How to Sync SMS on an Android

1. Unlock your Android phone and open the application launcher. Find the 'Market' icon and touch it to launch the Android Market. Press the magnifying glass button to launch the search bar. Type in the name of the app you want to use to sync your SMS messages. Some options are SMS Backup, SMS Backup + and Google Voice. Press 'Enter' to search and then tap the listing for your choice. Touch the button under the heading 'Install' and then touch 'OK' to accept the permissions for the app and install it on your Android.

2. Set up SMS Backup by first browsing to Gmail on your computer. Click the gear icon in the upper right and select Gmail Settings. Click 'Forwarding and POP/IMAP' and then click 'Enable IMAP,' which turns on the Internet message access protocol. Click 'Save Settings.' Open the SMS Backup app on your Android phone and enter your Google Account user name and password. Touch 'Backup' to perform a manual backup of all your SMS messages to your Gmail account. The default setting is for new messages to be automatically synced to your Gmail.

3. Configure SMS Backup + by browsing to Gmail on your computer. Click the gear icon in the upper right and select Gmail Settings. Click 'Forwarding and POP/IMAP' and then click 'Enable IMAP,' which turns on the Internet message access protocol. Click 'Save Settings.' Open the SMS Backup + application on your Android and tap the 'Connect' button. Log in with your Google Account when prompted and then tap 'Grant Access.' Press the 'Backup' button to manually back up your SMS messages for the first time. When that's done, touch the check box next to 'Auto Backup' to enable automatic syncing of your messages.

4. Browse to voice.google.com to request a Google Voice account. With the account you will be able to start a new phone number or migrate your current phone number to the Google Voice service. All new SMS messages will come to your Android through the Google Voice app. Open the app and sign in using your Google Account. You can also log into your Voice account online to see your synced SMS messages and even send messages from the Web. This will not sync any old SMS messages you have on your phone, but it will save all the new messages you receive after starting to use Google Voice.