Help cannot restore SMS message

[singularly puzzled]

i had xperia L1. It died. I backed up files with dr fone and also copied to the computer just as folders in explorer. I cannot see how to restore my sms though or any file. The Sms are the most importan i can copy the photos etc. the sms are unusual files as far as i underdstand

 

[singularly puzzled]

no one? anyone know how to resore my sms . i can now see them in Dr Fone.Or know how to pull them from a dead unrooted xperia L1?

 

[mikedt]

no one? anyone know how to resore my sms . i can now see them in Dr Fone.Or know how to pull them from a dead unrooted xperia L1?

Giving you a reply, but no idea how you can restore your SMSs, as I've never used Dr Fone. But if a phone is dead, there's not a lot you can do with it, well at least until it's repaired and made operable again.

 

[lunatic59]

I have heard some pretty negative things about the Dr Fone app. Based on the huge number of negative reviews, I would say they are not unfounded. In any case, most SMS backup apps will save the texts by exporting the SMS database to an xml file. This can then be re-imported into the new database on the reset or replacement phone.

When you say you copied the folders to a PC, I assume you mean you copied the folders that show up when you plug your phone in. Sorry, but SMS messages aren't stored there. They are in a protected system database which isn't user accessible. Now, IF Dr Fone did export them as an xml file and you saved them to a default location, you might be able to find them if that file was stored in the user storage area and you by chance did copy it.

On other thing to consider is that one of the biggest complaints against the Dr Fone app is that the free version will only provide limited functionality and require you to pay to get those features you need -- especially for recovery. The problem is that most people say the even after they've paid, they still can't recover whatever it was that the app claimed to fix. Caveat Emptor.

 

[Hadron]

Like others, I've never used Dr Fone. There are plenty of SMS backup apps that I know work well, and can be used to restore SMS on a different phone without problems, so I use a couple of those (why take chances?). If the phone were still operable I'd suggest some apps to try, but if "dead" means "unable to run Android apps" then that won't help (the phone needs some sort of operating system running in order for any data retrieval to be possible, whether via an app or via USB debugging - and as said above, the SMS database isn't living anywhere where you can just copy it over USB, and if you could you probably wouldn't be able to just stick it on a different model of phone and expect it to work).

One problem with backups generally is that to restore them you need to use the same app that made the backup: there isn't a standard, so while all may do similar things their backup files will most likely differ enough that a different app won't be able to restore them. So I would expect that the only thing that can restore a Dr Fone backup is Dr Fone (especially if restoring is something they want you to pay to do).

 

[singularly puzzled]

OK I got all my SMS photos contacts etc restored by DR Fone.It restored them to the new phone. But my calendar app did nt get backed up either by dr Fone or by copying in the windows explorer either. I am trying to find something that can pull apps from a dead not rooted phone. Fonedog says it can

What is the issue with Dr Fone? ihave it blocked fom connecting to the internet. Connects on loopack only

Thanks all

 

[lunatic59]

Your calendar should be in the cloud anyway. Have you logged into your Google account to check the calendar to see? If you were using something other than Google calendar, then you are SOL.

I am trying to find something that can pull apps from a dead not rooted phone

If the phone is truly dead, then short of data recovery at the chip level, you can't do it.

 

[singularly puzzled]

Like others, I've never used Dr Fone. There are plenty of SMS backup apps that I know work well, .

I am new to this what is a good app not just for SMS but general backup. Or do you do SMS separately?

 

[singularly puzzled]

Your calendar should be in the cloud anyway. Have you logged into your Google account to check the calendar to see? If you were using something other than Google calendar, then you are SOL.

If the phone is truly dead, then short of data recovery at the chip level, you can't do it.

well it won't switch on or charge anyway. I do not use google or cloud i use open source apps and never backed up before. It was turning off a lot for a week so i knew it was going so ibacked up

 

[lunatic59]

The Xperia L1 is a three-year old phone. You might just have a failed battery.

they are $10 ~ $20 on eBay.

 

[singularly puzzled]

The Xperia L1 is a three-year old phone. You might just have a failed battery.

they are $10 ~ $20 on eBay.

could be thanks

 

[svim]

... But if a phone is dead, there's not a lot you can do with it, well at least until it's repaired and made operable again.

I guess the OP's definition of 'dead' can be interpreted as 'still functional in some way'.

 

[lunatic59]

 

[singularly puzzled]

I guess the OP's definition of 'dead' can be interpreted as 'still functional in some way'.

no actually i meant no response at all. it won't turn on or charge. It had been like that a week. A couple times i got it to start by holding power and volumeup.That won't work now.

But I opened it and the something sparked when i touched something so it must have some power?. But since i got my sms/photos/music/apps contacts for the Dr Fone back up i am not gping to bother any more. I dont know why Dr fone didn't back up the calendar.it was this one https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.simplemobiletools.calendar.pro

.I will re enter the calendar data as much as I can remember and call places i know I have appts

Thanks for the help.If some one has a suggestion for aback up to my PC app please post. I do not use google drive or cloud

 

[Hadron]

If your calendar wasn't synced with some cloud account then it was probably just stored internally to the Simple Calendar app. Dr Fone probably doesn't have access to that, and is unlikely to know about a specific calendar app. If it says it can do calendar backups it probably does it by acting as a calendar app in order to access synced calendar accounts, which won't help with an unsynced calendar that's stored by a particular app.

