I give up! Help please....

nota bene · Jan 17, 2015

I need to save/forward to my PC an entire lengthy text conversation that is sucking up storage space on my Moto G phone. I can't find step-by-step instructions that make any sense and have looked several times. I've installed the Motorola USB whatevers, and my phone is currently connected to the PC. I have the Internal Storage thing open.

I don't even know what questions to ask, but I need to save these dozens and dozens of texts. Solution? Instructions for mega-dummies who can barely dial a phone?

KevinKohler · Jan 17, 2015

Simple but difficult solution....retype it.

Unfortuneately, in the area of cell phones, I'm a bit of a newb myself. No help here, sorry.

SmokeAndMirrors · Jan 17, 2015

nota bene said:
I need to save/forward to my PC an entire lengthy text conversation that is sucking up storage space on my Moto G phone. I can't find step-by-step instructions that make any sense and have looked several times. I've installed the Motorola USB whatevers, and my phone is currently connected to the PC. I have the Internal Storage thing open.

I don't even know what questions to ask, but I need to save these dozens and dozens of texts. Solution? Instructions for mega-dummies who can barely dial a phone?

There's an app for that. :mrgreen:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.riteshsahu.SMSBackupRestore&hl=en_GB

It allows you to select certain conversations only as well. There's pictures of most of the process. Hope this helps.

nota bene · Jan 17, 2015

KevinKohler said:
Simple but difficult solution....retype it.

Unfortuneately, in the area of cell phones, I'm a bit of a newb myself. No help here, sorry.

Actually, this text convo is so important that I have typed parts of it into Word. But for legal reasons I'd like to have the actual texts saved. I spent over ten hours in December trying to figure this out and have tried twice since.

nota bene · Jan 17, 2015

SmokeAndMirrors said:
There's an app for that. :mrgreen:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.riteshsahu.SMSBackupRestore&hl=en_GB

It allows you to select certain conversations only as well. There's pictures of most of the process. Hope this helps.

Even if it doesn't, thank you.

I'm about to click, and then I'll keep my fingers crossed. I've installed Chrome (and want to get rid of it because it freezes my Yahoo) because one site said I had to and, I think, a debugger. <screaming and tearing hair>

KevinKohler · Jan 17, 2015

nota bene said:
Actually, this text convo is so important that I have typed parts of it into Word. But for legal reasons I'd like to have the actual texts saved. I spent over ten hours in December trying to figure this out and have tried twice since.

Ah. Well, who is your service provider? I'm sure you can take it to ATandT, or whoever it is, and they'll have a tech. Just explain that it's not the text that is important (but it is), as much as it's the PROOF that said text CAME from said source. I'm POSITIVE there is some way to get this emailed, or copied.

Otherwise, you may just have to hang onto the phone for as long as this is relevant in your life.

nota bene · Jan 17, 2015

I know that for most folks, my questions are stunningly stupid. Now that I've looked at the Google apps link, should I go to the Google thing (or Google plus thing) on my phone?

Sad, I know.

SmokeAndMirrors · Jan 17, 2015

nota bene said:
Even if it doesn't, thank you.

I'm about to click, and then I'll keep my fingers crossed. I've installed Chrome (and want to get rid of it because it freezes my Yahoo) because one site said I had to and, I think, a debugger. <screaming and tearing hair>

Oh wow, lots of unneccessary advice out there. No, none of that is necessary.

No, I've backed up texts before, and it just goes to my email as an email conversation. It can get quite long if it's broken up like that, but it's all there. And you can export it in other formats as well, it looks like.

nota bene · Jan 17, 2015

KevinKohler said:
Ah. Well, who is your service provider? I'm sure you can take it to ATandT, or whoever it is, and they'll have a tech. Just explain that it's not the text that is important (but it is), as much as it's the PROOF that said text CAME from said source. I'm POSITIVE there is some way to get this emailed, or copied.

Otherwise, you may just have to hang onto the phone for as long as this is relevant in your life.

