How to Back Up and Restore Your Text Messages (SMS) on Android

Getting a new phone is exciting — until you open Messages and realize years of texts are gone. Delivery codes, addresses friends sent you, appointment reminders, and conversations you wanted to keep can all vanish if you switch phones, factory-reset, or lose your device without a backup. The good news is that Android can backup text messages automatically, and you have several ways to do it.

This guide walks you through every reliable option, step by step: the built-in Google One / Google Drive backup that works on Pixel and most Android phones, Samsung Smart Switch for Galaxy owners, Xiaomi Cloud and Mi Mover for Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO phones, and the popular SMS Backup & Restore app for moving messages between brands. You will also learn how to restore messages on a new phone, how RCS chats differ from SMS, and what to do when a backup or restore goes wrong.

What Gets Backed Up (SMS, MMS, and RCS Explained)

Before you tap anything, it helps to know what “text messages” actually covers, because each type is handled a little differently:

• SMS: plain text messages sent over your mobile network. These are the classic texts — short, text-only, one-to-one or group. Almost every backup method in this guide saves SMS.
• MMS: multimedia messages — SMS with a photo, video, audio clip, or a group thread that uses MMS. MMS takes more space and needs mobile data or Wi-Fi to send. Google One backup and Smart Switch include MMS, but very large attachments can sometimes be skipped or compressed; check the troubleshooting section if pictures go missing after a restore.
• RCS: the newer chat system used by Google Messages (you will see “RCS chat” or typing indicators and read receipts when it is on). RCS works over Wi-Fi or mobile data and supports high-quality photos, reactions, and — between two RCS users with encryption on — end-to-end encrypted one-to-one chats. RCS is not the same as SMS: a plain SMS backup tool may save only the text of an RCS conversation, or miss RCS-only features like reactions. Section “How RCS Chats Are Handled Differently” below explains this in full.

Two other honest facts to keep in mind:

• You usually cannot pick single conversations with the built-in Google backup. It saves your SMS and MMS as one block and restores them only when you set up a new or freshly reset phone. If you want a file you can open, search, or move selectively, use Method 4.
• Call history and contacts are separate. Google backup can also save call history, contacts, and app data, but each has its own toggle or sync setting. Backing up messages does not automatically back up your photos — use Google Photos or your brand’s gallery backup for those.

Before You Start: What You Need

Five minutes of preparation prevents almost every failed backup:

1. Connect to Wi-Fi and charge the phone. Backups can be large if you have years of MMS photos. Plug in and stay on Wi-Fi so the upload does not stall or eat your mobile data.
2. Sign in to the right Google account. Go to Settings > About phone (or Settings > Accounts) and confirm the Google account shown is the one you will sign in with on the new phone. Restoring with a different account is the number one reason messages “disappear.”
3. Know your screen lock and Google password. You may be asked for your old phone’s PIN, pattern, or password during restore on the new phone. This step protects your backup.
4. Check free storage. Google One free accounts include 15 GB shared across Drive, Gmail, and Photos. SMS alone is tiny, but a full device backup with apps and photos can fill it. Open the Google One app or Settings > Google > Backup to see how much space is left.
5. Update your Messages app. Open the Play Store, search for Google Messages (or Samsung Messages), and install any pending update. Outdated messaging apps are a common cause of incomplete restores.
6. Decide if you need attachments. If keeping MMS photos inside your texts matters, prefer Google One backup, Smart Switch, or SMS Backup & Restore with the MMS option turned on — and allow enough time and storage for the larger file.

You do not need a computer for Methods 1 and 3. A computer only becomes useful for Samsung Smart Switch backups stored on a PC or Mac (Method 2).

Method 1: Back Up with Google One / Google Drive (Pixel and Most Android Phones)

This is the default and simplest way to backup text messages on Android. It works on Pixel phones and most phones from Motorola, Nokia, Nothing, OnePlus, and others. On Samsung and Xiaomi phones the same Google backup exists too, but you will find it in a slightly different Settings path (noted below). Your SMS and MMS are saved to Google Drive as part of your device backup, tied to your Google account.

Turn on automatic Google backup

On Pixel and stock Android:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Google > Backup (on some phones: Settings > System > Backup).
3. Turn on Backup by Google One (it may be labeled Back up to Google Drive).
4. Tap your account name and confirm it is the account you want. Confirm SMS and MMS messages (wording varies: “SMS text messages”) is included in the list of what is backed up.
5. Leave the phone plugged in and on Wi-Fi. The first backup can take a while.

