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How to transfer text messages from iPhone to Android?

Jesse Simms • October 15, 2020

iPhone to Android messages

Are you making the switch from iPhone to Android and wondering how to transfer messages from iPhone to Android? Well, your new best friend may well be the iSMS2droid app, available for free in the Google Play Store.

If you're lucky, though, your phone may have this functionality built-in. Got a Samsung phone or a Google phone? We recommend going with their options. For others, see if they've got the capability. If not, we'll show you how to use iSMS2droid below to move your texts from iPhone to Android Here's how to do both.

How to transfer text messages from iPhone to Android using the manufacturer's data transfer option

Samsung phones come with a USB-OTG cable, which allows you to connect your new Samsung to your old iPhone and transfer files over. If you're moving to Samsung, you can also use Smart Switch. This software lets you "seamlessly transfer contacts, photos, music, videos, messages, notes, calendars and more to virtually any Samsung Galaxy device." If you've switched from iPhone to Android and got yourself a Samsung Galaxy, you should be good to go.

Google also has a process for transferring data from iPhone to Pixel using its Quick Switch Adaptor. Messages are included in the data copied over during this process, and Pixel users should be able to transfer iPhone messages to Android using this method.

How to transfer messages from iPhone to Android using iSMS2droid

If you're switching from iPhone to Android, don't jump the gun and immediately purchase expensive recovery software like TransPhone or iPhone Data Recovery to facilitate message transfer. Manually transferring all of your text messages to your new Android device is completely free and easier than you'd expect.

Transferring texts from iPhone to Android using iSMS2droid does involve a few steps, but it's nothing complicated. If you have the know-how to navigate through your computer's file system using Finder or Windows Explorer, you should be good to go.

Note: You do not have to own both devices at the same time. Just complete the backup while you still have your iPhone, and then do the transfer once you've picked up your Android device.

Backup your iPhone and locate the backup file

Connect your iPhone to your computer. Choose File > Devices > Back Up. Depending on your version of iTunes, you may have to right-click the device from the list and select Backup Now. You can also automatically backup your iPhone by syncing the device with iTunes.
Find the text messaging backup file on your computer. You're going to have to do a little digging to find the correct backup file. If you're running Windows, the file will be inside:
C:\Users[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\

If you're running a Mac, the file will be inside:

~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/

The file will be a long value, something like: 3d0d7e5fb2ce288813306e4d4636395e047a3d28.

The quickest way to find this file is by copy/pasting the filename into your file system search bar.

Now, you'll need to move this file to your new Android device (either on the internal storage or SD card, doesn't matter). It's recommended that you plug the phone in during the process and don't multitask during the transfer to avoid slowing things down.

Download iSMS2droid

Install iSMS2droid on your Android phone, open the app and tap on the Import Messages button. You'll be prompted to give the app certain permissions, which are required to make the transfer happen. For instance, you'll have to temporarily switch your default messaging application to iSMS2droid. You'll see a file selection box that lets you navigate to find and select your text messaging file that you've already tucked away as outlined above.

Start your transfer

The app will give you the option to import all messages or select conversations on a per-contact basis. If you want to add conversations by contact, iSMS2droid recommends syncing your contacts before you start your text transfer. Otherwise, it will show phone numbers only, not names.

Once you've decided to import all or select specific conversations, the transfer will begin. If you've chosen to import all, the app will show you a list of conversations and give you the ability to pick those you'd like to keep.

You're done!

Once the transfer is complete, you'll be prompted to switch your default messaging app back to the previous default app. By the way, some older phones won't be able to run the iSMS2droid app. If you run into this problem, we recommend using the iSMS2droid online converter and the app SMS Backup & Restore.

Did you find this tutorial useful? You might find our tips on cleaning up your iCloud storage and backing up your iPhone texts useful as well.

Also, we're interested…what made you switch from iPhone to Android? Let us know in the comments below!

** As of June 2019, we've updated this article. For a while, the free app iSMS2droid had been removed from the Google Play store, but now it's back!

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