Oh, there are ways to do it. Ways for smarties, anyway. My provider will be of no help. AT&T made me so damned mad a few years ago (dishonest secret charges) that I switched to Boost. My phone needs are minimal, so Boost has worked out great, but I don't think they have much support; they just want money in exchange for providing unlimited calls, etc.

SmokeAndMirrors · Jan 17, 2015

nota bene said:
I know that for most folks, my questions are stunningly stupid. Now that I've looked at the Google apps link, should I go to the Google thing (or Google plus thing) on my phone?

Sad, I know.

If you look at it in your browser, just below the "install" button, it should say "this app is compatible with your device." If you see that, you can install it from your computer, and it will start downloading on your phone as long as you have data or wifi turned on.

Alternatively, you can just search for it on Google Play on your phone and do it that way.

So, either way. Whatever's easier for you.

nota bene · Jan 17, 2015

SmokeAndMirrors said:
Oh wow, lots of unneccessary advice out there. No, none of that is necessary.

No, I've backed up texts before, and it just goes to my email as an email conversation. It can get quite long if it's broken up like that, but it's all there. And you can export it in other formats as well, it looks like.

When I bought the phone, Best Buy set up my Yahoo e-mail. So I've tried forwarding just one message to that, but it doesn't show up in my Yahoo on the computer. I just did this again.

nota bene · Jan 17, 2015

SmokeAndMirrors said:
If you look at it in your browser, just below the "install" button, it should say "this app is (or is not) compatible with your device." If you see that, you can install it from your computer, and it will start downloading on your phone as long as you have data or wifi turned on.

Alternatively, you can just search for it on Google Play on your phone and do it that way.

So, either way. Whatever's easier for you.

I really, really appreciate this info. You just cannot imagine at all what a tard I am.

nota bene · Jan 17, 2015

SmokeAndMirrors said:
If you look at it in your browser, just below the "install" button, it should say "this app is compatible with your device." If you see that, you can install it from your computer, and it will start downloading on your phone as long as you have data or wifi turned on.

Alternatively, you can just search for it on Google Play on your phone and do it that way.

So, either way. Whatever's easier for you.

OMG, where is the Install thingie?

(See what I mean?)

SmokeAndMirrors · Jan 17, 2015

nota bene said:
When I bought the phone, Best Buy set up my Yahoo e-mail. So I've tried forwarding just one message to that, but it doesn't show up in my Yahoo on the computer. I just did this again.

nota bene said:
OMG, where is the Install thingie?

(See what I mean?)

Hmm... The combination of these two posts make me thing the problem may not be you.

Are you connected to a Gmail account on your phone? How do you normally download apps, or haven't you?

nota bene · Jan 17, 2015

I'm not connected to a Gmail account and have downloaded only one app, a flashlight, which I then got rid of when I realized that the top ten flashlight apps are tracked by the Chinese, and etc. I don't use the GPS or anything; I just text, phone, and take/send pictures to my Yahoo account.

There are lots of helper sites, but not even the Motorola user guide has been helpful. Part of the issue is that I am a mega-tard who refuses to let a damned phone be my lover or life. I'm in rebellion. This is probably because I am continually having to screw with new technology at work, and there is always a new database to feed or template to mess with.

I can't even find the SMS whatever it is on the phone or Google Play, only Google+. Is the "secret" having a Gmail account?

I think I am too incompetent to do this. Everything I click in Storage on the phone scares me; it's all about deleting caches. Over my head, Fred.

SmokeAndMirrors · Jan 17, 2015

nota bene said:
I'm not connected to a Gmail account and have downloaded only one app, a flashlight, which I then got rid of when I realized that the top ten flashlight apps are tracked by the Chinese, and etc. I don't use the GPS or anything; I just text, phone, and take/send pictures to my Yahoo account.

There are lots of helper sites, but not even the Motorola user guide has been helpful. Part of the issue is that I am a mega-tard who refuses to let a damned phone be my lover or life. I'm in rebellion. This is probably because I am continually having to screw with new technology at work, and there is always a new database to feed or template to mess with.

I can't even find the SMS whatever it is on the phone or Google Play, only Google+. Is the "secret" having a Gmail account?