On Samsung Galaxy: open Settings > Google > Backup for the Google option, or Settings > Accounts and backup > Back up data for Samsung Cloud. You can use both — many Galaxy owners keep Google backup for messages and app data, and Samsung Cloud/Smart Switch as a second copy before switching.

On Xiaomi / Redmi / POCO: open Settings > About phone > Factory reset area or search Settings for “Backup” — HyperOS/MIUI puts Google backup under Settings > Additional settings > Backup and restore > Google backup on many models. Turn on Back up to Google Drive. Xiaomi’s own cloud backup is covered in Method 3; running both is fine.

Once automatic backup is on, Android backs up roughly once a day when the phone is idle, charging, and on Wi-Fi. You never need to remember — but always run a manual backup right before you switch phones or reset, as described next.

Run a manual backup now

Do this immediately before setting up a new phone or factory-resetting the old one:

1. Open Settings > Google > Backup (or System > Backup).
2. Tap Back up now.
3. Wait until the progress finishes and the screen shows a recent time under Last backup. Do not reset or wipe the old phone until you see that timestamp.
4. Optional but smart: open drive.google.com on a computer, go to Storage > Backups, and confirm your phone’s backup appears with today’s date. You cannot open or read individual texts there — the backup is a sealed package for restoring — but seeing it listed proves the upload finished.

Restore your messages on a new or reset phone

Important: Google backup restores SMS and MMS only during the initial setup of a new phone or right after a factory reset. There is no “Restore SMS” button to press weeks later without resetting. Plan accordingly.

1. Turn on the new (or freshly reset) phone and connect to Wi-Fi during setup.
2. When asked, choose to copy apps and data / restore from a backup, and sign in with the same Google account you backed up with.
3. Select your old phone’s backup from the list. Enter your old phone’s screen lock (PIN, pattern, or password) if prompted.
4. Make sure SMS / Messages (and anything else you want, like apps and call history) is selected, then continue setup.
5. After the home screen appears, wait 10–30 minutes with Wi-Fi on. Open Google Messages (or your default Messages app) — your conversations will fill in. Set your preferred app as the default SMS app if Android asks (Settings > Apps > Default apps > SMS app).

If messages do not appear immediately, do not panic or reset again. Leave the phone charging on Wi-Fi; large MMS histories restore in the background. The full troubleshooting list below covers the “restore option didn’t appear” and “some messages missing” cases.

Method 2: Samsung Galaxy — Smart Switch and Samsung Cloud

Galaxy phones give you two Samsung tools in addition to Google backup. Smart Switch is the best choice when you are moving from one Samsung phone to another, or when you want a backup file on your computer or SD card that you control. Samsung Cloud backup works more like Google backup — automatic and restored during setup.

Back up with Smart Switch

Smart Switch can back up to a computer, an SD card, or USB storage, and can also transfer directly phone-to-phone:

1. On your Galaxy phone, open Settings > Accounts and backup > Smart Switch (or open the Smart Switch app; install it from the Galaxy Store or Play Store if it is missing).
2. Choose where the backup goes: External storage (SD card or USB drive), your computer (connect by USB cable and install Samsung Smart Switch on the PC or Mac), or directly to the new phone (open Smart Switch on both phones and follow the transfer prompts).
3. On the “Select data to back up” screen, make sure Messages is ticked. You can also include call logs, contacts, and apps.
4. Tap Back up and wait for the progress bar to finish. Keep the cable connected and the phone unlocked.
5. Confirm the result screen shows Messages: Done with no errors before you wipe or trade in the old phone.

Tip: a Smart Switch backup on an SD card or computer is a genuinely independent second copy. If you are about to factory-reset, this protects you even if something goes wrong with your cloud account.

Restore with Smart Switch

1. On the new Galaxy phone, open Smart Switch and tap Receive data (or, on a computer backup, connect the phone by USB and open Smart Switch on the computer).
2. Select the backup source: your old phone, SD card, USB storage, or computer backup file.
3. Enter your Samsung account or backup PIN if asked, tick Messages, and tap Restore / Transfer.
4. Wait for the transfer to complete, then open Samsung Messages or Google Messages and check that your threads are there. If you use Google Messages, set it as the default SMS app when prompted.

