regular backups of your device.

If you don’t want to use iTunes, you can go directly to the “Only using iExplorer” section.

To begin, launch iTunes.

Link your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to your PC for easy access.

To access your iOS device in iTunes, click the icon in the upper left corner of the window.

Check the Summary tab for a section on Backups located on the right side.

Backing up your data is easy with Manually Back Up and Restore’s “Back Up Now” feature.

The Last Backups section will display the most recent backup once the backup process is finished.

Confirm the success of your backup by navigating to Preferences > Devices (Mac) or Edit > Preferences > Devices (Windows).

Backing up on Mac OS Catalina

Mac users who have upgraded to OS Catalina will find that iTunes is no longer available. The Music app, which has the same music note logo, cannot be used to back up an iPhone.

Connecting your iPhone to your Mac via USB is the only way to get your phone to trust a computer. Follow the instructions on the device for successful pairing.

Go to Finder on your Mac.

Your iPhone can be used as an external drive, visible in the Finder app.

Trust, a new app for iPhone users, offers a familiar interface reminiscent of the classic iTunes layout.

Backing up your device is now easier than ever: simply select “Back Up Now” to create a backup, just like you would through iTunes.

Accessing your up messages using iExplorer

Messages are now saved, but to access them on your computer anytime, you’ll need additional software.

iExplorer, a premium program for MacOS and Windows, offers users the ability to access their iTunes backups and retrieve messages. It comes with a basic version license for $40, or users can try out the demo version free of charge.

iExplorer, which requires Mac users to be running OS X 10.9 or higher and Windows users to have Windows 7 or higher plus iTunes, can be downloaded and installed with a few simple steps.

iExplorer users can access their iTunes backups, even on OS Catalina, by navigating to the Browse iTunes Backups section in the left column. From there, they can select the desired backup and extract messages.

To restore messages, select them from the backup.

iExplorer allows users to access their text messages, with conversations listed on the left. Selecting a conversation reveals the messages, including any images or videos attached. The list can be sorted by name, date and number of messages.

You can now export conversations as PDF, TXT or CSV files, and even just images or attachments.

Using only iExplorer

iExplorer offers a convenient way to access text messages without having to use iTunes, allowing users to bypass the program altogether.

Get the latest version of iExplorer and start using it today.

The program has been launched, bringing users to the Device Overview screen.

To connect an iPhone or iPad, click on its name in the left column.

To access your messages, you must first back up your computer using iExplorer. From the Device Overview screen, click Data > Messages and select Load backup data to begin the process.

Once complete, proceed to the next step.

iExplorer allows users to view all their iOS device messages in one place. The app displays conversations in a left-hand column, with the selected conversation appearing on the right.

Users can organize their conversations by name, date or number of messages, and filter them to view only images, videos or attachments.

Users can save entire conversations, including media and documents, as PDFs, TXTs or CSVs.

Android users can save text messages by using a third-party app or by backing up their device.

Backing up your Android smartphone is easy with SMS Backup & Restore, a free app that does exactly what its name implies. It allows you to save text messages locally on your device, export them to a computer or upload them to an online storage service like Google Drive.

Android users can now save their messages in multiple places quickly, with the requirement that their device must be running Android 4.0.3 or higher.

saving texts

To get the app on your Android device, download and install it.

Click the button and you’ll be taken to the main menu.

Creating a backup is now easier than ever with Tap Set up, allowing users to quickly and securely store their data.

You can now decide which text conversations to keep and where to store them, with the option of saving them directly on your phone, Google Drive or Dropbox.

You can save emojis from texts and label the backup files for easy identification.

Users of the app can automate text conversation classification by accessing Settings in the hamburger menu.

Text visualization, restoration and migration

Users can access their saved messages by navigating to the main menu and selecting the “View backups” option.

The View Backups feature of this option will enable users to reorganize messages in their local folders and view them in XML format.

You can easily transfer your old text messages to a new phone with SMS Backup and Restore.

Final note

We hope you found our guide on how to save text messages on iPhones and Android devices helpful. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Show your support by sharing this article with your friends!