Backup Android applications without root. How to secure your smartphone and backup Android firmware. Features of backup on different platforms

Before installing firmware or other important actions, it is important to take care of the safety of your personal data. Timely backup - a backup copy will avoid the loss of important information, or will help restore the functionality of the system. In this article you will learn how to make a full backup of the system firmware or just individual partitions.

Partial firmware backup

With a partial backup, only certain data is saved: contacts, messages, applications, photos, notes, etc. The information received helps quick setup device, after flashing, resetting or other action. The data is also suitable for recovery on a new device.

Below we will consider methods of partial backup. Note that some methods work if there is root rights. For your convenience, at the beginning of each method, we indicated minimum requirements for getting backup copy.

Method 1: using ADB or ADB Run

Requirement: Availability of a PC, cable with data transfer support, ADB or ADB Run utility.

Backup options: data section data and app; data, app and SdCard.

Algorithm of actions:

Install drivers for your device. For example, standard drivers Motorola, enough to connect via ADB. In your case, you may need .

Connect your smartphone/tablet via USB cable.

Launch the ADB Run utility.

If this is your first time using USB debugging, please confirm the connection to PC on the device screen.

Make sure the device is connected. In ADB Run, such information is indicated in the upper left corner.

Press button 9 then enter to open the backup menu.

To make a copy of all partitions, press button 3.

On the screen mobile device A message will appear asking you to confirm the creation of the backup. If desired, enter a password to encrypt the data.

After creating a copy, a message will appear in the ADB Run window: “Press any key to continue.”

The folder with your backup copy will automatically open. Close ADB Run.

Method 2: via the recovery and reset menu

Requirement: Account for reservations, internet.

Backup options: application settings; call log and Wi-Fi passwords.

Android OS allows you to back up some data - passwords Wi-Fi networks, wallpaper and call log. With the release of update 6.0, application settings were included in the reservation list. The information is saved in Google Drive.

Important!

When backing up data, some confidential information may be retained.
Backing up application settings is not available if the developer has not activated the option in the console Google Play.
Backups are deleted after 60 days of inactivity.
Reservations are made no more than once a day.

For detailed instructions, see our separate article on.

Method 3: Sync Gmail

Requirement: Accounting Gmail entry, Internet.

Backup options: electronic gmail, saving games, calendar, directory contacts.

On Android OS, Gmail is not only an email, but also an account required to use some services, such as Google Play. The account also allows you to synchronize some data - contacts, calendars and other information.

Algorithm of actions:

Add a Gmail account in the settings, in the accounts section. Or create an account. Instructions for creating an account via PC. How to create email from your phone, read.
After adding an account, open the accounts section.
Select your Google account.
In the new window, click the switches next to the data you want to synchronize.
Open the drop-down window where you select force synchronization.

Method 4: Using Titanium Backup

Requirement: having root rights.

Backup options: applications and application settings.

Titanium Backup allows you to save only user programs, only system programs, or all applications. There is also an option automatic download, the received copy of the programs to the cloud.

Algorithm of actions:

Open Titanium Backup. Provide root program access.

Click on the "Backups" tab for selective saving programs. Select a utility from the list and click on the “Save” button.

To create a backup copies of several applications, click on the menu button, then batch actions. Select the option to save applications.

Automatic saving of applications, available on the “schedules” tab. Select the option to save or create a new task.

Method 5: Using Google Photos

Requirement: account, internet.

Backup options: photos video.

Full backup of firmware

Complete backup, involves saving the entire firmware. A system image is created, intended for recovery only on the device where the copy was made. A full image allows you to restore the device’s functionality after unsuccessful firmware, or restore only certain partitions.

Method 1: using custom recovery

Requirement: Availability of TWRP or CWM recovery

Backup options: Removing the entire system image or just individual partitions.

Algorithm of actions for TWRP recovery:

Boot into boot mode. Read how to use TWRP.
Click on the "Backup" button.
Specify the sections you want to save. Also specify the drive where you want to save the image or firmware partition.

Good afternoon, dear readers. Read the article on how to make a backup on Android without root rights, or with them, what a backup is. Useful programs, which will help you make a backup copy.

The Android operating system is fraught with a lot of possibilities. The most useful of them is backup. Or backup - this function is also called that. If a failure occurs or you lose your smartphone, you can restore almost all the information. You just need to remember to make backups regularly Android systems. How exactly? This article will try to answer this question.

Types of backup

First, let's figure out what exactly is meant by the word “backup”. This is usually the name for copying certain files for their subsequent recovery. You can copy data to the following places:

microSD card or permanent memory- you copy the data into a separate file or archive, and then move it somewhere else yourself;
Computer- backup of Android firmware or copying of some third-party files to a PC is usually carried out via a USB cable or via Wi-Fi;
Cloud services- in some cases, the backup can be automatically uploaded to Dropbox, Google Drive and other similar sites.

