# HOWTO save text messages off the iPhone3GS?



## luigino (Sep 1, 2006)

I may have to _reset_ my iPhone 3Gs.:yikes: 
This means that I will lose my text message conversations.

*Is there a way to save / store my text messages (to a person / from recipient) offline? *

By "offline", I mean to copy these messages / the conversation off my iPhone and store it on my computer.

... surely there must be a way, or some existing mac application, Iphone app to do so?
[NOTE: I *do not* use MS Windows, only LINUX and OSX]

TIA.


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

Have you tried forwarding the messages to your home e-mail address?

I'm not an iPhone user (nor do I send a lot of text messages) however when the need arises I forward certain texts to my home e-mail. 

No matter what kind of phone you use, you should be able to do this.


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## luigino (Sep 1, 2006)

The Doug said:


> Have you tried forwarding the messages to your home e-mail address?
> 
> I'm not an iPhone user (nor do I send a lot of text messages) however when the need arises I forward certain texts to my home e-mail.
> 
> No matter what kind of phone you use, you should be able to do this.


I mean the *entire* conversation: the received texts, as well as my own replies... won't this be costing me an arm and a leg? 
Would I be able to forward my own posts as well? 

I'm not too familiar with texting, apart from sending a message or the (infrequent) photo ... <*DUH*>
BTW ... *ISP* is Rogers Wireless so sending to my own email address would mean that I'd be using their own G3 network, and going way above my (minimal) data plan, n'est pas?

I'm a complete newbie / dummy in this area.
(... if you could guide me further...)

... and THANK YOU for such a quick reply. (much, much appreciated!)


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## thadley (Jul 8, 2008)

I believe The Missing Sync for iPhone does what you need. Not sure about transferring it back to, say, a new iPhone, but it does seem to back it up.

It's 39.95 but it's probably a quality product. I bought the version for BlackBerry years ago and it worked quite well.


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

Backup iPhone SMS Message on Mac with Syphone


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## Rounder (Aug 9, 2008)

What's wrong with doing a backup in iTunes, restoring your 3GS and then restoring that backup?


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

Rounder said:


> What's wrong with doing a backup in iTunes, restoring your 3GS and then restoring that backup?


+1; I don't see the issue in this thread. It has me scratching my head. If you backup the iPhone via iTunes, which it does automatically when you plug it in and sync it, it saves everything, including text messages. I had to restore my iPhone once and I didn't lose a single thing, text messages included. Erase (restore) and re-sync and viola.


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

There's also PhoneView - which lets you selectively save SMSs, Notes, etc... from the phone.

Just in case you don't want to restore from a backup (ie: something in your backup has jarked your phone up) and/or you want to back up some SMSs or Notes, etc... before you sell your 3GS to upgrade to an iPhone 4 and want to start fresh on your iPhone 4... something like that?)


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

I knew I disabled texting for a reason.


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## AgentXXL (May 2, 2008)

fyrefly said:


> There's also PhoneView - which lets you selectively save SMSs, Notes, etc... from the phone.
> 
> Just in case you don't want to restore from a backup (ie: something in your backup has jarked your phone up) and/or you want to back up some SMSs or Notes, etc... before you sell your 3GS to upgrade to an iPhone 4 and want to start fresh on your iPhone 4... something like that?)


+1 PhoneView works great!


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## luigino (Sep 1, 2006)

Rounder said:


> What's wrong with doing a backup in iTunes, restoring your 3GS and then restoring that backup?


OK as the OP, I should be a bit more specific: I would like to (IF POSSIBLE) save a particular "ongoing conversation" off of the phone as a plain text file.
This is for _seriously personal_ reasons which I do not wish to divulge in this public forum. 
IOW. my need is not for the usual "backup / restore", but for other legitimate reasons.

I'm now looking at some of the apps suggested by other respondents, and I thank you all for your advice. (Which us much better than the half-assed response:yawn: I got from the ISP...)


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## fyrefly (Apr 16, 2005)

luigino said:


> OK as the OP, I should be a bit more specific: I would like to (IF POSSIBLE) save a particular "ongoing conversation" off of the phone as a plain text file.
> This is for _seriously personal_ reasons which I do not wish to divulge in this public forum.
> IOW. my need is not for the usual "backup / restore", but for other legitimate reasons.
> 
> I'm now looking at some of the apps suggested by other respondents, and I thank you all for your advice. (Which us much better than the half-assed response:yawn: I got from the ISP...)


I would say that PhoneView would work best, IMHO.

It saves the SMSs as Plain Text and you can plug your phone in every day or two and get the new messages off of it.


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## AgentXXL (May 2, 2008)

luigino said:


> OK as the OP, I should be a bit more specific: I would like to (IF POSSIBLE) save a particular "ongoing conversation" off of the phone as a plain text file.
> This is for _seriously personal_ reasons which I do not wish to divulge in this public forum.
> IOW. my need is not for the usual "backup / restore", but for other legitimate reasons.
> 
> I'm now looking at some of the apps suggested by other respondents, and I thank you all for your advice. (Which us much better than the half-assed response:yawn: I got from the ISP...)


As firefly mentions above, Phoneview will do exactly what you want.

One word of caution - I used Phoneview to back up a conversation to be used as a legally binding agreement. While I never had the need to use the conversation as proof (the other party lived up to their side of the deal), my lawyer advised me that it might not have been useable in the first place.

The same rules apply to written conversations that do to spoken conversations, i.e. you must advise the other party that the conversation is being recorded. If you fail to advise them and don't choose your words carefully, the other party might just have grounds to sue for entrapment.

What a crazy, complicated world we live in now....


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