Question 1

Is Textive only for Android?

Accepted Answer

Yes, for now. Textive is built around the export from SMS Backup & Restore, an Android app, so it only works with texts and MMS from an Android phone. There's no support for iPhone or iMessage backups today.

Question 2

What file does Textive import?

Accepted Answer

The XML export produced by the Android app SMS Backup & Restore. Other formats, like iPhone/iMessage backups or other backup apps, aren't supported today.

Question 3

I don't have an export file yet. How do I get one?

Accepted Answer

You'll need to create one first, using SMS Backup & Restore, an Android app. See our step-by-step guide for the whole process, from installing the app to uploading the file here.

Question 4

How much does Textive cost?

Accepted Answer

Textive is currently free while we're in a private beta. See our pricing page for what it costs once we open up publicly, and every account gets a free 7-day trial with full access before any payment is needed.

Question 5

Is my data secure? How is it protected?

Accepted Answer

Your messages, contacts, and attachments are encrypted at rest, and every account's data is isolated at the database level: there's no way for one account to read another's. Once your SMS Backup & Restore export has been processed into your archive, the original export file is deleted from storage, and only the encrypted, parsed data remains. Every account is also protected by a passphrase, set when you first sign up, that's required to decrypt your data. We don't have a way to read it without you providing it. See the next question for what that means if you forget it.

Question 6

What happens if I forget my passphrase?

Accepted Answer

There's no way to recover it, not by you and not by us. It unlocks the only key that can decrypt your archive, and we never store it or a way to derive it. If you forget it, the only way back in is to delete your data and re-upload your original SMS Backup & Restore export to start fresh. That's exactly why Textive was never meant to replace that file as your real backup. Keep it wherever you already keep it, and consider saving your passphrase in a password manager. Changing your passphrase later, in Settings, requires entering your current one first.

Question 7

Can anyone else see my messages?

Accepted Answer

No. There's no sharing or multi-user access today, and every account's data is scoped strictly to that account at the database level.

Question 8

Can I use this as my sole backup?

Accepted Answer

Textive is meant to make your SMS Backup & Restore export actually usable, not replace it, so keep that file wherever you already keep it. We delete the uploaded file itself right after processing it, so there's no way for us to hand it back to you, and there's no way yet to export your data back out of Textive either.

Question 9

Can I download my data?

Accepted Answer

Not yet. There's currently no way to export or download your archive out of Textive. And since we delete your uploaded file right after processing it, we can't hand that back to you either, so your original SMS Backup & Restore export is the copy to hold onto: keep it wherever you already keep it.

Question 10

Can I delete my data?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Settings has a "delete everything" option that permanently removes your messages, contacts, conversations, attachments, and import history. You'll be asked to type "delete" to confirm, since it can't be undone.

Question 11

Why is some of my contact info missing and threads are just showing phone numbers?

Accepted Answer

This is almost always the SMS Backup & Restore export itself, not Textive. It only includes a contact's name if your phone had one saved for that number, and it frequently leaves this out anyway, especially for group messages (MMS), even when a name was available. In the app's own Settings, under Backup settings, there's an "Add contact names" option worth turning on before you make an export, but even then it isn't fully reliable. The most reliable fix is uploading your phone's contacts directly: the Imports page has a Contacts tab for this. Upload a .vcf (vCard) file, and it fills in names for any numbers already in your archive. It only ever adds names to numbers you've already texted, never new contacts on their own.

Question 12

What happens if I upload the same export twice, or a newer one later?

Accepted Answer

Textive folds it in without creating duplicates. Matching is done by phone number, not by treating every upload as a brand-new set of contacts and conversations.

Question 13

Is it possible to set up automatic imports?

Accepted Answer

Not currently. We recommend periodically uploading a fresh SMS Backup & Restore export to keep your archive up to date.

Frequently asked questions