What exactly can you copy? This is a more serious question. The operating system itself downloads to the servers by default Google data about your contacts, call log, messages and much more. Usually this is enough for any user.

Third-party applications can copy all kinds of media content. For example, these could be downloaded videos or . In this case, you often specify the folders yourself the necessary files, so there can be no mistakes - absolutely everything will be copied.

There is also a backup on Android of application settings. It works correctly, however, not on all smartphones. And not all programs allow you to copy their settings. But you need to know about this possibility.

Finally, there is a full backup on Android. This is when it is copied Current state firmware - completely, from settings to some files hidden from the user. This is done in the most difficult way and often in a special way. And this is required only for those who regularly experiment with their device.

Backup on Android: Do you need root rights?

Some files cannot be copied without . The fact is that the most serious settings of the operating system are embedded deep in hidden folders. As such, the user does not have access to read them. It is root rights that solve the problem - they provide access to copy absolutely any files.

But most often, no root rights are required. For example, you can back up your messages, contact book, and other aspects of the Android operating system without them. Moreover, this process is often carried out in automatic mode- you may not even know about it.

Backup using the operating system

Android, almost from its first versions, learned to copy user information to Google servers. But at the same time, only basic information is copied - messages, call logs, content of services from the Google Play series, calendar, contacts and documents. If this is enough for you, then get ready to do the following:

Go to "Settings".
Go to the "Accounts" section.
Select Google.
In the window that opens, activate the switches next to all the items that you consider necessary. Please note that there is also an “Application Data” item here. But it does not work in the best way - if you reinstall the operating system or some kind of system failure, many programs will still start working from scratch. But all applications will be installed automatically.

Don't forget that for this synchronization to work you need Google account. However, without it you can only implement an Android backup to a computer. For other actions, special applications are required, and they need to be downloaded from, where you cannot get there without the appropriate account. Of course, there are all sorts of tricks like downloading programs from third-party resources, but this is a topic for a separate article.

Branded programs for backup on Android

Nowadays, many smartphones come with proprietary shells created by the manufacturer. They can implement additional backup - the data is sent to the device manufacturer’s server. For example, let's look at how to make a backup on Android installed on a Samsung smartphone or tablet:

Go to "Settings".
Enter the "Cloud and Accounts" section.
Click on "Backup and Restore".
Select "Backup Settings".
Here you can enable automatic backup, which will be uploaded to the server once every 24 hours. Here you can also select the types of information sent to the server. More often than not, Samsung complements Google in this regard. For example, this way you can regularly copy desktop shortcuts, the contents of the Phone application, a list of all installed applications, almost all device parameters, and much more.

The best backup programs for Android

Not all people are satisfied standard features operating system. Some users are looking for information on how to make a backup on Android using special utilities. They seem to trust them more. In addition, such programs allow you to send a backup to your favorite “cloud,” while the operating system only offers servers from Google and some other companies involved in the production of smartphones.

Without root rights, third-party programs do approximately the same thing as Android itself. They are able to copy contacts and messages, but nothing more. But if you give such a program superuser rights, then everything will change. The breadth of its capabilities will increase significantly. The most popular backup applications and tools are the following:

Titanium Backup;
SP FlashTools;
(CWM).

Titanium Backup

And these are just the three most popular titles! On Google Play you can find at least a dozen other programs of this kind. For now, let's figure out how backup is carried out Android applications with help Titanium Backup. This is the most popular backup program. It is free to use, although some useful features available only in the extended version. However, it is not too expensive; $5.99 is a reasonable price to pay for keeping your information safe.

So, what does Titanium Backup copy? It seems like absolutely everything! If you give the application superuser rights (without them it simply does not work), you will get a bunch of possibilities.

Firstly, you can regularly copy the settings of all programs and games installed on your device. Moreover, you can even copy their APK files!
Secondly, you can make a backup of all operating system settings. Absolutely everyone! This means you can experiment without worrying about system files.
Thirdly, although this does not concern our topic, Titanium Backup allows you to freeze user and system software. This is useful in cases where the device is provided to a child - this way you will be sure that he will definitely not install anything by accident.

How exactly to use Titanium Backup?

Everything is very simple:

Install and run Titanium Backup.
Give the application superuser rights. The utility may also ask you to change some settings - for example, enable the ability to install programs from unknown sources.
Click on the button located in the upper right corner. It shows a piece of paper with a check mark.
Here is a list of program features. Select the feature you want and click the Start button next to it. For example, you can select “Make r.k. all user software and system data." In this case, absolutely everything will be copied.