Samsung Cloud users can instead restore during the new phone’s setup wizard: sign in with your Samsung account, choose Restore data, and select your old device’s backup including Messages. Note that Samsung has changed Samsung Cloud features over time and storage limits apply — if you do not see a Messages option in Samsung Cloud on your model, use Smart Switch or Google backup (Method 1) instead, both of which work fully on Galaxy phones.

Method 3: Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO — Xiaomi Cloud and Mi Mover

Xiaomi phones running HyperOS or MIUI offer Xiaomi Cloud backup and the Mi Mover transfer app. The exact menu names vary slightly between HyperOS and MIUI versions, but the flow below matches most current models.

Back up to Xiaomi Cloud

1. Open Settings and sign in with your Mi Account at the top of Settings if you have not already.
2. Go to Settings > About phone > Backup and restore (or search Settings for “Backup and restore”), then tap Xiaomi Cloud > Backup (on some versions: Back up data).
3. Turn on Automatic backups if you want ongoing protection, and confirm that messaging data is covered by your backup choices. Xiaomi Cloud free storage is limited, so if your backup includes large gallery data it can fill quickly; you can exclude the gallery if your goal is to protect messages and settings.
4. Tap Back up now and wait for the “Backup complete” message while on Wi-Fi.

To restore from Xiaomi Cloud, sign in with the same Mi Account on the new Xiaomi phone (usually during setup, or later via Settings > About phone > Backup and restore > Xiaomi Cloud > Restore data from backup), pick the backup, and include your messages/settings data. Restoring cloud settings data does not always bring back every individual SMS thread on every MIUI/HyperOS version — that is exactly why the next option exists.

Move messages with Mi Mover or a local backup

For a phone-to-phone move, Mi Mover is the more dependable Xiaomi path:

1. Install/open Mi Mover on both phones (it is preinstalled on most Xiaomi models; the receiving phone can be another Xiaomi phone).
2. On the new phone tap I’m a recipient; on the old phone tap I’m a sender, then scan the QR code to connect the two phones (keep them close, on the same Wi-Fi/hotspot connection the app creates).
3. On the data-selection screen, make sure Messages / SMS is selected, then start the transfer and wait for it to finish.

Alternatively, use a local backup: on the old phone go to Settings > About phone > Backup and restore > Local backups > Back up, select the data you want (including system settings and available messaging data), and copy the resulting backup folder (stored under MIUI > backup > AllBackup) to the new phone’s same folder, then choose Restore there. Local and Mi Mover transfers are great for Xiaomi-to-Xiaomi moves; if you are leaving Xiaomi for a Pixel or Samsung, use Method 1 or Method 4 instead, because Xiaomi’s own backups do not restore into other brands’ phones.

Method 4: SMS Backup & Restore App (Best for Cross-Brand Moves and Saving a Copy You Can Read)

SMS Backup & Restore (by SyncTech) is the long-standing third-party app many people use to backup text messages on Android — especially when moving between brands (for example Samsung to Pixel), where the built-in cloud backups can be awkward. It is factual and important to understand how it works: the app reads your SMS and MMS and writes them into a single XML file. That file can stay on the phone or be uploaded by the app to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or an email address you choose. An XML file is structured plain text — it is not encrypted by the app — which makes it easy to move and to view, but also means you must protect it like a private document (see Safety and Privacy Notes).

Back up with SMS Backup & Restore

1. Install SMS Backup & Restore from the Play Store and open it.
2. Tap Get Started and grant the permissions it requests (Messages/SMS, Phone, and Storage or Files). Without the messages permission it cannot read your texts.
3. Tap Set Up a Backup. Tick Messages (and Call logs too, if you want them).
4. Tap Advanced Options if you need MMS and media: turn on the options to include MMS and attachments/emojis if keeping pictures inside threads matters — this makes the XML file much larger, so be patient.
5. Choose where the backup goes: Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or This phone only. For Drive/OneDrive/Dropbox, sign in and pick a folder. “This phone only” is fine only if you will copy the file off the phone yourself.
6. Optionally turn on Schedule recurring backups (for example daily on Wi-Fi) and give the backup a clear name/date.
7. Tap Back Up Now and wait for the success message showing how many messages were saved and where the XML file went.

Before you wipe the old phone, open your chosen Drive/OneDrive/Dropbox folder and confirm the dated XML backup file is really there. If you chose “This phone only,” copy the file to a computer or cloud folder by USB, email, or a file-manager share — a backup that only lives on the phone you are about to erase is not a backup.

