Where are your messages?

SMS Plus receives every new SMS and RCS message once it is your default messaging app. This page shows how to set it up and how to bring your older conversations over from your Mac.

Get new messages in SMS Plus

  1. Open Settings on your iPhone.
  2. Go to Apps → Default Apps → Messaging.
  3. Select SMS Plus — every new SMS and RCS message now arrives in SMS Plus.

Bring your older conversations from your Mac

Apple does not let any app read the Messages history stored on your iPhone. Your older conversations stay in Apple Messages — but if you use Messages in iCloud, your Mac has the same history, and the free SMS Plus Transfer app for macOS can package it for SMS Plus. It is notarized by Apple, runs entirely offline, and the download page publishes its SHA-256 checksum.

  1. On your Mac, download SMS Plus Transfer and create an encrypted archive of the conversations you want. It shows a one-time password as a QR code.
  2. Send the archive to your iPhone with AirDrop (or a cable for very large archives).
  3. In SMS Plus, choose Import old conversations from Mac, pick the archive, scan the QR password with the camera, select your conversations and import. Recent messages appear first; the rest continues in the background.

Private by design

The archive is encrypted end to end with the one-time password, validation and import run entirely on your devices, and nothing is uploaded anywhere. See the SMS Plus privacy policy for details.

Keep your messages safe. Messages received while SMS Plus is your default messaging app are stored only inside SMS Plus. If you delete the app, iOS deletes its data with it — keep a device backup (iCloud or Finder) before removing the app.