The backup copy will be in the form separate file. In the application settings you can specify where exactly to save the backup. The safest way is to save it to a memory card. The PRO version allows you to use Box, Dropbox and Google Drive. You can also set up an automatic backup - it will be created according to a schedule. The paid version of the program can compress files - in this case they will occupy your cloud storage or there is less space on the memory card.

Backup of all Android firmware

And even Titanium Backup does not copy the entire state of the operating system. In this case it simply doesn't make sense. If you experience a system crash and Android won't boot, you won't be able to use the recovery because you won't be able to launch the app itself. Then how to make a backup of Android firmware?

Developers from Google have implemented another method that works using .

Make sure the battery is at least 50% charged before proceeding further. Otherwise, there is minimal risk of the device turning into a “brick”.

Can be used on different smartphones and tablets different way visits Recovery menu. In any case, you will need to completely turn off the device. Then the following actions are usually performed:

You must hold down the volume up button;
Next, the power button is pressed.

Some devices use different buttons. For example, Samsung devices can also use the Home button. Please note that all buttons are released after a green robot appears on the screen with exclamation mark. Otherwise, a normal reboot will occur. Well, in the Recovery Menu you need to find the item “ Backup and Restore". Navigate the menu using the volume buttons ( touch screen does not work here) and click on the corresponding item using the power button. Next, click on “Backup” in the same way. Then all that remains is to wait for the process to complete.

Copying all firmware files can take from five to ten minutes - the exact value depends on the processor power and operating system load.

When the process is complete, click on “Reboot now”. This will reboot the device.

Unfortunately, this method may not work on some smartphones. Almost always, the “Backup and Restore” item is present in the custom Recovery menus. If you have never flashed a device, then you may simply not have this item.

For operating rooms Windows systems and Mac OS X, many programs have been written to receive data from a smartphone. Software developers who regularly test and experiment with portable devices typically use A.D.B.. This special program, which is used to debug a smartphone or tablet. It has virtually no interface, and all actions are carried out by entering the appropriate commands. But before that, you need to enable USB debugging on your smartphone. This is done as follows:

Go to "Settings".
If you've never enabled USB debugging, you'll likely need to visit the About Phone section first. Here, click on the “Build number” item several times until you receive a message indicating that you have become a developer.
Now go back to the main settings menu and click on the “For Developers” button.
Activate the switch next to “USB Debugging”.

When the checkbox is activated, you need to connect your smartphone to your computer and run ADB program(its exe file). In fact, only with the help of this utility can you create a backup without root. For the most complete backup, enter the following command:

$ adb backup -f "D:\Backup\ADB-2017-08-15.ab" -apk -shared -all -system

If you don't need APK files, then corresponding key you don't have to write. Of course, the path and name of the backup file may be different - we have provided only an example.

If you only need to transfer contacts, messages and other information to your computer, then you can use more understandable programs. For example, an application will allow you to make such a backup on Android MyPhoneExplorer. This computer application has a clear Russian-language interface; it does not ask for any text commands. Therefore, it will not be difficult for you to create a backup copy on your own. We will only say that this program also requires activation of USB debugging.

Summarizing

Now you know what backup is on Android. And from now on you will not have any difficulties creating it. In conclusion, we only note that ordinary people creating backup copies is required only in order to then restore the most important information in case of loss or damage of the smartphone. And for this, the usual synchronization with Google, which we talked about at the very beginning, is enough.

Android includes a built-in feature to create a full backup of your Android phone without root, as well as a tool to restore it. All you need is a computer and a device running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).

You can also create and restore a backup of your Android device using the Titanium Backup utility. Titanium Backup is perhaps one of the most best solutions for backup, but it requires root rights.

Installation Android SDK

To create and restore a backup, we will use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) commands. This utility is included in Google Android SDK, which you can download for free.

First, you need to install the Java Development Kit (if not installed), since the Android SDK requires it. Download and install the 32-bit version of the Java Development Kit (Android SDK requires the 32-bit version, even if you have a 64-bit version of Windows).

Next, download and install the Android SDK. If the SDK says it can't find Java, then you may have installed a 64-bit version, in which case install the 32-bit version.

After you have successfully installed the SDK, launch Android SDK Manager from the Start menu. Check the box next to Android SDK Platform-tools and click the install button to install the platform tools package that contains ADB. If you see an error, run SDK Manager as Administrator (click on the SDK Manager icon in the Start menu and select “Run as Administrator”).

Preparing the device

You must enable USB debugging on your device. You can do this from the developer tools in Android settings.

Now connect your PC and your device via USB cable. You must have drivers installed for your smartphone; usually they can be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website. Install Google USB Driver via Android SDK Manager (Extras subfolder), it might work.