I think I am too incompetent to do this. Everything I click in Storage on the phone scares me; it's all about deleting caches. Over my head, Fred.

Oooh dear. Ok, you're not currently connected to the Google Play store, and I'm not 100% sure if you can be. Some Motorola phones are operating in kind of a different ecosystem and I don't know enough about it to know how to fix that.

Do you have Play Store and/or Gmail? You should have those even if you're not registered. If you don't, that's a problem...

Ok, new plan. Open your text messages on your phone, just the main page, so it's showing you all the contacts you've texted with lately.

Up at the top, probably on the right, you should be able to hit settings. On mine, it looks like ellipses, going vertically. Do you see an option to Backup/Restore your texts?

If so, do a backup sent to email. It should ask you where to send it. Select Mail (NOT Gmail), and send it to your Yahoo account.

If that doesn't work, and you don't have at least Gmail, then I'm not sure where to go from here.

nota bene · Jan 17, 2015

Thank you so much for your help. Nope, no backup or restore. I'm giving up again for the day, and I think I'm going to uninstall all the crap I've installed on the PC too. Sigh. There should be an easy way to forward a convo (I'm talking about easily 100 texts, and if this weren't about an animal, I wouldn't even be bothering), but there isn't and, as I've said, I am a tard.

SmokeAndMirrors · Jan 17, 2015

nota bene said:
Thank you so much for your help. Nope, no backup or restore. I'm giving up again for the day, and I think I'm going to uninstall all the crap I've installed on the PC too. Sigh. There should be an easy way to forward a convo (I'm talking about easily 100 texts, and if this weren't about an animal, I wouldn't even be bothering), but there isn't and, as I've said, I am a tard.

Yeah... I've seen some weirdness on Motorola smartphones before, but I've never spent enough time with them to know what the work-arounds are.

Well, for when you feel like messing with it, check if you have a Gmail app. That's step one to getting apps -- being connected to a Gmail account on the phone.

If you have Play Store on your phone, that's where you can download it. If you don't, but you do have Gmail and you get it connected, then maybe you can try downloading it in your computer browser, through the link I gave.

If none of that works... I'd say call Motorola tech support and ask. There must be a way, but I just don't know the ecosystem very well, and I don't see anything that seems to be text messages when I plug in my Android to my computer.

And yeah, get rid of whatever nonsense they had you put on your computer. Debugging? That's just unneccessary...

What a pain... Sorry.

nota bene · Jan 17, 2015

Thank you again; I'm grateful for the time you've taken this morning with this feeb. I've checked out Motorola support group sites and etc. multiple times, but maybe that's the thing to do--phone Motorola. (Ha, will I reach a human? Who speaks English first and isn't working from a script, LOL?)

Thom Paine · Jan 17, 2015

nota bene said:
Thank you again; I'm grateful for the time you've taken this morning with this feeb. I've checked out Motorola support group sites and etc. multiple times, but maybe that's the thing to do--phone Motorola. (Ha, will I reach a human? Who speaks English first and isn't working from a script, LOL?)

Howdy NB,

I use this often.

Try the following site... and keep it in memory... If you enter Motorola on the home page, it will give two human numbers..

Find Best Customer Support Phone Number & Contact Info - any Company | GetHuman.com

Motorola Customer Phone Number | Shortest Wait | Best Support | GetHuman.com

I, being luddite extraordinaire, can easily identify with your angst.

Good luck and great day to ya' NB

Thom Paine

countryboy · Jan 17, 2015

nota bene said:
I need to save/forward to my PC an entire lengthy text conversation that is sucking up storage space on my Moto G phone. I can't find step-by-step instructions that make any sense and have looked several times. I've installed the Motorola USB whatevers, and my phone is currently connected to the PC. I have the Internal Storage thing open.

I don't even know what questions to ask, but I need to save these dozens and dozens of texts. Solution? Instructions for mega-dummies who can barely dial a phone?