Restore with SMS Backup & Restore

1. On the new phone, install SMS Backup & Restore and open Google Messages (or your chosen SMS app) at least once.
2. In SMS Backup & Restore, tap the menu and choose Restore.
3. Select the backup location (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or local storage) and pick the XML backup file.
4. Choose what to restore (Messages, and call logs if you backed them up) and whether to restore all conversations or selected ones, then tap Restore.
5. Android requires the restoring app to be your default SMS app during the restore. The app will prompt you: accept “Change default SMS app” to SMS Backup & Restore, let the restore finish, then change the default back to Google Messages or Samsung Messages when prompted (or via Settings > Apps > Default apps > SMS app).
6. Open your Messages app and give it a few minutes to index. Threads appear progressively on large restores.

Watch for two classic gotchas: restoring the same backup twice creates duplicates, and group MMS threads can reappear as separate threads on a different brand’s messaging app. Neither means the backup failed — see Troubleshooting.

How RCS Chats Are Handled Differently

If you use Google Messages with RCS chat features turned on (check via Google Messages > profile icon > Messages settings > RCS chats), your recent chats behave more like a modern messenger than like classic SMS:

• With the same Google account and RCS on, Google Messages can sync and restore your RCS conversations when you sign in on the new phone with backup enabled for your device and Google Messages. Give it time on Wi-Fi after setup, and turn RCS on in Messages settings on the new phone with the same phone number/SIM.
• End-to-end encryption: eligible one-to-one RCS chats between Google Messages users show a lock icon and are end-to-end encrypted in transit between the two people. That protection is about the conversation itself. It does not turn your SMS backups into end-to-end encrypted archives: SMS has no end-to-end encryption, and device backups or XML files should be treated as readable by anyone who gains access to them or to your Google account (more in the next section).
• Classic backup tools see RCS differently. A tool that reads the phone’s SMS/MMS database (including SMS Backup & Restore) may export the text content of messages it can access, but RCS-only items — reactions, high-resolution RCS file transfers, and encrypted-chat details — may not come across as identical messages on the new phone, especially if you switch apps or brands or change phone numbers.
• Changing numbers or carriers breaks the thread. RCS is tied to your phone number. If you get a new SIM/number, deregister RCS on the old number (in Google Messages RCS settings) before switching, or contacts may keep sending RCS to the old registration for a while. Your old SMS history itself still restores fine by the methods above.

Practical advice: for the smoothest RCS move, use Google Messages on both phones, sign in with the same Google account, keep the same phone number if you can, and still run a Method 1 or Method 4 backup as your safety net. Do not rely on RCS sync alone as your only backup.

Safety and Privacy Notes

A text-message backup is a copy of your private life — verification codes, bank alerts, addresses, and personal conversations. Handle it with the same care as your email:

• SMS backups are generally not end-to-end encrypted. Your Google device backup in Google Drive is protected by your Google account and encrypted in transit and at rest by Google, and Android adds protection using your device screen lock for parts of the backup on supported phones — but it is not an end-to-end encrypted vault that only you can read, the way an encrypted RCS or Signal chat is. SMS itself is an old, unencrypted system. Anyone who signs in to your Google account, your Samsung/Mi account, or opens your SMS Backup & Restore XML file can read your messages.
• Protect the accounts, protect the backup. Turn on 2-Step Verification for your Google account (and Samsung/Mi accounts), use a strong screen lock, and never share backup XML files in public chats, forums, or untrusted cloud links. If you email a backup to yourself, prefer a trusted account and delete old copies you no longer need.
• Delete backups you no longer need. Old device backups linger in Google Drive (Storage > Backups) and old XML files linger in Drive/Dropbox folders. When you sell or give away a phone, remove its cloud backups and sign the phone out of your accounts after your successful restore.
• Be careful with verification codes. A restored SMS history includes old one-time passcodes. They expire quickly, but the backup still reveals which banks and services you use. This is another reason to guard the file and the account.
• Work and family phones: if the phone has a work profile or your employer’s management tools, your personal SMS backup choices may be limited by policy, and work messages may be governed by your employer. Back up personal and work data separately where your organization requires it.

None of this is a reason to avoid backups — an un-backed-up phone is a far bigger risk. It is a reason to use official stores, strong account security, and backups stored in accounts only you control.