ADB check

Remember the path where Android SDK is installed. It appears at the very top android windows SDK Manager next to SDK Path.

You need to find the adb.exe file in the platform-tools folder. It is usually located at C:\Users\NAME\AppData\Local\Android\Android-sdk\platform-tools.

Go to this folder and, while holding the Shift button, click right click mouse on free space, in the context menu that opens, select “Open command window”. To check the adb connection to your device, run the adb devices command.

Your device should appear in the list. If it is not there, then the driver is installed incorrectly.

Now you can use adb commands to create a backup copy of your device files. For a full backup, run the following command:
adb backup -apk -shared -all -f C:\Users\NAME\backup.ab
The command will create a backup copy of all installed applications ( apk files) and data on the SD card to the file C:\Users\NAME\backup.ab on your computer. Replace NAME in the command with your computer's username or specify a different location.

When you run the command on your phone, you must confirm the creation of the backup. You can also protect your backup with a password.

Depending on the amount of data, the process may take some time.

Restoring a backup

To restore a backup, you need to run the following command:
adb restore C:\Users\NAME\backup.ab
A confirmation message appears indicating that the backup will replace all data on the device. If a password is set for the backup, you will need to enter it.

To create a full backup of an Android phone without root rights, you need to be an average user who understands Android feature, but with the help of our instructions even a beginner can do this. We hope this feature will be available in the Android interface in the future.

With the release of Android 6.0 Marshmallow, users now have access to a truly necessary feature - automatic backup of user application data to Google service Drive. But even though Google took care of users by adding this feature, not all developers are in a particular hurry to update their products and add a similar function to them. So after changing the device or resetting to factory settings, you have to play through the games again, change program settings to your taste, etc. Of course, having root rights on the device can help you out of such a situation. But what if it is not possible to get them? In addition, to do this you will often need to unlock the bootloader, which automatically leads to the loss of all information on the device. In this case, ADB comes to the rescue.

Few Android device users know that it is possible to make a backup copy of all installed applications and their data without additional manipulations with their device. And in today’s article we will tell you how to make a backup of the entire system, without unlocking the bootloader and obtaining superuser rights.

How to backup all information on your device

In order not to bother yourself and save all the accumulated photos, music, videos yourself, this method will be an excellent choice. And here's what you need:

Create a folder named Android in the root of the C:\ drive.
Install USB drivers for your device (you can find links to universal drivers for some devices).
In some cases, installing drivers will require you to disable authentication.
- For Windows 7:
  When you turn on the computer, after BIOS boot, you must press the F8 key. In the “Advanced boot options” menu that appears, select “Disable mandatory driver signing.” This method may not work the first time, so you should repeat the action or open a command prompt as an administrator and enter two commands:
  "bcdedit.exe /set loadoptions DDISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS";
  "bcdedit.exe /set TESTSIGNING ON."
- For Windows 8:
  You need to press the Win+I key combination, hold down the Shift key and select “Shutdown” > “Restart”. When you turn on your computer, select Diagnostics > Advanced Options > Boot Options > Restart. When loading, select the “Disable mandatory driver signature verification” mode by pressing the F7 key.
- For Windows 10:
  You must hold down the Shift key and select the Start menu > Shutdown > Restart. After booting, select Troubleshooting > Advanced Options > Boot Options > Restart. Then select “Disable mandatory driver signature verification” by pressing F7.
Download the archive and unpack the files into the Android folder.
Activate the “USB Debugging” item on your smartphone.
This can be done in the “For Developers” section. If this section hidden, instructions will help you open it.
Change the duration of the standby mode.
To do this, in the screen settings you need to select the “Sleep mode” item and set the switch to the maximum possible time.
Connect your phone to your computer via a USB cable.
It is recommended to use original or good quality cable, and USB port 2.0, located on motherboard(for PC).
Change the connection type from “Charging only” to “File transfer (MTP)”.
This is not required on every device, but many manufacturers require it as a security measure before allowing ADB to work.
Open a command line and go to the created Android folder with the command “cd c:\Android\” (commands are written without quotes).
Make sure that the computer finds the device via ADB.
To do this, you need to enter “adb devices” into the command line. When a request appears on the phone for permission to debug via ADB on this computer You must click “Ok” and select “Always allow from this computer.” If the device is visible, the text “List of devices attached” and a list of all devices (for example, xxxxxxx device) will be displayed. If instead of “device” it says “offline” or the list is empty, then you need to update ADB, check the drivers/cord, change the USB port/computer.
IN command line enter “adb backup -apk -shared -all -f path/to/backup.ab”, where path/to/backup.ab is the path to the directory and the name of the backup file.