It's similar with SMS: things like SMS and Contacts are stored in databases that are designed to be accessed by different apps (e.g. any message app, any contacts manager), which means that a backup app can access them in the same way. But backing up the data of other apps requires access to them. For security reasons one user-installed app cannot usually access another app's internal data. On a rooted device you can allow a backup app to have that access. Otherwise you can use USB debugging to back up (this is how the Helium backup app works). Those are the only 2 ways I know, and I don't know what Dr Fone does.

For general app backups on unrooted devices Helium is the app I've used with most success, but it does require a little fiddling to set it up. Even then it won't get absolutely everything, and you need to back up the USB-accessible part of the internal storage separately. I personally prefer to use a separate SMS backup anyway (e.g. SMS Backup & Restore), since I know those apps allow you to transfer the backup to another phone and restore there (I've done it many times), and am more comfortable sticking with what I know works.

 

[singularly puzzled]

If your calendar wasn't synced with some cloud account then it was probably just stored internally to the Simple Calendar app. Dr Fone probably doesn't have access to that, and is unlikely to know about a specific calendar app. If it says it can do calendar backups it probably does it by acting as a calendar app in order to access synced calendar accounts, which won't help with an unsynced calendar that's stored by a particular app.

It's similar with SMS: things like SMS and Contacts are stored in databases that are designed to be accessed by different apps (e.g. any message app, any contacts manager), which means that a backup app can access them in the same way. But backing up the data of other apps requires access to them. For security reasons one user-installed app cannot usually access another app's internal data. On a rooted device you can allow a backup app to have that access. Otherwise you can use USB debugging to back up (this is how the Helium backup app works). Those are the only 2 ways I know, and I don't know what Dr Fone does.

For general app backups on unrooted devices Helium is the app I've used with most success, but it does require a little fiddling to set it up. Even then it won't get absolutely everything, and you need to back up the USB-accessible part of the internal storage separately. I personally prefer to use a separate SMS backup anyway (e.g. SMS Backup & Restore), since I know those apps allow you to transfer the backup to another phone and restore there (I've done it many times), and am more comfortable sticking with what I know works.

OK thanks. Dr Fone does ask to allow USB debugging. I will check out Helium and SMS Backup & Restore

 

[Hadron]

If it uses USB debugging it could in principle back up Simple Calendar's data (using the "ADB backup" feature, which I'm pretty certain is what Helium uses). Does your backup from it include data backups for a list of installed apps, or just specific type of data (SMS, Contacts, etc)? It's highly unlikely it will specifically look for Simple Calendar, but if it tries to do a general app data backup (what Helium does) then it might be that you have a backup of your calendar that way.

 

[singularly puzzled]

If it uses USB debugging it could in principle back up Simple Calendar's data (using the "ADB backup" feature, which I'm pretty certain is what Helium uses). Does your backup from it include data backups for a list of installed apps, or just specific type of data (SMS, Contacts, etc)? It's highly unlikely it will specifically look for Simple Calendar, but if it tries to do a general app data backup (what Helium does) then it might be that you have a backup of your calendar that way.

The DrFone backup file is a dot bak. file. I am uploading a screenshot of the Dr Fone restore GUI. It is where i restored the SMS and photos etc The calendar say zero but when backing up it said it had backed up. If I had a back up of the calendar where would it be?

 

[singularly puzzled]

Giving you a reply, but no idea how you can restore your SMSs, as I've never used Dr Fone. But if a phone is dead, there's not a lot you can do with it, well at least until it's repaired and made operable again.

Thanks. you got the ball rolling

 

[Hadron]

The DrFone backup file is a dot bak. file. I am uploading a screenshot of the Dr Fone restore GUI. It is where i restored the SMS and photos etc The calendar say zero but when backing up it said it had backed up. If I had a back up of the calendar where would it be?

Unfortunately ".bak" isn't a standard format, it's just what Dr Fone called its backup (and if another program calls its output ".bak" that doesn't necessarily mean that its contents are in the same format).

I've never used Dr Fone myself - it always smelled a bit dodgy to me, so I found other ways (though this involved multiple methods: android isn't really good for one-click whole-system backups unless you are rooted, and those ones don't transfer to a different device). So unfortunately I don't know where Dr Fone might have stored it, assuming it actually did store it. My best guess would be to look in Applications, in case it backed-up data from Simple Calendar there.

 

[singularly puzzled]

Unfortunately ".bak" isn't a standard format, it's just what Dr Fone called its backup (and if another program calls its output ".bak" that doesn't necessarily mean that its contents are in the same format).

I've never used Dr Fone myself - it always smelled a bit dodgy to me, so I found other ways (though this involved multiple methods: android isn't really good for one-click whole-system backups unless you are rooted, and those ones don't transfer to a different device). So unfortunately I don't know where Dr Fone might have stored it, assuming it actually did store it. My best guess would be to look in Applications, in case it backed-up data from Simple Calendar there.

Actually it was in applications. I restored and it said restored but it is not on the phone. Also I noticed that any applications I restore with Dr F are not on the phone although i had them selected when i got the SMS/photos/music/contacts. I have most of them redownloaded now. Thanks for the help

 

[MrJavi]

I am new to this what is a good app not just for SMS but general backup. Or do you do SMS separately?

Try this

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.idea.backup.smscontacts