Txtract for Android G1 Phones – Text (SMS) Message Extractor
December 6th, 2008 | by Ozgur Cem Sen |
Txtract in business...
When I got my TMobile G1 Android phone, I was really enthusiastic about what it has to offer, and it has not failed me yet. Knock on the wood!
As a user of the device, the only thing I can say is, it is fabulous. The application market place is not that rich yet, as the “other” device. However, it looks like getting there. I am not much of a person who would download everything and clog my computational devices, but more of a minimalist who would have only what he needs. Same thing for my G1 phone. I have the Twitroid (frequent user), imeem (once in a while I check what’s tuning), Wertago (i like the idea, but the recommendations around my area are not too accurate), Bank of America’s Mobile Banking app came in handy a few times (had to show my ginormous balance to my friends, j/k) and a few others.
After starting to exchange more SMS messages with my friends, I realized that, those messages accumulate and slows things down a wee bit. Deleting the entire threads of messages was an option, or deleting the entire Message database another option. Deleting the messages one by one was NOT an option. I would rather pull a few all nighters, deprive myself of sleep for a week, and write a programs to do things, such as extracting those messages, instead of doing a manual deletion.That’s how the “Txtract” 
project started.
Readable link: http://wiki.brilaps.com/wikka.php?wakka=Txtract
This is a textbook description of what Txtract does. 1.1 release does not support HTML output.
Txtract generates a device-independent (XML, CSV, HTML) backup of your Text Messages (SMS) off your Android G1 Phone.
I had to get those messages out of there, and I needed it. I checked around, there was no app for that makes-sense purpose. Rolled the sleeves and got on it right away. After 5 days into it, Txtract 1.1 hit the wires for all the G1 users to enjoy and backup their precious SMS messages. (code name: jailbird. don’t ask why, but no, I was not in jail)
It was a joy to work on Txtract and trying to find my ways around Android SDK (1.0). Apis example was really useful, kudos to the Google folks. I must admit, Microsoft does a better job in documenting their APIs. See MSDN . Regardless, I was able to extract enough out of the Google Code Android site, and http://www.anddev.org/ to put together Txtract. Kudos to plusminus at anddev.org, he is doing a great job handling all those posts at that forum.
The biggest disappointment was the lack, or strippal (!!!) of some XML and XSLT functionality from Android SDK. Sorta understandable, being that XSLT processing may be heavy, but come on, why can’t I simply serialize an XML Document with the easier XML lib! Well, I’m over that now, I used xmlpull’s XmlSerializer. It was not too bad, indeed. I’d prefer it over SAX.
I wanted this blog post more about Txtract, but I ended up writing about sort of unrelated things too.Maybe the next post will be more Txtract specific, and more technical.
If you have any questions about Txtract, you can either email within the Market application, or visit the Txtract board on at http://forum.brilaps.com/index.php?board=18.0
21 Responses to “Txtract for Android G1 Phones – Text (SMS) Message Extractor”
By Txtract on Dec 9, 2008 | Reply
Txtract 1.2 is out and available on Android Market.
http://wiki.brilaps.com/wikka.php?wakka=TxtractReleaseNotes
By Brad on Dec 12, 2008 | Reply
I am wondering if anyone knows how I might be able to extract, and then re-import my messages (and any other settings) from one G1 into another. The screen stopped working on my original G1, so I had to get a new one.
I thought transferring the SIM card and the SD card would transfer everything, including applications, settings, messages, etc. Clearly that is not the case.
So, the old phone works, but I cannot see anything on the screen. Is there a way I can get my data back??!
Thanks!
By tulinda on Jan 13, 2009 | Reply
I got a g1 I was rondering I have a lot of text messages that I deleted and they still don’t delete I keep deletinng them and it says that message was deleted but the messages are still on my trash folder I need help plz how can I erase all my text messages.
By Ozgur Cem Sen on Jan 16, 2009 | Reply
Hi Tulinda,
Where is that “trash” folder you mentioned? As far as I know, when you long press a thread and delete it, the messages are deleted from their corresponding database tables.
Can you please elaborate on your issue?
By BabeInWoods on Feb 6, 2009 | Reply
Ozgur,
Since you have worked with Android SMS, maybe you can help. My problem is the exact opposite of yours. Please help!
I was a WM5 user – TMobile MDA (in UK TMobile MDA Vario), and I switched to Android (TMobile G1)
There are some important messages that I want to keep (i.e. transfer from MDA to G1). But as HTC (makers of MDA)’s website says, there’s no way of synching SMSs with PC…that there is no way to import/export SMSs from HTC phones.
