I'm backing up my Samsung Messages before it's too late - 2 free and easy methods

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Samsung is ending its messaging app sometime successful July.
• Android 12 oregon newer users indispensable power to Google Messages.
• Back up your messages to Samsung Cloud oregon Google Drive.

The reckoning is here. Well, astir here, and possibly a small little melodramatic than I'm describing. Samsung precocious confirmed that it'll beryllium shuttering its ain Messages app successful favour of Google's, requiring users connected Samsung phones moving Android 12 oregon newer to marque the swap successful July if they haven't done truthful already.

This sunsetting marks a astir 16-year tally for the proprietary connection platform, 1 that has built rather the cult pursuing implicit time. But nary 1 should beryllium amazed to spot this coming. Just 2 years ago, Samsung began shipping its latest Galaxy phones with Google Messages acceptable arsenic the default messaging app. More recently, you wouldn't adjacent beryllium capable to download the Samsung Messages app connected phones similar the Galaxy S26 series.

Also: Samsung is ending Messages successful July: 5 replacements I'd power to now

So, what gives? There are plentifulness of unofficial theories down the transition, but the prevailing presumption is simple: Samsung nary longer wants the load of managing its ain messaging servers. It makes much consciousness to manus the reins to Google, which has steadily built a level location to billions of Android users. Between the practical, security, and fiscal ramifications, the determination conscionable makes consciousness for the business.

That said, if you're similar maine and privation to backmost up immoderate important messages from implicit the years, you've got options. I'll spell implicit the astir reliable ones below, forgoing the ones that impact third-party services that whitethorn enactment your idiosyncratic accusation astatine risk.

1. Backing up your messages locally

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

Your astir unafraid backup enactment is simply a section transportation to an outer retention drive, oregon SSD. Depending connected however galore months' oregon years' worthy of messages you'll beryllium moving, you'll privation to marque definite the thrust has capable representation to big the data.

This is often a bully clip to look implicit your assorted threads and conversations and delete the ones you don't privation (or have) to store, specified arsenic 2FA and OTA codes, transaction histories, and receipts.

To backmost up your Samsung Messages texts, link your SSD to your phone, unfastened the Smart Switch app by going to Settings > Accounts and backup > Smart Switch, prime the retention icon successful the apical close corner, past Back up, and pat Messages. The telephone should statesman packaging your texts into a readable file.

2. Backing up your messages to the unreality

It tin beryllium intimidating for some, but unreality backups are overmuch much reliable and useful than they utilized to be, acknowledgment to information enhancements to services similar Samsung Knox, which comes built successful connected astir modern Samsung phones. It's besides an intuitive mode to backmost up and reconstruct files -- not conscionable substance messages -- erstwhile you yet power to a caller device.

Also: How I saved myself $1,200 a twelvemonth successful unreality retention - successful 5 sobering steps

There are 2 autochthonal unreality services that you tin backmost up your Samsung Messages to: Samsung Cloud and Google Drive. Personally, I'd urge the latter, arsenic it's much accessible crossed phones and PCs, including non-Samsung devices. Google Drive besides comes with 15GB of escaped storage, versus Samsung's 5GB, successful lawsuit you haven't been taking vantage of that benefit.

Here's the breakdown of the 2 services to assistance you amended decide. If it helps, there's an statement for backing up to some services.

For some services, you tin backmost up your texts by opening Settings > Accounts and backup > Back up data nether Samsung Cloud and/or Google Drive. You'll beryllium required to motion successful to either your Samsung relationship oregon Google account, depending connected the service.

If the process is done properly, the respective settings pages should amusement your past backed-up timestamp, which should beryllium today's date.

What happens next?

With your substance messages backed up, I'd urge you commencement investigating Google Messages, oregon alternate connection platforms, to spot which 1 you'd similar earlier Samsung yet pulls the plug successful July. While the institution hasn't confirmed the nonstop day of the sunsetting, it ne'er hurts to hole yourself up of time.

Also: How to usage Google Messages' caller Trash diagnostic to retrieve texts you accidentally deleted

Personally, I'm switching to Google Messages. It whitethorn not person the aforesaid personalization features arsenic Samsung's, but it has its advantages, similar a much cosmopolitan RCS strategy that isn't constricted to immoderate circumstantial carrier, immoderate utile Gemini integrations, astute replies and autochthonal AI representation generation, and, from what I've experienced, a much reliable spam detector. We whitethorn adjacent spot immoderate newer features arsenic soon arsenic later this month.