Will I lose text messages when I switch carriers?

Are you thinking about switching cell phone carriers? Doing this can help you enjoy better customer service and save on costs.

One of the things that you have to think about before you make the switch is your data. If, for instance, your text messages are stored on the sim card of your phone, you may lose them as soon as you change the SIM. Though this is a possibility, it does not have to happen since you can save such data by backing all your texts into a cloud service. You can install different apps such as Chomp SMS, SMS Backup+, iExplorer, or Phoneview on your device then backup your text messages. Here is more!

How to save data when changing carriers

Many people consider changing cell phone carriers in search of better services. You should avoid changing carriers without taking the necessary precautions. Everybody stores so much information on their phones that they would not want to lose. This includes things such as your contacts, text messages, and photos.

Thanks to advanced technology, you don’t have to lose your data when switching carriers since you can always back it up in the cloud. When switching carriers, you should ensure that you maintain the same number that you have been using. You should not let any company convince you that you cannot keep the number. Most companies need some time to help you port your number. Once the porting is done, the new service can now use your old phone number. This number is assigned to your new sim card as you switch carriers.

Other data, such as your text messages and voicemail, do not transfer with the number. If you prefer to change phones while switching to a different carrier, you should back up the text messages to avoid losing crucial data. For most people, text messages are an essential mode of communication. When switching to a new phone, things such as SMS and MMMs disappear. If you don’t want to lose all the precious memories tied to your text messages, you have to back them up before switching carriers.

Saving messages on Android

Cloud-based services can prevent you from losing text messages as you switch carriers. Android allows you to access and even export all your text messages smoothly. If you have an Android device, certain apps can help you export text messages from your phone’s operating system. You should consider installing apps such as Chomp SMS or SMS Backup+ to help you archive text messages.

Once you have installed an app like Chomo SMS on your device, you should connect it to the Google account. This ensures that all the MMS and SMS messages are automatically archived in your Gmail. The app can, therefore, help you combine your Gmail account with your text history. It can make it easy for you to search for all your text messages within the Gmail inbox. It also integrates well with your Gmail contacts. Though the app is not that polished, it can prevent you from losing text messages when switching carriers.

You can also use the app known as SMS backup + restore to back up data such as your text messages. This app can help you back up all your text messages to local storage such as Dropbox or Google Drive. Most people switching carriers choose this app since it is easy to configure. It can help you restore all your call logs and tests to your phone.

Saving your text messages on an iPhone

If you own an iPhone, you can back up text messages through iCloud. To use the iCloud backup, you should go to settings then click on the section that is labeled iCloud. Once you enable iCloud backup, any backups will soon be sent to the iCloud account over wifi. If the option is, however, not enabled, the backups will be stored on your PC. You can restore backups such as your text messages any time you need them.

As you use an iPhone, you also have the option of installing third-party apps that can help you export text messages to your Windows computer. Since such apps are numerous, you should ensure you go through reviews before choosing one to avoid a bad experience as you transition from one carrier to the next. Ensure that the third-party app you want to install offers you a free trial period before paying for it.

Some of the recommended programs you can use to back up, and text messages include Phoneview and iExplorer. These programs are easy to use. Once you have installed one of them, you should then plug the iPhone into your computer using USB. You can then choose the specific data you wish to export to the computer, such as your text messages, then let the software do the rest. You can easily view your text messages inside the app then save them to your computer in different formats such as XML, CSV, PDF, or text.

Check out some of the cell phone carriers that you can choose from

Carrier Name	Network type
AT & T	LTE/ HSPA+/GSM/UMTS
Sprint	LTE/CDMA
Verizon	LTE/ CDMA
T-Mobile	UMTS/LTE/HSPA+/GSM

Conclusion

If you decide to switch carriers, you don’t have to lose important data such as your text messages. You should consider backing up such data so that you can still access it from your new device. You can back up text messages on your iPhone or Android through different apps such as Chomp SMS, SMS Backup+, iExplorer, or Phoneview. Choose the easy program to use based on the specific device you own and continue accessing your text messages even after you have switched to a new carrier.

FAQs

Are text messages usually stored on the phone or sim?

Messages are stored on the phone. You can, however, move to the sim manually.

Does my phone company have a record of my text messages?

Yes. All text messages remain on the servers of your phone company for a certain period based on the company’s policy.