Failed to Load Messages in Droid Transfer -
Causes & Fixes

Usually, accessing and saving messages in Droid Transfer is as easy as connecting your device, selecting Messages, and clicking Save. However, if Droid Transfer is stuck or taking a long time to load your messages, this guide will show you what to do.

Is Droid Transfer loading my Messages?

When you click "Messages" in Droid Transfer, the app will begin communicating with your Android to retrieve your message data.

You'll see a progress screen showing each stage of the process:
Retrieving contacts > Retrieving conversations > Identifying threads > Processing.

When data is being loaded from your Android device, the lights in the bottom-left corner of Droid Transfer will light up.

A green light means that a request for data has been sent to your Android device.
A red light means Droid Transfer is receiving the requested data.

Stuck loading the Messages section in Droid Transfer

If you have a lot of messages on your device, loading texts and media may take some time. So, while "Loading Messages..." is shown in Droid Transfer, and the Data Transfer lights () are active, please be patient while your data is loaded.

Otherwise, if the Data Transfer lights have been inactive for a long time, the connection to your device may have been lost.

Check for Device Disconnects (inc. Watchdog Timeout)

In the case of a disconnection, Droid Transfer may return to the home screen, Transfer Companion may show a Watchdog Timeout error (shown below), or the lights indicating transfer activity may stop flashing.

Reconnect your device to load Messages

1. Close Droid Transfer on your PC, and the Transfer Companion app on your Android (ensure that the app is fully closed, and not just sent to the background on your device).
2. Relaunch both apps and reconnect your Android to your computer.
3. In Droid Transfer, click Messages to reload the section now that the connection is restored.

Top connection tips

• Keep Transfer Companion visible on your Android screen to maintain the connection — don't switch apps or let the screen "sleep".
• Ensure that your Android device has plenty of battery, and plug your device into power, even while using a Wi-Fi connection with Droid Transfer.
• If disconnections persist, try a different connection type. You can connect with Wi-Fi or USB. For the most stable connection, we recommend using a USB cable.

Stuck loading a particular conversation in Droid Transfer

Have you loaded the Messages section, but after selecting one of your conversations, Droid Transfer has been loading for a long time?

As noted previously, it can take a long time to load a lot of messages and media. However, if you've been waiting for a long time, without any Data Transfer light () activity, here are some tips to ensure you can access your messages:

1. Filter the Date Range

You can narrow down the time period to reduce the number of messages loaded at once.

To do this, before selecting a conversation, click the "Filter Dates" button in the Droid Transfer Messages toolbar. Here, choose a start and end date to filter your messages. Now when you select a conversation, Droid Transfer will only load messages sent/received between those dates into the preview.

2. Disable Auto-Preview Settings

To speed up the initial loading of the Messages section or a selected conversation, there are a couple of settings you can take advantage of.
To access them in Droid Transfer, go to Settings > Messages and disable:

• "Automatically preview the first listed conversation"
• "Load media automatically in preview"

Then, connect your Android device and open the Messages section. Are you able to more efficiently load in your conversations? Although your media isn't loaded into the preview when selecting a conversation, the media will be copied if you choose to save it.

3. Save a Long Conversation That Won't Open

If you find that you can't open a particular conversation, but you can load the others, you can still save that conversation.

To do this, (1) select a small conversation to load it into the preview in Droid Transfer. Then, (2) hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard and click the conversation you were unable to load.

This will select the conversation without attempting to load it into the preview. Now, choose to save as PDF, HTML, Text or CSV. Droid Transfer will save both selected conversations in your desired format.

4. Finding a Specific Conversation

If Droid Transfer has loaded the Messages section, but you're having trouble finding a certain conversation, you can use the search function.

To do this, enter the name of the contact for the conversation you are looking for in Droid Transfer. The app will then only show conversations which have a participant matching your search, and conversations which mention that name. You can search only for participants by altering your Settings.

In case there's an issue with the contact being linked to the conversation, you can instead use the search function to search a term which you know has been used within the conversation itself. For example, if you were organizing wedding plans with your contact, search "wedding" to find all conversations which mention a wedding!

If you need any further assistance, please contact our support staff. Be sure to include key information like the make and model of your Android device, and the version numbers of Droid Transfer and Transfer Companion.