Learn how to access your apps and settings when switching phones or performing a system restore with our Android backup tutorial
With Google starting to offer Android backups to all of its users, it’s definitely a thing of the past when you only need to allocate a day or a few hours to install all your apps. That way, all you have to do is log into your Google account and let the OS do all the work.
However, it’s important to enable backups on older phones so that app information is downloaded when switching. The same goes for those who have just restored their smartphone. We’ve written this special article focused on explaining the step-by-step process for recovering your information. Happy reading!
What is stored in Android Backup?
Available since its release with Android Marshmallow in 2015, Android Backup is a way Google discovered to simplify the process of replacing or restoring a smartphone. When a person enables backup on their account, the operating system stores and sends the following information to the cloud:
- application data;
- call records;
- contact person;
- set up;
- Short message;
- photos and videos;
- MMS.
The Android developer company itself reminds you that all photos and videos are stored in the Google Photos library, which acts as a large digital library that you can access from anywhere. The wallpapers used are also stored in Google’s system, so people don’t have to search for new photos as laboriously.
Are you used to organizing apps on your home screen? The same organization is kept in Android Backup.
Configuration backup
Before restoring a smartphone or buying a new device, it’s important to program and send all data to Google’s servers. The good news is that you can do this process regardless of the brand of your phone. The screenshots below were taken with a Galaxy Note 9 running Android 10, but the process is pretty much the same for all smartphones.
Start by going to your phone’s settings and scrolling until you find the Google section. This way:
After all the information is loaded, just click save. In the next step, click Back Up Now and all data about your apps, calls, etc. will be uploaded to the company’s servers.
The duration of the process depends heavily on your internet, but in our tests it took no more than 15 minutes to store all the information in the cloud. On the same Android Backup Plan screen, you can view the details that will be saved in a specific folder in your Google account.
Where is the data stored?
According to Google itself, all Android backup data is stored on the company’s servers and can only be accessed by entering a lockscreen PIN or password. When a person completes the process of restoring a smartphone or a new device is detected, the operating system asks if all backed up information should be downloaded.
It’s important to understand that your backup data may be deleted if you use your smartphone every day for more than 57 consecutive days. The same applies to anyone who disables sending data to Google servers.
How to save photos and videos?
While it’s also a backup, there’s another task you’ll need to do to send all the photos and videos stored in your device’s internal storage to Google Photos. Step by step is easy, see below.
First, you must install the Google Photos app on your smartphone, which is available for free from the Google Play Store. Then open the app and click your profile picture icon, then click photo settings.
Now let’s schedule a backup of all photos. After clicking Backup & Sync, just check the option at the top of the screen and the photos will be saved to your account. If you are doing this process for the first time, it may take some time for everything to be sent.
Back in the gallery, you can click on each folder and choose what to upload or not upload to your Google Photos account. You can view all uploads by logging into your account in the app itself or through the web version of the service.
How to restore an Android smartphone or tablet
Once all the information is sent to the server, you can go ahead and delete any photos and videos that may be causing the slowdown. First, go to your smartphone’s settings and look for the “Factory data reset” option in the menu search magnifier.
A new screen with all accounts associated with your device will appear as a simple summary before performing the restore. You have to enter the registered PIN (the same one used to unlock the screen) and that’s it, the whole process is handled by the OS.
Another way to do a factory reset when restoring an Android tablet or smartphone is to use a keyboard shortcut: just press the lock button and volume down button at the same time until the configuration screen appears, usually with an Android icon.
We’ve covered this process in our full hard reset tutorial, so be sure to check it out.
Backup WhatsApp messages
Needless to say, this is one of the most used apps by Brazilians, it’s always important to keep everything on the server, for issues caused by phone swaps or the OS, you don’t have to fix the problem by sending it to everyone who’s been talking message. Now is the time to learn how to backup WhatsApp.
First, you need to go to Settings and click on Conversations.
Now it’s time to click Backup Conversation. Then select Backup and all messages you receive and send will be automatically backed up to your smartphone.
Now it’s time to click Backup Conversation. Then select Backup and all messages you receive and send will be automatically backed up to your smartphone.
IMPORTANT: This process is performed automatically every day at 2AM. However, you cannot send data to another device. This brings us to another small tutorial.
How to Backup WhatsApp to Google Drive
The timing of changing smartphones isn’t an issue, so it’s important to save the same backup to your Google Drive account so you can download it when you need it. The first step is to click Settings, then Conversations.
