Let’s say you’ve switched phones, and you’re worried about losing important message details from your older phone; you can get text messages from that phone to your new one, which means that texts going into your old phone will also be sent to your new one.
Getting text messages received to your phone from another phone allows you to retain vital information and also helps you keep an eye on minors or younger people in your charge. I tried some of these fixes to get text messages from another phone sent to mine, and they should work for you too.
How to get text messages from another phone sent to mine
It is possible to receive text messages from another phone on your phone. For Androids, you must sync your phone to the other person’s phone in a browser. For example, using the Device Pairing feature of the Google Messages app on your Android device.
All you need to do for an iPhone is log into both phones with the same Apple ID, and then the other person’s iPhone messages will be synced to your iPhone through iCloud.
There is one more way to monitor someone else’s text messages on both Androids and iPhones. And that is by installing a spy app to do the dirty work. Wonder how this works? I’ll tell you. It works by gathering information from the other person’s phone and sending it to the account created under the spy app. This was how I could get text messages from another phone sent to mine
Once you have installed the app’s tracker on the other person’s device, it will run in the background, collecting all the vital details and information. Since spy apps support a stealth mode (or else they forgo the name spy app), the targeted user will be unaware that you are tracking them. The app would then upload their messages to its servers online, which you can later check by visiting your dashboard on any device. Several spy apps exist, like Spy, Copy, Min Spy, etc.
However, note that installing spyware is an illegal breach of privacy.
How to access someone’s iPhone messages remotely
Accessing another iPhone’s messages remotely is possible by either syncing your phone and the other person’s phone or installing spy software to do the job for you.
By syncing
Let’s start with the first one. To sync messages between two iPhones, you need to set up your iCloud and ensure that you’ve logged in to both iPhones with the same Apple ID. Then you can enable the Messages in an iCloud feature by doing the following:
- Go to the Settings app
- Tap on your name at the top
- Tap on iCloud.
- Scroll to Messages under “Apps using iCloud” and turn it on. The switch will turn green when it is on
- Please turn ON the feature on both iPhones to sync messages.
It may also be required that you use two-factor authentication for your Apple ID and enable iCloud Keychain. Here’s how to do so:
- Go to the Settings app
- Tap on your name
- Navigate to iCloud
- Tap on Keychain and turn ON iCloud Keychain.
By using a spy software
Different spy software online can access another person’s iPhone remotely. So, for example, they would get the text messages on the other person’s device and send them to your device or computer for you to view or monitor.
All you have to do to view the target’s messages is to install the spy software on their iPhone. After this, you would then sign into the software with the person’s Apple ID and password to perform authentication. Your iPhone should be able to access the other person’s messages without you even doing anything.
How to receive text messages on two phones
Yes, you can receive text messages on two phones, and this goes for both Android and iPhones. This was how I could get text messages from another phone sent to mine.
For Androids
There are a few ways to do this on Android devices. One is to have an SMS forwarding app installed on both devices allowing you to forward text messages from one smartphone to another. In addition, you can download some SMS forwarding apps on PlayStore, including Forwarding SMS Texting and Automatically Forwarding SMS to your PC/phone.
Another way is using apps like Pushbullet and AirDroid, allowing you to see the other phone’s notifications on your computer or tablet.
Through Google Voice
You can also use Google Voice. Below is a guide on how to use Google Voice to receive text messages on two phones.
- STEP 1: Go to the Google Play Store.
- STEP 2: Search for Google Voice and install it.
- STEP 3: Install Google Voice on the other phone too.
- STEP 4: Launch the apps on both phones.
- STEP 5: Sign in to both phones with your Google Account.
In case the use of Google Voice in this context sounds strange to you, I will explain why it works.
Aside from its call functionality, Google Voice helps in keeping a lot of your messaging type of activities in a single folder that you can access within the app.
When you have Google Voice set up, it is possible to not send and check text messages through the regular messaging app that comes with your Android.
Google Voice syncs all of your messages together and compiles it in a single folder that you can primarily access on one phone. Thus, every device you sign into your Google account will also have access to the folder that contains the text messages the app has compiled.