Troubleshooting

Backup says “Waiting for Wi-Fi” or never finishes

• Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network, plug the phone in, and open Settings > Google > Backup, then tap Back up now again. Full backups often refuse to run on mobile data or a low battery.
• Check free space in the Google One app. A full 15 GB account (usually filled by Photos or Gmail) can block a new device backup. Free space or remove an old device backup in Google Drive > Storage > Backups.
• Restart the phone and retry. A backup stuck for hours is almost always happier after a reboot.

The restore option doesn’t appear during setup

• You must restore during the initial setup after a factory reset or on first boot. If you already finished setup without restoring, the Google SMS restore cannot be added later without resetting again. Decide whether resetting is worth it, or use a Method 4 backup from the old phone if you still have it.
• Confirm you signed in with the same Google account that owns the backup and that the old phone shows a completed backup with today’s date. A backup finished five minutes ago can take a little while to become selectable — stay on Wi-Fi and wait.
• If the old phone is still available, run Back up now on it once more, confirm the new timestamp, then restart the new phone’s setup.

Some (or all) messages are missing after restore

• Wait longer first. Leave the new phone charging on Wi-Fi for 30–60 minutes and keep your Messages app updated. Large histories with MMS restore in the background and appear gradually.
• Check you are looking in the right app and account: open your chosen default SMS app (Settings > Apps > Default apps > SMS app) and, for Google Messages, confirm the correct Google account and that RCS chats is turned on with the correct number.
• Remember the limits: Google backup restores what was in the last completed backup. Messages received after that backup, or on a phone where backup was off, were never saved. If the old phone still has them, run a fresh backup or a Method 4 backup and restore from that.
• Blocked and archived conversations sometimes confuse people: search Messages for a contact name, and check Archived and Spam and blocked before concluding a thread is gone.

Samsung Smart Switch doesn’t show my messages

• Update Smart Switch on both phones (or reinstall the PC/Mac version), use the original USB cable if transferring by cable, and keep both phones unlocked during the transfer.
• Confirm Messages was ticked on the data-selection screen. If it was unticked, run the transfer again for Messages only — you do not need to redo everything.
• If you are restoring from a computer backup, point Smart Switch at the exact backup folder you created and enter the backup PIN/password you set. Smart Switch backups from a much older phone model occasionally need the PC version rather than the phone app to restore.

SMS Backup & Restore restore stops, fails, or creates duplicates

• Give the app every permission it asks for and accept the temporary default SMS app change it requests. The restore legally cannot write messages without being the default SMS app; change the default back to your Messages app immediately after.
• Keep the screen on and the app in the foreground for very large XML files, with the phone plugged in. If it still fails, restore in smaller batches (selected conversations) instead of all messages at once.
• Duplicates mean the backup was restored twice into a phone that already had those messages. Avoid restoring the same XML twice. If duplicates are everywhere, the clean fix is to clear the messaging database only if you know what you are doing — for most beginners, the safer path is to keep the duplicates or, before restoring to a fresh phone, factory-reset and restore once, carefully.

MMS photos are missing, tiny, or blurry after moving phones

• MMS is the fragile part of every move. Confirm your backup actually included MMS: Google backup includes SMS and MMS, Smart Switch needs Messages ticked, and SMS Backup & Restore needs its MMS/attachment options turned on before backing up. A backup made without MMS cannot restore photos later.
• Very large videos may be recompressed by your carrier or skipped. If a particular photo matters, save it separately from the old phone’s Messages app (long-press the photo > Save) into Google Photos before switching.
• On the new phone, turn on mobile data or Wi-Fi and open the thread — some MMS attachments download on demand and look missing until the phone fetches them.

I switched brands (Samsung to Pixel, Xiaomi to Samsung) and threads look wrong

• Cross-brand moves are where Method 4 earns its keep, because built-in Samsung or Xiaomi cloud restores do not restore into other brands’ setup wizards. Back up on the old phone with Google backup (Method 1) and SMS Backup & Restore (Method 4), then restore on the new phone during setup and check; use the XML restore only if the Google restore is incomplete, to avoid duplicates.
• Group threads are the usual casualty: a group MMS conversation may arrive as individual threads, or replies may start a new thread. Your message text is usually safe; the grouping metadata differs between Samsung Messages, Google Messages, and Xiaomi’s messaging app.
• Pick one default SMS app on the new phone and stick with it. Having Samsung Messages on one phone and Google Messages on another is fine, but switching defaults repeatedly during a restore makes a mess.

