If I restore my iPhone will I lose all my text messages?

Just backup before you restore and then afterwards it gives you the option to restore from your back up and your texts and everything else will be back as it originally was.

Create a backup > iTunes: Backing up, updating, and restoring your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch software

,,,

To keep them

-back up iPhone

-restore from that back up

To get rid of them

-after restore click 'set up as new phone'

-this is like starting clean. You can re download music movies apps etc. But preferences won't be saved.

I took another look at that link.

I don't think a backup includes text messages.

"Although iTunes backs up most of your device's settings, downloaded applications, your audio, video, and photo content are not included in the backup."

From here > iTunes: Backing up, updating, and restoring your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch software

The backup of your iPhone does include SMS and MMS messages, i.e. text messages. See this... http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1766

iTunes will backup the following information

SMS and MMS (pictures and video) messages.

Before upgrading to iOS 5, does the system backup automatically or do I have to remember to do it? I upgraded to iOS 5 and lost all SMS.

It does a backup before updating. After the update, it will ask you if you want to setup as a new device or from your backup. Did you choos the option to setup from your backup?

Oh. I don't remember if it asked me that. I do remember the message saying that it was restoring my backup (something like that). However, around that time the internet turned off so I'm not sure I that influenced the whole upgrade. That was in the evening. Then the next morning the phone was unresponsive so restored it. I got eveything back except my SMS :(

what about my apps