The operation may take quite a long time, everything will depend on the amount of information on the smartphone.

How to Backup Only App Data

Unfortunately, like everything in this life, the previous method is not ideal. Not all data can always be saved correctly. It is recommended to manually save media files and documents to your PC or to the cloud, and then start backing up user application data. To do this, you will need to follow steps 1 to 10 and then enter “adb backup -apk -all -f path/to/backup.ab” in the command line, where path/to/backup.ab is the path to the directory and backup file name. After that, on your smartphone, enter a password to protect the backup copy and click the “Back up data” button in the lower right corner.

How to back up some apps

If you do not need to back up all programs installed on the device and it is enough to save the data of some applications, then you will need the following:

Follow steps 1 to 10 from the first method.
Install the App Inspector application on your smartphone.
Launch the App Inspector utility and select App List (Ordered by name). Find and select the application that you want to restrict from running in the background. The package name and version will be displayed below the program name.
Enter the command “adb backup -f path/to/backup.ab -apk name.of.package”, where path/to/backup.ab is the path to the directory and the name of the backup file, and name.of.package is the name of the package , which was previously recognized in the App Inspector.
A window will appear on your smartphone asking you to enter a password to further protect your backup. After entering it, you need to click the “Back up data” button in the lower right corner.

How to restore data from a backup

To restore data, you only need to enter “adb restore path/to/backup.ab” on the command line, where path/to/backup.ab is the path to the backup file and press Enter. On your smartphone, enter the password in the window that appears and click the “Recover data” button. Through certain time, depending on the file size, your phone will display “Recovery Complete” in a pop-up window.

Additional Information

In addition to the above, I would like to supplement the article with several more commands and parameters that can help in certain situations.

Command format for creating a backup:

Adb backup [-f ] [-apk | -noapk] [-shared | -noshared] [-all] [-system | nosystem] [

The simplest command to create a backup is:

adb backup -all

After entering this command, a backup copy of only the data of all applications (without APK files) will be created in the current directory with the name backup.ab.

If after running this command an error occurs (something like “adb: cannot open file ./backup.ab”) you need to enter the following:

Adb backup -all -f C:\backup.ab

In this case, the backup file will be created in the root directory of the C:\ drive. Instead of C:\backup.ab, you can specify any necessary address and file name.

Here is a description of some of the options you can use when creating a backup:

This parameter used to indicate the path and name of the backup file. For example, "-f C:\Backup\mybackup.ab" points to the Backup folder located on drive C. The backup name is mybackup.ab.

Apk | -noapk

This flag indicates whether the application's APK files should be included in the backup or only the corresponding data. It is recommended to use "-apk" when the application is not available on Google Play or is used for more than old version than on the Market. The default is "-noapk".

Shared | -noshared

This flag is used to enable/disable content backup internal memory/device SD card. The default is "noshared". It is recommended not to back up the internal memory in this way, but to manually save everything necessary files, because not all data can be saved/restored.

This flag is the easiest way to backup your entire system.

System | -nosystem

This setting determines whether system applications will be included in the backup. The default is "-system". It is recommended not to include system applications in the backup to avoid possible errors during future restoration.

Here you can specify the names of the packages (for example, com.google.android.apps.plus) that you want to save. Only used if you need to back up a specific application.

That's all. Write in the comments if it helped you this instruction and whether all information was saved correctly.

As the well-known IT wisdom says, system administrators are divided into those who do not make backups and those who already make backups. I think everyone has had to set up a phone/tablet from scratch at least once after updating or crashing. But it’s not at all necessary to do this if you have a saved backup. In this article we will look at different types backup (backup copy) of the contents of Android devices for all occasions.

Introduction

Having received root on a smartphone, the average user begins to experiment with the device and install various interface modifications, themes, fonts, new kernels, firmware, radio and root applications. As a permanent, long-standing and active user Forums w3bsit3-dns.com and XDA Developers, I can say that very often such experiments end in questions with the wording: “The phone won’t boot, what should I do?”

Even after reading the instructions very carefully, you can make a typo or press the wrong button, and then get a bootloop - eternal loading phone with repeated bootanimation. In the worst case, you can get a “brick” - the phone will not turn on at all. This happens very rarely, and, frankly, you need to try very hard to, for example, kill flash memory. Usually, what users consider to be a “brick” can be successfully restored with the help of simple manipulations. And backup will help us a lot with this.

Basic backup functions that will satisfy most ordinary users, suggests Google itself. In your phone settings there is an “Accounts” tab where you can check the necessary boxes. After flashing or resetting the device to factory settings or activating a new phone, Android itself will restore contacts, history and tabs Chrome browser, Google Keep notes, photos, application data, calendar events and so on. In recent Android versions you can restore the desktop with all shortcuts and automatically install all previously installed applications.