Not enough Google Drive / Google One storage

• Open Google One > Storage to see what is full. Photos and large Drive files are the usual culprits, not SMS (years of plain SMS are only a few megabytes; MMS is what grows).
• Delete device backups of phones you no longer own in Google Drive > Storage > Backups (keep your current phone’s backup!), empty Drive trash, and consider backing up photos separately before a big phone switch. Buying a small Google One plan for one month is also a legitimate way to get a clean, complete backup before a reset — cancel afterwards if you do not need it.

Wrap-Up

To backup text messages on Android without stress, use the tool that matches your move: turn on Backup by Google One for automatic, everyday protection and restore it during your new phone’s setup; use Smart Switch for a Samsung-to-Samsung move or a computer/SD copy you control; use Xiaomi Cloud plus Mi Mover inside the Xiaomi family; and keep SMS Backup & Restore in mind for cross-brand moves or when you want a dated XML copy stored in Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox. Run a manual backup right before you switch, confirm it completed, restore with the same account and phone number where possible, and give the new phone time on Wi-Fi to finish. Do that, and your texts — codes, addresses, and conversations included — will be waiting for you on the new phone instead of lost with the old one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Android back up text messages automatically? Yes, if backup is on. Go to Settings > Google > Backup and turn on Backup by Google One; Android then backs up your SMS and MMS to Google Drive roughly once a day while the phone is idle, charging, and on Wi-Fi. Always tap Back up now right before switching phones or factory-resetting, so the very latest messages are included.

How do I restore text messages on a new Android phone? Sign in during the new phone’s initial setup with the same Google account you backed up with, choose your old phone’s backup, and include SMS/Messages. Alternatively, use Smart Switch (Samsung), Mi Mover (Xiaomi), or restore an XML backup with SMS Backup & Restore. Google SMS restores only happen during setup — there is no later “restore” button without resetting.

Can I back up text messages without Google Drive? Yes. Samsung Smart Switch can back up to a computer, SD card, or USB storage; Xiaomi phones can use local backups or Mi Mover; and SMS Backup & Restore can save an XML file to the phone itself, OneDrive, Dropbox, or email. Just remember a backup stored only on the phone you are about to wipe is not safe — copy it somewhere else.

What is SMS Backup & Restore, and is its backup file safe to open? SMS Backup & Restore (by SyncTech) is a free Play Store app that saves your SMS, MMS, and call logs into an XML file, optionally uploaded to Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox. The XML is structured plain text and is not encrypted by the app, so you can view it — and so could anyone who gets the file. Store it in an account only you control and delete old copies.

Will my MMS pictures be backed up too? Usually, yes — Google One backup includes SMS and MMS, Smart Switch backs up Messages including MMS when ticked, and SMS Backup & Restore includes MMS if you turn its MMS/attachment options on before backing up. Very large videos can be compressed or skipped, so save any must-keep photo separately to Google Photos from the old phone first.

Are my text message backups end-to-end encrypted? No. SMS itself is not end-to-end encrypted, and Google Drive device backups and XML backup files are not end-to-end encrypted archives either — they are protected by your account password, 2-Step Verification, and Google’s encryption in transit and at rest. End-to-end encryption applies to eligible one-to-one RCS chats in Google Messages (look for the lock icon), not to your SMS backup file. Protect the account and the file.

What is the difference between backing up SMS and RCS chats? SMS and MMS live in your phone’s message database and are what Google backup, Smart Switch, and SMS Backup & Restore save. RCS chats in Google Messages additionally sync through your Google account and phone number when RCS is on, with features like reactions and high-quality media. A classic SMS backup may preserve RCS message text but not every RCS-only feature, so use Google Messages with the same account/number on both phones for the smoothest RCS move, plus a normal backup as a safety net.

I already set up my new phone without restoring. Can I get my old messages now? If the old phone still has the messages, yes — the easiest path is SMS Backup & Restore: back up on the old phone, then restore on the new phone (accept the temporary default-SMS-app change). Google backup is the exception: it only restores SMS during initial setup, so using it now would require factory-resetting the new phone and setting it up again from the backup.

How much storage does an SMS backup need? Plain SMS is tiny — even years of text-only messages are usually just a few megabytes. MMS photos and videos are what make backups grow. The storage limit that matters most is your Google One 15 GB free allowance shared with Photos and Gmail, so check Google One > Storage before a big backup and clear old device backups you no longer own.