Some users have reported that entire conversation threads — not just individual messages — are missing from their Google Messages app, or are not appearing in SMS Backup & Restore backups at all. This appears to stem from Google Messages itself failing to write certain threads to Android’s shared messaging database, which means there is nothing for backup apps to read for those conversations.
What’s affected
Unlike the issue covered in our outgoing RCS messages not being backed up FAQ, where only the sent side of RCS conversations is missing, this issue can affect entire threads — including both sent and received messages within them. It has been reported across a mix of conversations, and does not appear to follow a consistent pattern (e.g. it isn’t limited to one contact, message type, or time period).
How to verify this is what’s happening
Temporarily install a different messaging app, such as Textra, and set it as your default SMS app. Since these apps read from the same shared Android messaging database that Google Messages is supposed to write to, if the missing thread is also absent in Textra, that confirms the thread was never saved to the database — it isn’t something specific to SMS Backup & Restore. You can switch back to Google Messages afterward.
Is this related to the sent-RCS-messages bug?
It may be related, but it’s a distinct symptom. The sent-RCS issue affects a specific, predictable category of messages (your own outgoing RCS texts). This issue affects whole threads inconsistently, which suggests a broader problem with how Google Messages is writing data to the shared database. See our other FAQ for details on the sent-RCS-specific issue.
Is anything lost?
No — as with the related issue, your messages remain intact inside the Google Messages app itself. They simply aren’t being copied to the database that backup tools rely on. They will not be included in a restore to a new device until Google fixes the underlying behaviour.
Can SMS Backup & Restore fix this?
No. We only have access to what Android’s system messaging database contains. If Google Messages isn’t writing a thread to that database, there’s nothing on our end to back up. This needs to be fixed by Google.
Help get it fixed — report the bug to Google
Please report this directly to Google so it gets prioritised: open Google Messages → tap your profile icon → Messages settings → Help & feedback → Send feedback. Describe the issue as: “Entire message threads are not being saved to the Android SMS/MMS database, so they don’t appear in Google Messages backups or third-party backup apps.” Including which thread types are affected (SMS/MMS/RCS) and roughly when you noticed it can help their team investigate.