Motorola phones have weird limitations sometimes. Don't know if this will help, but may be worth a try. How proficient are you at installing software on your PC, being a Luddite and all? :mrgreen: How to Print out Text Messages from Motorola Mobile Phone

nota bene · Jan 17, 2015

countryboy said:
Motorola phones have weird limitations sometimes. Don't know if this will help, but may be worth a try. How proficient are you at installing software on your PC, being a Luddite and all? :mrgreen: How to Print out Text Messages from Motorola Mobile Phone

I'm only a semi-Luddite, thankyouverymuch! It's just that I am constantly having to deal with the "latest and greatest" technology at work. And the techno-gods never ever tell anybody what's going on, of course. Every time somebody phones my office, I receive an audio clip too. And etc. I'm in training now with a new content delivery system that is so non-intuitive that it's a good thing I don't have a gun. And I HATE cell phones because they're a sick global obsession that ruins even funerals and contribute to attention spans that would embarrass a gnat. It's a freaking phone, not your lover or best friend.

Thank you for this link, though. It is like many I've found--it offers a free download that is supposed to make everything easy-peasy. But they don't. I've just uninstalled Chrome, some Motorola management tools, and other stuff.

Some sites say that a Motorola USB is required. I don't know why this would be so and have been using the one I use with my Kindle.

SmokeAndMirrors · Jan 17, 2015

nota bene said:
I'm only a semi-Luddite, thankyouverymuch! It's just that I am constantly having to deal with the "latest and greatest" technology at work. And the techno-gods never ever tell anybody what's going on, of course. Every time somebody phones my office, I receive an audio clip too. And etc. I'm in training now with a new content delivery system that is so non-intuitive that it's a good thing I don't have a gun. And I HATE cell phones because they're a sick global obsession that ruins even funerals and contribute to attention spans that would embarrass a gnat. It's a freaking phone, not your lover or best friend.

Thank you for this link, though. It is like many I've found--it offers a free download that is supposed to make everything easy-peasy. But they don't. I've just uninstalled Chrome, some Motorola management tools, and other stuff.

Some sites say that a Motorola USB is required. I don't know why this would be so and have been using the one I use with my Kindle.

You know, I'm not a luddite at all, and I agree with you.

One of the reasons I love Linux Mint as an operating system is that it works the way a computer should for people who actually want to do stuff. None of this gimmicky nonsense with productivity apps being hidden, the office suite works like the old Windows Office before they started that "ribbon" nonsense, and I have a real goddamn task bar.

My smartphone is actually deactivated and I use it as a music player now. I've gone back to dumb phones. People know not to text me a novel, because I won't bother taking 14 years to reply on a dumbphone keyboard. Texting is for conveying immediately relevant information, succinctly. And it's SO nice.

I know how to use all the new stuff. It's just that so much of it is nothing but a noise machine, designed to make creation harder and mindless consumption easier, and taking us out of the real world when we really should be in it.

nota bene · Jan 17, 2015

I was very sorry last February when I had to give up my little flip-phone for medical reasons. I could text (obviously, not as easily as on an Android phone) and dial, and take photos too, and that was good enough.

countryboy · Jan 17, 2015

nota bene said:
I'm only a semi-Luddite, thankyouverymuch! It's just that I am constantly having to deal with the "latest and greatest" technology at work. And the techno-gods never ever tell anybody what's going on, of course. Every time somebody phones my office, I receive an audio clip too. And etc. I'm in training now with a new content delivery system that is so non-intuitive that it's a good thing I don't have a gun. And I HATE cell phones because they're a sick global obsession that ruins even funerals and contribute to attention spans that would embarrass a gnat. It's a freaking phone, not your lover or best friend.

Thank you for this link, though. It is like many I've found--it offers a free download that is supposed to make everything easy-peasy. But they don't. I've just uninstalled Chrome, some Motorola management tools, and other stuff.

Some sites say that a Motorola USB is required. I don't know why this would be so and have been using the one I use with my Kindle.

Do you have a digital camera? Maybe you could take images of the texts on screen, and archive them that way. Not exactly an elegant solution, and time consuming, but still easier than typing them out.