Enable archiving
- Open SMSKit on the paired Android phone.
- Open Device Details and scroll to Data & Archive.
- Turn Enable archiving on. Read the inline explanation and grant SMS and Contacts access.
- To import older SMS history, use Archive existing messages on the phone or request an import from dashboard device detail or the API.
Dashboard and API actions cannot grant phone consent or Android permissions.
Restore missing permissions
Open Android Settings > Apps > SMSKit > App info > Permissions and allow SMS and Contacts. Search Settings for SMSKit if the menu differs. If Android says App was denied access, follow Allow restricted settings first. Return to SMSKit and enable archiving again if needed. A changed disclosure needs fresh consent after an update.
What syncs automatically
After fresh consent and both grants, SMSKit uploads new inbox and sent SMS from the time you enable archiving. Older history needs a manual import. Contacts start with a complete snapshot, then additions and edits sync. Phone changes trigger scans while the gateway runs, and periodic catch-up can run about every 15 minutes. Android may delay work; this is not a delivery deadline. Offline work retries after reconnection. Force stop can prevent background work until you reopen SMSKit.
An app upgrade from the old manual-only consent needs fresh opt-in. Turn Enable archiving on again after reading the updated explanation. Neither automatic stream starts before that consent.
Read the separate sync states
Check SMS sync and Contacts sync in dashboard device detail or Android Data & Archive. No phone report means the phone has not reported this stream. Pending and Uploading mean work is still outstanding. Blocked needs consent or permissions restored. Retrying needs the phone reconnected and its error checked. Paused by plan or limit needs a plan check or the shared 24-hour archive window to renew. SMS and contacts progress independently.
Up to date means a complete scan found no unacknowledged eligible data. No changes can mean a complete empty scan, with no upload. A partial scan or failed row cannot prove success. Last complete scan and Last acknowledged upload are different timestamps. Upload history stays visible when the latest scan fails. A report or scan is stale at 15 minutes old, even with a fresh heartbeat. Open SMSKit and wait for a complete scan; a heartbeat only proves connectivity.
Limits and retention
Your plan controls message age and archive capacity. Standard allows up to 90 days of history, 5,000 SMS in a device’s shared 24-hour archive window and one manual import per device per 24 hours. Manual and automatic uploads share that capacity; repeated acknowledgements do not use it twice. SMS and import-request metadata expire after 30 days on Standard. Export messages you need to keep. Contacts remain until you delete them or the account.
Stop archiving
Turn Enable archiving off on the phone, or revoke SMS or Contacts permission. New archive reads and uploads stop. Existing server data keeps its retention rules. Deleting a phone contact does not delete the SMSKit copy. Editing a contact in SMSKit never changes the phone.