However, Google can't backup everything. System and application settings will be reset, saved passwords (or rather, authentication tokens) will disappear, applications from third-party markets will not be installed again. Therefore, we need tools that can save everything. We'll talk about them.

WARNING

Most of the applications described in this article require root and BusyBox.

Backup of applications and their data.

I myself adhere to the approach “ clean install" When upgrading to new firmware, it’s easier for me to set up programs from scratch. And the appearance of bugs in this case is reduced to nothing, especially when moving to the next major version of the firmware. But many users find it more convenient to save application settings and restore them to new firmware. This is especially true for third party programs, which are not in the market. I will focus on the two most popular applications, with millions of downloads.

Titanium Backup

The most powerful tool for backing up, restoring, freezing and deleting applications along with their data (including system ones and those pre-installed by the manufacturer). Allows you to set up automatic backup on a schedule without closing applications, and transfer any application to an SD card. You can store different backups of one application, save SMS, MMS, call history, browser bookmarks, Wi-Fi access points in the form of an XML file. Can sync all backups to Dropbox, Box and Google Drive. Using this application, it is easy to make any user application a system application, add encryption, and link the application to the market after recovery (for further updates). A convenient feature is the creation of an update.zip archive based on a backup of applications and data, which can be flashed from the recovery console to restore applications and settings.

One of the most useful applications Titanium Backup is the transfer of applications and their settings between devices. As an example, I’ll show you how to make the popular WhatsApp messenger work on a tablet without a SIM card. When searching for a program in the market, the description page will indicate that this program is not supported on your device. Even if you download and install the APK, to activate the program you need to call the device, which a tablet without a SIM card (or LTE with a tariff without voice calls or a dialer cut out of the firmware) cannot do.

So, go to Titanium, look for the right application, click on it and click “Save” in the pop-up menu. If you swipe left in the menu, you can call additional functions. The same menu can be called up with a long tap on the application in the list. After running the script, it will appear in the notification panel new entry about creating a successful backup. For ease of use, I advise you to configure the program to upload backups to the cloud. Synchronization can be configured on the third tab - “Schedules”. Click “Start” on the “Synchronization with Google Drive” item, and a notification in the curtain will indicate successful completion.

On the tablet we launch Titanium and synchronize backups with the cloud. At the same time, the newly made backup from the phone is downloaded. WhatsApp will be at the very end of the list of programs. A crossed out name means that the program is not installed on the tablet. Click on the program and select “Restore” from the pop-up menu. All. You can launch WhatsApp.

Helium - App Sync and Backup

The main difference of the program is the ability to work without superuser rights (the application uses the standard backup manager, available in any Android starting from version 4.0. - Ed.). At the same time, some of the functions are reduced and a companion application is required on the computer. The program will allow you to backup your user dictionary, messages and call logs, and Wi-Fi access points. System applications cannot be backed up, even if you are rooted. Also, reservation may be prohibited by the developers of some programs. They will be at the bottom of the list. For example, WhatsApp cannot be backed up.

Helium remembers all devices on which it was launched and allows you to restore backups separately on different devices Oh. Backups can be stored on a memory card or in the cloud (Google Drive, Box, Dropbox), and can also be made on a schedule. Another feature of the application is that it is easy to transfer data between devices, for example, having started a game on one device, you can continue it on another.

IMEI

There are often cases when after the firmware it stops working cellular and the Internet. This is a sure sign that the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) has failed. This number is unique for each device and serves to identify the device on the network. If there is a failure, it may be reset to zero, and the device will no longer see the network.

To avoid such cases, I advise you to make a backup of the EFS partition containing the IMEI in advance: using programs from the market, manually through the console (adb shell) or on the device through a terminal emulator. It is worth noting that for different devices the partition table may differ radically depending on the chips used. In the case of Nexus 4, you need to enter the following commands in the terminal:

Backup IMEI:

Su dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p8 of=/sdcard/m9kefs1.img dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p9 of=/sdcard/m9kefs2.img

Repair IMEI:

Su dd if=/sdcard/m9kefs1.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p8 dd if=/sdcard/m9kefs2.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p9

The Nexus 5 does not have a dedicated EFS partition. Therefore, you need to backup sections 12 and 13, which contain not only IMEI, but also other data:

Su dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p12 of=/sdcard/modemst1.img dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p13 of=/sdcard/modemst2.img

Restoration is carried out by a similar command.

Photos and videos

After unsuccessful firmware update or, for example, damage or theft of the phone, the most unpleasant sensation is caused by the loss of captured videos and photos. After all, applications can be reinstalled, passwords can be restored if necessary, and photos, if you don’t protect yourself in advance, will be lost forever. And in the market there are programs for every taste for saving your photos and videos. Let's look at a few of them.