Well, thanks to http://wince.nasenbaeren.net/smsimport I have been able to extract the SMSs from the MDA to my PC in XML format.
The syntax of the XML is:
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<message date=”mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss” sender=”"Name” ” recipient=”#############”>Message body
<message date=”mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss” sender=”"Name” ” recipient=”#############”>Message body
Now, for the next part of the project: how do I import SMSs from this file onto my G1? Please help!
Many thanks!
By BabeInWoods on Feb 6, 2009 | Reply
The blog software messed up the xml in my message. If you click on mt “website” link, you will be able to see the xml syntax properly
By Ozgur Cem Sen on Feb 9, 2009 | Reply
Hi there,
I saw your post in the androidforums.com . i’ll get back with you on this in a few days – i hope i’ll have a good answer for you.
By treasurie on Feb 23, 2009 | Reply
I am trying to find out how to delete the text messages.I have 3570 mesg of me in this person,and every time I tried press n holf n press delete it doesn’t work or if I click the application n delete it from their it still don’t work all it do is shut down the mesg screen……the only way that I kno how to delete it is to delete it one by one is their a fatser way plz help me
By Ozgur Cem Sen on Feb 23, 2009 | Reply
Your best bet is keep selecting delete and let it work until it crashes. During that time, I believe it deletes quite a number of them. So after about 50 or more tries, you should be able to delete them all.
By nada on Mar 30, 2009 | Reply
I have the same prob. Everytime I try deleting my long threads they don’t delete. But instead it forces close and freezes my msgs app, not letting me send or receive any texts…
By jafriendz on Mar 30, 2009 | Reply
In re: to tulinda – I also am havin this problem but however I do not have any such trash folder. I have tried deleting large amounts of texts and it keeps crashing. It will delete small threads that contain only a few but the large ones that contain a good few hundred it crashes. I have tried deleting them before they grow larger in quantity and it obviously wont so I just keep getting more in quantity which is obviously a problem. If someone could please assist me with a way to delete all these texts on my phone thatd be fabulous…. because as of right now my phone wont stop crashing because of it.
By Kim on Apr 7, 2009 | Reply
I am having the same issue. I tried to transfer the texts to my pc via an application but its crashing and powering down my phone. I want to save one thread and then I will restore to factory settings…just need to save that one text
By Ozgur Cem Sen on Apr 7, 2009 | Reply
Hi Kim, how many messages do you have ?
By Courtney on Apr 30, 2009 | Reply
Hi, I just downloaded it, and i am trying to extract… it keeps saying its extracting but nothing is happening. how long does it usually take?
By Ozgur Cem Sen on May 2, 2009 | Reply
Hi Courtney,
It should take less than a minute to extract/backup nearly 2000 sms messages. Do you get any errors ? Just to try it out; can you please reboot your phone and run Txtract again ?
By LeAnna on May 13, 2009 | Reply
i have 53hundred texts in 1 thread. i keep hitting wait but it never deletes. i went hours doing it with no results. any ideas?
By Ric on May 25, 2009 | Reply
I am having the same problem, 2500+ texts in one thread and I want rid of them. One by one is the only way so far. Mass delete causes a force close
By Cem on Jun 5, 2009 | Reply
hi LeAnna,
Latest release of Android (Cupcake) resolves delete related issues. Did you get the update yet ?
By nietzsche on Jun 21, 2009 | Reply
@BabeInWoods did you resolve that problem? I’m about to run into the same problem overhere…switching from a HTC kaiser to a HTC Magic running android and I want to export the textmessages from windows mobile and import them again on my android device. Would love to know if you worked something out and how you did it in case you succeeded ^_^
By Brian Cole on Jul 4, 2009 | Reply
My daughter has a G1 t mobile phone. She is a teenager. I would like to be able to read her deleted messages.Is there an app for recovering a deleted sms text message? Please help. I just want to make sure she stays out of trouble. I called t mobile they said this way may be the best option. They do not offer this service.
By David on Oct 29, 2009 | Reply
Hi All,
Great thread. I’m eagerly awaiting a Droid next Friday. I have been using WinMobile for years and between PIMBackup and MSFT’s new MyPhone, I have many thousands of texts that have travelled from WinMobile phone to WinMobile phone. Now I want to import them to the Droid.
Anyone have any success stories? I imagine there’s a way to get the messages out of MyPhone, but I know I can relatively easily dump them all to an ASCII file using PIMBackup. It’s the parsing/importing/linking to contacts on Android that’s scaring me.
Thanks!
David