SMS Backup & Restore Pro

Review by eFreeware

Anyone who has changed phones and watched years of text history vanish has probably wished for a simple way to keep it. SMS Backup & Restore Pro is built for exactly that job: it copies the SMS, MMS and call logs sitting on an Android phone into a backup file, and it can put those messages and logs back later. The paid edition sells for $7.49, carries no ads and offers no in-app purchases.

The appeal is less about daily use and more about the moments that matter: a new handset arriving in the mail, a factory reset before selling a device, or a relative whose messages hold addresses, appointments and account details worth preserving. The app writes its backups as XML, which makes the archive portable rather than locked to a single handset generation.

It is worth stating one limit up front, because it shapes everything else: the app can only restore from backups that already exist, and only from backups this app itself created. It is not a recovery tool for messages that have already been deleted with nothing saved beforehand. With that understood, what remains is a focused utility with more depth than its name suggests.

Who tends to get the most from it

The clearest fit is someone who upgrades hardware regularly and wants their message history to follow them. Because the backup format does not depend on the Android version, a file made on an older phone can be brought onto a newer one without fuss. That is the kind of continuity that matters when moving to a new phone.

A second group is anyone who wants a copy of their messages stored somewhere they control. Backups are created on the phone by default, and the developer notes that files are never sent to them. Uploads to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or an email attachment are options the user chooses, not a service the app operates. For people who would rather not hand their text history to a third-party archive, that distinction matters.

Small businesses and solo operators may also find a use for it. Call logs and message threads often serve as a rough record of client contact, and having them exportable to a file that can be opened on a computer is more useful than scrolling through a handset. The app also allows deleting all messages or call logs from the phone once a backup exists, which is a tidy way to reclaim storage without losing the record entirely.

What the backup side actually does

The core operation is straightforward. The app copies SMS, MMS and call logs into XML files, and it can also pull in contact names so the archive is readable rather than a wall of numbers. Backups live on the device by default, with the option to push them automatically to Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive, or to send a file by email. A recurring schedule can be set so the job happens without anyone remembering to tap a button.

Recent updates have added a few refinements worth noting. You can now limit a backup to a chosen number of recent days, which keeps routine backups small instead of copying an entire history each time. The create-backup screen was redesigned with collapsible advanced options, so the common path stays uncluttered. RCS group chats now keep their real name and remain a single conversation, and RCS business messages show the sender's name.

Selection is more granular than a single all-or-nothing switch. You can choose which conversations to include, so a backup can cover a work thread without dragging in years of personal messages. The files can be searched, and local and cloud backups can be viewed and drilled into from inside the app. There is also an online viewer for the XML format if you would rather inspect a backup on a computer.

Restoring, transferring and moving between phones

Restoring is the half of the job that most people only think about after something goes wrong. The app reads its own backups and writes the messages and call logs back onto the phone. Because the format ignores Android version differences, the same file can serve a restore onto a replacement device. The developer's guidance is to keep a copy of the backup somewhere off the phone before a factory reset, which is sensible advice regardless of the tool.

For two phones in the same room, WiFi Direct transfer moves data directly between them without a cloud stop in the middle. That suits the common scenario of setting up a new handset while the old one is still in hand and working. Location permission is requested during that transfer only, which the developer attributes to an Android security requirement rather than to any tracking of where you are.

Recent fixes touch on the fiddly parts of restoring. Messages without recipient details are kept, and drafts are no longer dropped. RCS groups are restored into the correct chat. An issue that could leave the conversation list empty on Android 17 has also been addressed. These are the kinds of details that decide whether a restore feels complete or leaves gaps you only notice weeks later.

What the paid edition adds

This is the paid counterpart to an ad-supported free app, and the developer lists three things the Pro version brings that the free one does not: the ability to compress and encrypt backups, and the option to use WebDAV as a backup location. Compression keeps archives smaller, encryption matters if a backup file is going to sit in cloud storage, and WebDAV opens the door to a personal server or a hosting account you already pay for.

The price is $7.49 as a one-time purchase. There are no ads in this edition and no in-app purchases, so nothing inside the app asks for more money. That is a clean arrangement for a utility, and it means the cost is easy to weigh against how much you value having your message history under your own control.

It is fair to note that the free app exists and covers the basic backup and restore job. The decision here is whether encryption, compression and WebDAV are worth paying for. Anyone who intends to keep backups in the cloud, or who handles conversations containing sensitive information, has a reasonable case for the paid edition. Someone backing up occasionally to local storage may find the free version sufficient for their needs.

How it compares with the alternatives

The most obvious comparison is the free edition of this same app, which handles the core backup and restore without the Pro extras. Beyond that, the alternatives are mostly broader in scope but shallower in this specific task. Phone makers' migration tools move a great deal of data at once.

Cloud services that sync messages as part of a larger account are another option. This app's advantage is that it treats messages and call logs as the whole job, writes them to an open XML format, and lets you decide where the file goes.

The trade-off is that specialization cuts both ways. This is not a tool for recovering messages that were never backed up, and it will not read backups produced by other software. Within those boundaries, though, it covers ground that matters, particularly call logs and the ability to move a message archive between phones of different vintages.

A dependable archive for people who switch phones

SMS Backup & Restore Pro has been on the Play Store since October 2010 and carries a 4.3 rating from more than 2,200 ratings, with over 100,000 installs. That longevity is not proof of quality on its own, but it suggests a tool that has kept pace with Android through many versions. The recent work on RCS group chats and an Android 17 fix points to a developer still tending the app rather than leaving it to sit.

The case for buying it rests on a simple question: do you want a copy of your texts, MMS and call logs that you own, can inspect, and can carry to your next phone? If the answer is yes, and especially if you want encryption or a WebDAV destination, the $7.49 is easy to justify. If you only need a one-off local backup, the free edition covers that ground.

What I would keep in mind is the discipline the app depends on. Backups have to exist before a restore can do anything, and a copy should live somewhere other than the phone before a reset. Set a recurring schedule, keep an off-device copy, and this becomes a quiet piece of insurance. Skip those steps and no backup tool, paid or otherwise, can help.

What's new in version 10.29.002

• New option to back up only the last X days of messages • Redesigned Create Backup screen with collapsible Advanced options • RCS group chats show their real name and stay as one conversation • RCS business chats (banks, deliveries) show the sender name • Restore RCS groups into the right chat • Messages missing recipient details no longer disappear, drafts included • Fixed an empty conversation list issue on Android 17 • Improved conversation selection