Full Android backup without root

Although Android already has options to make a complete backup of the device, due to the fragmentation of the system and the incompatibility of some applications, this backup is not something you can trust at all, especially if you are going to restore the copy. security on a different device. For that reason, it is advisable to use the different “backup” options that you have available, in case one of them fails or does not save the data you are interested in.

If you need a reliable and absolute backup of your entire device, you will have to install a custom recovery and use the “Backup” option, as long as you are going to restore the copy to the same device. To backup apps, you can get root permissions on your phone and use an app like Titanium Backup.

Cloud backup

Most Android devices already have an option to make a full backup of the device in Settings, Google, Back up, a copy that is saved in Google Drive and that is normally restored automatically when you log in to the device with the same Google account used for backup.

This option backs up everything except user data or storage files: applications, contacts, SMS and settings. However, its limitation is that not all apps will be backed up in this way. Furthermore, the backup can only be restored on “certain” devices. Of course, if you are going to restore it on the same phone, this is not a problem.

If you lost your cell phone or it was stolen, you can also save your data in the cloud before wiping it remotely and prevent the thief from having access to it. For example, you can do this through Find My Mobile, Samsung’s service to track a mobile. However, it only works if you previously activated two-step verification on your Samsung account.

Since not all data can be backed up with Google backup, as a precaution you may want to create a second backup on your PC. To do this you must install the USB drivers, connect the cell phone to the PC, enable USB debugging and finally run the ADB program, send the following command and confirm the creation of the backup on the cell phone:

adb backup -apk -shared -all -system -f respaldoAndroid.ab

This also backs up your applications and their data, internal storage files and settings. Use it while it works, because this option can be obsolete in the future.

Another “more visual” method is to use an application like Helium, which with the exception of ADB, requires the same requirements. You will need to activate the mobile app from the PC software only once to activate the data backup.

Backup data separately

Backing up your most critical data separately is not too much, since the previous options do not guarantee that everything is backed up, due to the fragmentation of Android (in case you want to restore your data on another computer) and applications.

There is data that is easy to backup, such as WhatsApp chats (Settings, Chats, Backup), as well as your photos and videos using Google Photos (Settings, Backup and Synchronization).

To backup your contacts, call log or SMS you can use a third party application like Super Backup.

Device files shouldn’t be a problem either. You could upload it to the cloud, to services such as Google Drive or Dropbox, through a file manager, or simply connect the cell phone to the PC, double click on the cell phone and copy all the folders you find in the storage.

References: Google, Helium, Titanium Backup

How to Create a “System” Backup (Nandroid Backup)

How to recover DELETED Android apps

How to RECOVER deleted files from SD memory