Google+

Standard program from the “good corporation”, pre-installed on all stock firmware. I’ve been using it for a long time and on all devices (on this moment the albums contain more than 10 thousand photographs). Automatically syncs all captured photos with closed Picassa albums (soon the same feature will appear in Google Drive). Photos will be available on all devices logged into the same account. If you have Internet access, all photos can be viewed even on a new device by logging into your Google account. A nice bonus is auto-correction of some photos, creation of collages from similar photos and GIF animations from photo series. “Auto-creatives” also automatically appear - a cut to music from many photos and videos taken on the same day. When you change the location where you take photos and videos, “Stories” and “Travel” usually appear.

Other options

MEGA- provides 50 GB of storage by default, has flexible settings, a synchronization client for the computer and an extension for the Chrome browser. Different viewing modes, the ability to open folders for other users.

Cloud Mail.ru- 100 GB for new users. It has a nice interface and a client for the computer.

Dropbox- is interesting because it has a companion application, Carousel, which can not only automatically upload photos, but also clean your smartphone from those that have already been downloaded.

INFO

It is better to store important backups in the cloud or on your computer so that they can be used even after a complete wipe of the device.

Backup of arbitrary files

There are also various programs for backing up files on an SD card. In general, they have similar features and differ in interface or supported cloud services.

Foldersync

Material Design, support for Amazon Cloud Drive, Box, Dropbox, FTP, Google Drive, Mega, OneDrive, SMB/CIFS, WebDav, Yandex Disk. It has a built-in file manager, many settings, filters, and convenient planning. Ability to configure two-way synchronization, transfer hidden files, configure transfer via Wi-Fi / Mobile Internet, Tasker support, PIN code protection, ability to synchronize subfolders.

DataSync

Ability to synchronize between devices via Bluetooth, schedule, application data, files and folders. Automatic two-way data synchronization will allow you to save game progress and automatically download it to all connected devices when data changes on one of them.

Dropsync

Advanced synchronization client with Dropbox. Uploading photos and videos, monitoring battery level, Wi-Fi/3G/4G/WiMax connections and adaptation according to user preferences, customizable auto-sync interval, plug-in for Tasker, ability to select synchronization mode: download only, download and delete, only downloading, mirror downloading and more.

Essentially, this is an analogue of the Dropbox desktop client with on-the-fly synchronization (as in the Linux version of the client, file changes are tracked using the inotify mechanism, so everything is synchronized at once, and not at certain time intervals).

INFO

For Linux/UNIX users, rsync backup for Android is suitable, which will allow you to send and receive files from a remote server via SSH. Has Tasker support.

Full device backup

Nandroid backup (from NAND - the type of memory used in modern smartphones) is a complete backup of the entire firmware along with applications, data and settings. The function is supported by TWRP or CWM. In addition, you can make a backup directly from Android using the Online nandroid backup program. The already discussed Titanium, as well as Nandroid manager, will help you recover individual data. First, let's see how to make a backup from the recovery console.

CWM

To create a backup, select Backup and Restore, and then Backup to /sdcard. Before clicking, you can select the backup format or free up unused data. To restore, select Backup and Restore and then Restore from /sdcard. If you select Advanced restore from /sdcard, you can specify the boot, system, data, cache, sd-ext partitions for recovery separately.

For greater safety, the resulting backup can be transferred to a computer. But there's a catch. The fact is that if the device has an “external” (real) memory card, CWM will place the backup in it and it will be available for saving on the computer using standard means (directory clockworkmod/backup/date-and-time-of-backup on the memory card ). Everything is fine here.

A lyrical digression, or a declaration of love for Nexus devices

If you look at the partition structure of Nexus devices using the adb shell busybox fdisk /dev/block/mmcblk0 command (you need root and installed from the BusyBox market), you can see the following picture (see screenshot “Partition structure on Nexus 5 and Nexus 4” ).

The aboot partition is the primary bootloader. It can be damaged if, for example, you flash the kernel or bootloader from another device or pull out the cord from the phone during the flashing process. In this case, the partition table crashes and the phone stops loading into the bootloader and recovery, and also stops responding to fastboot and adb commands.

An ordinary user thinks that this is a “brick” and carries the phone to service center, where he pays more than a hundred dollars for a new one to replace the allegedly burnt board. In fact, in section 15 for Nexus 4 and section 11 for Nexus 5 there is a backup copy of the bootloader - abootb. This is one of the reasons why it is almost impossible to kill the Nexus, because the backup bootloader can be restored without any problems.