By using Google Sync
Here is how to receive text messages on two phones by using Google sync:
- STEP 1: Log into the same Google account on both phones.
- STEP 2: Go to the “Settings” app on both phones.
- STEP 3: Tap on the “Accounts” option on both phones.
- STEP 4: Locate the “Automaticlly sync messages option.
- STEP 5: Enable the option on both phones.
You should now be able to see your messages on both phones.
For iPhones
Now for iPhones, there are a couple of ways too. The first way is by syncing both your iPhones. This is possible by signing in with the same Apple ID on both phones and enabling the Messages in Cloud feature on iPhones to view the texts from the Messages app. Also, do not forget to enable “text forwarding” on your iPhone so that all text messages you receive will be sent to the second iPhone.
Read also: “There Is an Active Subscription on This Account” Best iPhone Fixes
How can I get text history from another phone?
This depends on whether you want to retrieve it from an Android device or an iPhone. This is because it may not be possible with an Android device like it would be with an iPhone.
If you are referring to Androids, your phone’s real carrier-based SMS messages cannot be checked from another phone. Why? Because messages are sent through the carrier network with designations for their destination, that makes them specifically and only viewable on the phone that holds the phone number to which they are sent.
Mobile phone numbers assigned by carriers (not other services such as GoogleVoice) can only be assigned to one phone.
Whereas for an iPhone, it is possible. You must ensure both devices are signed into the same iCloud account, and then your text history and messages will automatically appear on your device.
Transfer text messages using Android SMS Transfer
There are some apps on Playstore that you can use to transfer text messages to a new one, such as Android SMS Transfer.
The app first makes a backup of your Android messages and later restores them to the target Android device. Then, the messages will be exported to an Android SD card, which will later be used for SMS restoration, where your messages will then be restored on the new phone.
This way, messages are transferred from the previous Android to the new one using an SD card. Though, it will only share text messages and will not include any other media data. It was one of the options I had to get text messages from another phone sent to mine
Transfer text messages using Bluetooth
Although this technique is not very recommended, it is possible to use the native Android Bluetooth feature to transfer text messages from one Android to another. However, since Bluetooth SMS transfer is gradually getting obsolete, the feature might not be supported on all Android devices. Also, sending your Android messages via Bluetooth would take a lot of time.
However, I won’t readily recommend this method because it has some security risks. For example, if the source Android phone has malware, it can also be transferred to your target phone. So this should only be used as a last resort. In addition, this method can be both complicated and time-consuming to implement.
Transfer messages using SMS Backup and Restore
And finally the third one. Another way to transfer SMS from Android to Android is using the SMS Backup & Restore app. The app can perform a wireless SMS transfer, back up your messages, and restore them afterward. Unlike Bluetooth, this message transfer uses WiFi direct, making it much faster and more reliable.
Read also: “Message Blocking Is Active” On iPhone 11, 12 & 13 – What It Means
How can I get transcripts of old messages?
Sometimes, you would need to have text message records available in a printed format or a transcript. Examples of those times may be if you appear in court or you may need records of communication or agreement you had via text.
There are two ways to do this. First, you can take screenshots of your text to print or request text transcripts from your cellphone provider, depending on why you need them.
Save your text history
This is the simplest way to generate printed copies of your text messages. You simply take a screenshot of the text messages you require and email or send them to a printer. Then, the messages are printed, and you can also save them in a pdf format.
Request text transcripts
All cellphone providers usually keep and store records of calls, texts, and data usage for a limited time.
You can then contact your phone company to try to obtain detailed logs of your text messages. In some cases where multiple people use the same phone, you may need a court order to access the information for privacy reasons. However, if you’re in a legal dispute, you may be able to work with your lawyers to get this information.
How far back can text messages be received?
This largely depends on the type of phone you use. Most newer Android devices will let you transfer all your text messages. Still, older models may limit you to receiving just a month’s worth of messages. Of course, there are different carriers and providers with their terms and conditions, so it is not fixed on this particular period.
In other instances, you can only receive messages as old as three months. In some other carriers, you can go beyond six months.
However, in most situations, you may not be able to retrieve messages deleted more than a month ago. These tips helped me get text messages from another phone sent to mine. I hope they work for you too.
About The Author
