Backing up Android?

stockhausen

stockhausen

stockhausen

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For many years now I have had a policy of using Acronis True Image to make an image copy of the system disk of a newly built system. This allows me easily to restore a clean system in the event of a virus or other disaster. From time to time I will restore from this image, update all the relevant software, apply patches, etc. and then make an up-to-date image of the system disk.

Is there any similar technique available for Android on a Tablet or 'phone?
What happens if you install some piece of software that cannot readily be removed?

It will be pretty obvious that I am not at all familiar with Android. However, any Android user to whom I have spoken seems entirely unconcerned about backing up, a few of them copy off photos and perhaps contact lists but other than that, they don't seem to care.
 
There isn't really an all.round solution. Google will back up most of it, apps, contacts, photos (if you turn on Google photo upload)

To be honest the easiest way to look at it is - what do you want backing up? Then find an app to do it.
 
What do you want backing up?
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That really is the key issue.

The device in question (Samsung Galaxy Note Tablet) includes some reasonably expensive software (Memory-Map OS Explorer 1:25,000). The user in question doesn't want to have to pay for it again if she loses (or somehow corrupts) it.

What she would like to do and has asked my advice on is what I described above - make an image of the clean working system with the desired options loaded.

As to Google capturing her contact details and photos for whatever commercial uses they might dream up - I suspect that she could certainly live with out that happening - although I accept that they will probably do it anyhow :(
 
Surely the software is just downloaded from the Google Play Store and so if the device got destroyed she could just sign in and download it again?

I've moved this to the Mobile Phones section as you'll likely get more replies there.
 
Helium or Titanium backup.

But as Rilot said, if you've purchased from the play store, you can just reinstall it from there if you move to a new device or wipe the existing one.
 
Sp00n said:
Helium or Titanium backup. . . .
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Thanks for that, I will investigate further.

On a quick search there seem to be many ngative comments on the Helium Google Play page, e.g.:
Can't restore backups with free version. First tried copying backed up "carbon" folder from PC to phone storage but apparently that isn't supported; then used the "helium server" option to restore .ab files 1 by 1 and that doesn't work either - "invalid backup file". I'm not computer illiterate and this app claims to be an easy and workable solution for backing up apps and data without root on Android devices - it just doesn't work.
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This doesn't preclude it as a solution but is "strange", especially since it is not mentioned and there is no (obvious) indication as to what the full version costs.

Titanium Backup Root seems more promising although I don't know what "Rooted Androids" means. Presumably it requires the user to have root access and I have no idea how one tests for this?

ps - thanks for moving the thread, much appreciated, I should have started there, sorry.
 
stockhausen said:
Thanks for that, I will investigate further.
Titanium Backup Root seems more promising although I don't know what "Rooted Androids" means. Presumably it requires the user to have root access and I have no idea how one tests for this?
Click to expand...

Titanium is a good solution. To test root you can use any of the root test apps on Google Play. However, most phones are not rooted in default settings and you have to do the root process for them.
 
stockhausen said:
Thanks for that, I will investigate further.
Titanium Backup Root seems more promising although I don't know what "Rooted Androids or backup Android texts" means. Presumably it requires the user to have root access and I have no idea how one tests for this?
ps - thanks for moving the thread, much appreciated, I should have started there, sorry.
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The Titanium Backup Root seems to help people backup Android , for the root , if your phone's version is too low, the phone can't be supported for any operations, but after being root, the phone will have permissions to backup ,
But now , not all the phone need to be rooted before backup ,
 
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stockhausen said:
That really is the key issue.

The device in question (Samsung Galaxy Note Tablet) includes some reasonably expensive software (Memory-Map OS Explorer 1:25,000). The user in question doesn't want to have to pay for it again if she loses (or somehow corrupts) it.

What she would like to do and has asked my advice on is what I described above - make an image of the clean working system with the desired options loaded.

As to Google capturing her contact details and photos for whatever commercial uses they might dream up - I suspect that she could certainly live with out that happening - although I accept that they will probably do it anyhow :(
Click to expand...


If she bought the app from the app store she can just re-download the app at any time.

You won't have root as no phone is sold rooted, Google will back up certain stuff like contacts, photos, apps. You can use SMS backup+ for the obvious. Have a tinker around in some apps also as they sometimes offer backup solutions, such as Nova Launcher.
 
You can use ADB to make a copy of the internal storage, but that doesn't copy everything like SMS's, which I learnt the hard way. That's the one downside of an Android device, there's no universal iTunes like software to make a backup of your phone.
 
I am still trying - without success - to find a way to make a backup "image" of Android on a 'phone and then to restore it.

Has anything changed on this front?
 
Not sure your asking the right question here ..
If she's bought an app legitimately from Google play then as others have said she can simply sign back into Google on her new device and immediately reinstall the app.

It doesn't sound like she's installed the app via the back door, ie. Enabling 3rd party app instalation and sideloading a.. APK file.

So theres no worries on the application front, and personal files /data can be backed the normal way using Google or a 3rd party app or even manually backing up..

Android works a bit differently to say Windows for example, the variety of android hardware configurations is so varied that a simple 'disk clone' just wouldn't be practical, unless you cloned it to the same phone /tablet it just wouldn't work.

A hard/factory reset of the phone would suffice.
Unless the phone/tablet has been rooted, that will accomplish what you want.
 
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I worded that badly ... With android you can't have full admin access to the device unless you root it, unlike windows.

So a factory /hard reset will make it brand new again. You'll loose all apps and data in the process. Apps can be installed back straight away from the play store. Personal files /documents etc. Will be gone so you need to back those up via Google or a 3rd party backup app.

This is assuming the device is not rooted, rooting on android is like having an admin account on Windows where you can do whatever you want.
 
Android needs to take a leaf out of Windows 10 mobile's book. On that, you do a full backup which is built in to the O/S. Then you do a factory re-set, sign in and restore from that backup, and all your apps automatically install themselves back and you home screen layout returns etc. Works perfectly, although on my phone it could take about an hour for everything to re-install etc. I did that a few times, flawless.

I'm now on Android so yeah I understand that there is no equivalent which is a shame.
 
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