Simple sms remote vs SMS Import / Export
Side-by-side comparison of two open source alternatives
Simple sms remote
Remotely control a phone through sms messages. Install the app on the device, which should be controlled, and send control commands from any messenger to it. Features * specify which modules are accessible and which phones are granted * start sms receiver after boot * send multiple commands with one message * reply to sender phone with result message * show permanent notification with receiver status * view log of sms receiver Modules * Hotspot: enable, disable, check if enabled * Wifi: enable, disable, check if enabled * Bluetooth: enable, disable, check if enabled * Mobile Data Connection: enable, disable, check if enabled * Battery: get level, check if battery is charging * Location: get current device coordinates * Audio Volume: set and get volume of all audio types (ringtone, music, ...) * Display: set and get brightness, set and get display off timeout, turn display off * Camera: take photo with default settings or custom options (flash, autofocus and more) Security Granted phones are required to be set for each module, so not everyone can control the device. However, if someone fakes his phone number he is able to use all enabled modules. (Note that this might be a complicated and illegal procedure. Moreover also common antitheft apps like avast trust the sender's phone number.
SMS Import / Export
SMS Import / Export imports and exports SMS and MMS messages, call logs, contacts, and blocked numbers from and to (ND)JSON / ZIP files. (Contacts import and export are currently functional but considered experimental.) It does not require root. The primary author of SMS Import / Export is Thomas More. Others have contributed code and translations. The software is copyright 2021-2025, and is released under the GNU General Public License version 3 or later. SMS Import / Export is a sibling project to sms-db, a Linux tool to build an SQLite database out of collections of SMS and MMS messages in various formats. sms-db will hopefully eventually be able to import ZIP files created by SMS Import / Export, and to export its database to ZIP files that can be imported by SMS Import / Export.
| Feature | Simple sms remote | SMS Import / Export |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0-or-later |
| Install sources | F-DroidGitHub | F-DroidGitHubIzzyOnDroid |
| Categories | ProductivitySMSMessaging | ProductivitySMSMessaging |
| Features | Ad-FreeOpen SourceNo Tracking | Ad-FreeOpen SourceNo Tracking |
| Platforms | Android | Android |
| Website | ||
| Source code |