Complete backup solution for Android.

slipd · 3 Jan 2015 at 14:06

Is there such a thing? I'd like to be able to do a complete backup of my Sony Z1c, including layout, settings, game progress etc, factory reset it and then restore the backup. Just like I used to be able to do with my iPhone on iTunes. Two years ago

Thanks.

matthab · 3 Jan 2015 at 14:16

Not that I know of, titanium backup can do a lot but requires root for most of it.

You can do a complete backup using clock work mod but can't be scheduled and needs root.

Orcvader · 3 Jan 2015 at 14:26

matthab said:
You can do a complete backup using clock work mod but can't be scheduled and needs root.

Or any other custom recovery can do the same full nandroid backup, but this also backs up the OS, meaning restoring it will restore everything making the factory reset pointless. Titanium backup is probably the best method as it can back up just the app data, allowing the OS to start fresh.

lamboman · 3 Jan 2015 at 15:11

Also, it generally isn't recommended to restore apps that sync data and provide notifications, as these frequently fail after being restored.

The best bet really is to backup and restore games, then reinstall and reconfigure everything else manually.

slipd · 3 Jan 2015 at 15:57

So nothing straight forward without rooting my device, I was hoping to avoid that

Orcvader · 3 Jan 2015 at 16:05

I suppose you can try this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.backup

lamboman · 3 Jan 2015 at 16:20

How many people frequently use Helium? I know it's been about a year since I did however I found that it'd not restore many things properly. Unless things have changed, TiBu would still be my pick.

grudas · 3 Jan 2015 at 16:40

Helium is a pos IMO.. Titanium backup works much better, helium backs things up but fails to restore so what's the point?

G-MAN2004 · 3 Jan 2015 at 20:33

I use Online Nandroid Backup Pro. It backs up absolutely everything and then uploads it to wherever you choose.

Edit: Oh, it's root, sorry.

Swarfega · 3 Jan 2015 at 23:22

I hate this about Android. I was hoping Lollipop might resolve this but nope, still crap. My wife killed her Moto G recently and lost all her SMS history. All app/game history is gone.

slipd · 4 Jan 2015 at 13:22

Swarfega said:
I hate this about Android. I was hoping Lollipop might resolve this but nope, still crap. My wife killed her Moto G recently and lost all her SMS history. All app/game history is gone.

I think this is the only aspect of my iPhone I actually miss; it was so easy to backup/reset/restore - in the end I had it down to a fine art and would do it regularly when I thought my handset was slowing down.

These days it's such a big part of owning a smartphone that you'd have thought Android developers would have come up with something definitive by now...

DAnDan · 4 Jan 2015 at 16:19

Swarfega said:
I hate this about Android. I was hoping Lollipop might resolve this but nope, still crap. My wife killed her Moto G recently and lost all her SMS history. All app/game history is gone.

SMS messages are easy to do, app data is more difficult though.

For SMS I'd recommend an app called "SMS Backup and Restore". I use it and have it set to do a backup of all messages at 1AM every day, and then sync that backup file with my dropbox. You can change the frequency, what/how it backs them up, and what to do with the file afterwards. No root needed either!

App data is sadly a different story, not something that you can really do without root access.

oli356 · 4 Jan 2015 at 18:04

Personally I don't really care about app data I care about my media (images/videos) and messages.

WhatsApp backs up at 4AM automatically, the database file then gets synced to Google Drive (I use Drive Autosync so that when it detects the file has changed, it will upload it).

I do the same for WhatsApp media and my DCIM folder.

The Autosync app works like a charm, I was previously using the Dropbox one but just changed to Drive. Backing up "any" file in a "two way" sync is great.

Pug · 4 Jan 2015 at 22:18

for pictures and video i just use google+. As soon as a pic is snapped it syncs to my google account. Works on all devices too (have it syncing the wifes iphone, and our ipads as well as my Z3).

photoshop · 4 Jan 2015 at 22:36

I use Titanium Backup all the time to restore apps and games with data.
I use Dropbox to sync all my Pictures and photos.

I Also so do Nandroids Weekly or when im about to change something in the OS so i can restore if it messes up.

slipd · 4 Jan 2015 at 22:38

photoshop said:
I use Titanium Backup all the time to restore apps and games with data.
I use Dropbox to sync all my Pictures and photos.

I Also so do Nandroids Weekly or when im about to change something in the OS so i can restore if it messes up.

Rooted though, yeah?

twist3d0n3 · 4 Jan 2015 at 23:27

could always just use googles own backup and restore. for desktop layouts, nova has a backup facility and for apps like whatsapp, they have their own built in backup system.

but, tbh, root/nandroids are the way to do things, so quick and easy (and depending on phone no need for a computer to do any of it).

photoshop · 5 Jan 2015 at 00:15

slipd said:
Rooted though, yeah?

Yes.

I also use EvolveSMS which has a local and a cloud based backup so i backup to dropbox all SMS messages.

Whatsapp+ has the same functions of backing up.
Same with Nova Launcher.

It Just makes life easy and makes OTA updates a breeze as i can install a new clean version and then have everything back to the way it was in a matter of minutes.

Nandroids take me 3 minutes in recovery mode to do so i always have a 1:1 image available.