Turn off the smartphone and turn it on while pressing the keys simultaneously . Then simultaneously press and hold the button combinations (will only work if the main bootloader is killed). After that, connect the device to the computer (now it will be detected and ADB will work) and copy the backup bootloader to the main partition using the commands

$ adb shell su

The partition table will be restored, and if necessary, you can then flash the desired bootloader.

However, in smartphones without a memory card slot or in the absence of one, the backup will be invisible to the user. This is because Android's internal memory mount points have changed since version 4.2 to support multi-user operation. The virtual (internal) memory card itself is mounted in /data/media, and the CWM backup is also located there. But the main user's data is in /data/media/0, and it is this directory that is then mounted as /sdcard. Therefore, the backup will remain unavailable using standard means and without root rights.

You can get a backup from /data/media using file manager with superuser rights or by connecting the smartphone to the computer in recovery mode. Next, enter the command adb shell, and then ls /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup/ to search for the directory with the latest backup. We transfer the backup with something like this:

$ adb pull /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup/2015-04-20.15.46.18 \ "D:\Nexus5\Backup\Nandroid\2015-04-20.15.46.18"

where the numbers are the previously found backup, corresponding to the date and time of its appearance, and at the end - the path on the computer to store the backup, which can be arbitrary.

TWRP

To create a backup, click the Backup button and mark the required sections with crosses (not sure - select all). Additionally, you can remove encryption, enable compression, skip creating an MD5 hash, and select saving to a USB - OTG flash drive. As a result, the backup will be in the /sdcard/twrp/backups/backup-date-and-time directory. Unlike CWM, it will be available regardless of the presence of a memory card. To restore, click Restore and select the one you need.

INFO

The market has a large number of programs for separate backup and recovery of SMS, calls, contacts, kernels, recovery, and so on.

Nandroid Manager

It is a one-stop tool to manage all your Nandroid backups. Using Nandroid Manager, you can recover applications and data, SMS, call log, Wi-Fi hotspots, saved paired Bluetooth devices, user dictionary. The application sees backups created in both custom recovery, and allows you to rename them and search for information in separate databases within the backup.

Nandroid Manager Features

Online nandroid backup

Allows you to make a backup on a device operating in normal mode, without rebooting into recovery. In the settings you can select the following options:

Backup name - manually each time / by UTC time zone / by phone time zone / based on the firmware version number, including the time of creation.

Backup type - CWM/TWRP with or without compression.

Mode - normal (full) / selection of partitions for copying. When you select the latter, a list with choices opens.

Where to save the backup.

The number of backups for storage is from “all” to 10 (if full, the older ones are deleted).

Saving Yaffs2 sections as Tar files.

Excluding Dalvik Cache from backup.

Exception Google files Music from backup.

The program supports uploading backup files to the cloud, FTP or Google Drive. A customizable schedule for automatic backups is available, from “every day” to “every 30 days” with the option “only when the device is charging.” Additionally, Tasker actions are supported using the plugin.

Backup using ADB

The method, so to speak, is for geeks. We connect the smartphone to the computer, enable USB debugging. Next, we use the adb backup command, which has the following keys:

-f FILE - location and name of the backup file to be created on the computer. If this parameter is not present, the backup will be created in the current folder called backup.ab. On Windows, paths with spaces and special characters should be enclosed in quotes.

-apk | -noapk - whether or not to save the APK application in the backup. The default is not to save.

-system | -nosystem - whether to save system applications in backup. The default is to save. Selecting -nosystem will prevent system applications from being saved when -all is specified.

-all - save everything in backup installed applications, including system ones.

-shared | -noshared - whether to include application data and the contents of the memory card in the backup. The default is not to save.

- here you can write a list of applications that will be backed up. Ignores -nosystem.

Accordingly, to perform a full backup, use the following command:

$ adb backup -f "D:\Backup\ADB-2015-04-20.ab" -apk -shared -all -system

After this, Now unlock your will appear in the console device and confirm the backup operation, and a notification on the phone asking you to confirm the operation and set an optional password for the backup. The process of creating a backup copy can last more than forty minutes, so there is no need to be nervous. To restore, use the command “adb restore path-to-file”, for the example above it would be:

$ adb restore "D:\Backup\ADB-2015-04-20.ab"

We confirm the request on the phone, enter the password (if you set it during the backup) and wait for the recovery, which may take even longer than creating the backup itself.

INFO

To know IMEI numbers, all your devices linked to Google (including old ones) can be found on the page google.com/settings/dashboard, expanding the Android list.

Conclusion

I hope this article will help you save time and nerves when experimenting with the device. And even the loss or theft of a phone will not be a tragedy if backups of photos and applications are stored in the cloud.