Credit: Jan Berkel/App Brain
Why backup your SMS messages? For the same reason you should backup everything: computer data, including SMS, can & does become lost by any number of means, including: finger trouble, new phone, hardware failure.
SMS Backup+ backs up every SMS sent or received on your Android phone to the Gmail account you specify. All SMS messages are saved in a folder named, appropriately enough, “SMS”.
Other benefits:
1. phone calls logged
2. attached images backed up
3. backed up SMSs become searchable, using all of the tools available in Gmail
SMS Backup+ has been backing up my SMSs since 26 May 2013, judging from the dates on the backups in Gmail.
Contrary to information in the How-To Geek article linked below, SMS Backup+ developed by Jan Berkel, is available as I write this. Options to separately manage MMS messages are not available in the current version.
SMS Backup by Christoph Studer can also be found on Google Play.
Keep in mind that emails (including backups created by SMS Backup+) count toward your 15GB of free storage in your Google account.
SMS Backup+ by Jan Berkel – video tutorial at the top of the page
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zegoggles.smssync
SMS Backup by Christoph Studer
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tv.studer.smssync
How-To Geek tutorial
http://www.howtogeek.com/112852/how-to-backup-your-text-messages-to-your-gmail-account/ / back up backup backing your text messages SMS Android phone Gmail account no reason not to back them up search-friendly process your Gmail account SMS vault lose your text messages switching phones fumble fingers drop your messages digital reaper accidently delete massive SMS thread delete a single message send backing up your SMS Gmail account simple tutorial three things Android phone free copy SMS Backup SMS Backup+ changed link Gmail account advanced settings SMS Backup+ reconfigure work any IMAP-enabled email server designed Gmail Gmail’s search threading starring functionality SMS Backup+ IMAP access Gmail account Gmail account application check the status login log in your Gmail account navigate Settings Forwarding and POP/IMAP Check Enable IMAP click Save Changes configuration your Gmail account Gmail account IMAP toggled on install SMS Backup+ Google Play Store download app application installed configuring config configuration configure launch application first screen connection your Gmail account tap Connect default browser your Android phone launch prompted prompt login log in Gmail account backing up your messages authorize SMS Backup+ your Google account click Grant Access begin a backup immediately skip initial backup click Backup Skip messages on your phone flagged already backed up ignored backup process will start minute half hour to complete a message per second process is finished Gmail account check progress login log in Gmail account web browser new label sidebar SMS SMS Backup+ automatically backs up SMS messages MMS messages pictures backup up to Gmail advanced options advanced SMS Backup+ configuration tutorial turn on automatic backup manual backup forget main screen tap Auto backup Auto backup settings configure frequency default configuration frequency of backups only backup one Wi-Fi mobile data quota set up automatic backup main screen Advanced settings settings backing restoring notifications backup settings toggle MMS backup save on data consumption creating whitelist contacts backed up every single message backed up Restore settings Gmail-centric trick SMS Backup+ stores messages Gmail creates a thread each contact SMS Backup+ restore contacts starred threads quickly select conversations important enough restore star system in Gmail all your text messages including multimedia attachments backed up within Gmail easily search restore handset /
