How to Back Up and Restore SMS on an Android With Root

1. Unlock your Android phone and open the application launcher. Tap on the 'Market' icon to launch the Android Market. Touch the magnifying glass to open the search bar, then type the name of the app you want to install. Some backup apps that require root access are MyBackup Root and Titanium Backup Pro Root; SMS-only backup applications that don't require root access include SMS Backup & Restore and SMS Backup +. Press 'Enter' after you've entered the name of your desired app, then tap the listing for the app, and touch 'Download' or the price of the app in the blue button. Touch 'Accept & Download' to accept the permissions for the app and begin the installation. When it's finished installing, touch 'Open' to launch the app.

2. Create a backup with MyBackup Root by tapping the 'Backup' button and choosing 'Data' to backup your SMS data. Choose a location for the backup -- either on the phone's SD card or online -- then tap the items you want to back up. Choose 'SMS' from the list -- as well as any other items you want included -- then tap 'OK' twice to initiate the backup. Tap 'OK' again when you're done. To restore the backup, tap 'Restore' from the main screen and select the backup you want to restore. Tap 'OK' and wait for the restore process to complete.

3. To create a backup using Titanium Backup Pro Root, tap on the 'Backup/Restore' button at the top of the screen, then scroll down until you see the icon and title of your SMS app. The default SMS app for Android is called 'Messaging.' Touch your SMS app, then tap 'Backup.' Wait for the process to finish. Repeat the process when you want to restore the SMS messages, but tap 'Restore' instead. Choose either 'Data Only' to just restore the messages, or 'App+Data' to restore both the application and the messages from your backup.

4. Tap 'Backup' in SMS Backup & Restore. Wait for the backup process to complete; this may take a while, depending on the number of messages you have. You cannot back up MMS messages with this app. By default, the SMS messages are saved to the SMSBackupRestore folder on your phone's SD card. Restore the SMS messages by tapping 'Restore,' choosing the file where your backup is located, then tapping 'OK.' The messages are restored to the phone. It may take a while for your Messaging app to recognize and index all of the new messages if you have many SMS files in your backup.

5. Use Gmail to back up your SMS messages with the SMS Backup + application. Log in to your Gmail account on a computer and click on the gear-shaped icon in the upper right to access the settings. Click 'Forwarding and POP/IMAP' from the options at the top of the screen, then click 'Enable IMAP.' Click 'Save Changes.' Tap 'Connect' in the SMS Backup + app on your Android phone. Give permission to access your GMAIL account. Tap 'Backup' and choose the messages you want to back up. Tap 'OK'; the backup happens in the background, and the SMS messages are saved to your Gmail account. Tap 'Restore' to restore the backup to your phone; SMS Backup + automatically skips files that are already present to avoid creating duplicates.