Now click on the chat backup option. Next, click Backup to Google Drive. At this point, you need to choose the frequency, choosing between “Only when I click Backup”, “Daily”, “Weekly” or “Monthly”.
You can change the account to which all backups are sent by clicking Google Account in the same section. Any previously saved content will be lost. To download a backup on your smartphone wallet, simply log into your new phone with the account you sent the message file from. The system will automatically download.
Enable end-to-end encryption
Go back to the Settings screen, just click Chat again and you’ll be taken to that section to keep your backups more secure. Then click Backup Conversation.
On this new screen, just click End-to-end encrypted backups. Now click activate. This way:
You must create a password or use a 64-bit encrypted password. At this point, you decide what is best. But the password option seemed easier, so here we go. Just create a safe combination here and repeat.
A confirmation screen will appear immediately, now all you have to do is click Create. A backup will then be created on your smartphone, but keep in mind that the file will not be uploaded to Google Drive.
In that case, go back to the second part of our WhatsApp backup tutorial to complete the process.
How to transfer data to a new smartphone
Google can tell if you’re using a new phone or just completed an OS restore because you’ll need to log into your account again.
This way, once you turn on your recovered new phone or device, all you need to do is enter your email address and password. A message will then appear asking if you want to download data from the old device to the new one.
Patience is important, as the process takes about 24 hours, according to Google itself. Remember, you must have a backup copy of all information stored in your account.
Photos and videos are accessible through Google Photos, so just download the app (or wait for it to revert to your app library) to access everything.
Restore contacts in phone switch
If you’re using Google’s Contacts app, you don’t necessarily need a SIM card to access your contacts when you change phones or do a complete OS reset. The app is free to download from the Google Play Store, but manufacturers such as Motorola, Samsung and Xiaomi are already programming their devices to install the app from the first use.
Once you’re signed in with your Google account, just wait for it to sync and everything will be connected. It’s important to save the new number in your Gmail account’s contacts, not on the SIM card or phone memory, because that’s the only way to sync. See an example:
If you change phones, just log into your account with your email address and password so your contacts can be retrieved and synced without having to keep them separately.
Samsung Contacts App
Anyone with a Galaxy smartphone can access contacts stored/used to be stored on another Samsung smartphone. To do so, just use the factory-installed Contacts app and export contacts to your Samsung account within 10 minutes.
The first step is to visit your application menu, click the application icon, and then click the three risks in the upper left corner.
Now just click Manage Contacts and then click Move Contacts. Remember that you need to save the same contacts stored in your smartphone memory or in your Google account to your Samsung account. The next step is to broadcast from one place to another. First, you need to select the source, then the destination. Since we are going to upload everything to the Samsung account, just click on the desired source (a list of all saved contacts will appear) and then click on the Samsung account. In the example below, we are moving contacts from a Google account. Once verified, just click Move. The time it takes to complete all operations depends on the number of contacts to be moved. In our tutorials, it takes no more than five minutes to complete all the work.
If you change smartphones, just log in to your Samsung account and you can access all your contacts without having to store numbers separately.
Samsung Smart Switch
Another feature that lets you back up your Android and send everything to your new smartphone is Samsung’s Smart Switch Mobile app. Available for free on the Galaxy Store and Google Play Store. Just install it on your phone with the data and model you want to receive information from. There are three ways to do this.
Transfer via USB cable
After the download is complete, remember to disconnect the USB cable and OTG adapter for swapping. Once the connection is established between the two devices, a message will appear on the screen of the new smartphone asking which app you want to open. Just click the smart switch. Now just open the Smart Switch app and select the option to receive data on new phone. After a while, a screen will appear with what can be transferred. This way:
Then simply mark what should be sent to the new smartphone, such as B. Contacts, videos, photos, and other information you want to send. Just click transfer and the process will begin.
That’s it: everything you choose will be saved on your new phone in minutes. You may need to log in to certain accounts to complete the process. So pay attention to the screen of the model receiving the file.
Use via Wi-Fi Direct
If you don’t have an OTG adapter, you can also use Wi-Fi Direct technology to transfer files and settings. Since the app is free for smartphones, just download the model that will be used in the exchange process.
So be careful when opening the app on both smartphones: on the device where the data is stored, click Send Data; on the new phone that will receive the file, click Receive Data.
Now click on Wireless in the model that is the “source” of the broadcast. Click Galaxy on the model that will receive the file. A connection between the two models is then established so that data exchange occurs very quickly.
The same goes for the wired process: it may require logging into certain accounts for information exchange, so keep an eye on the screen.
Create a backup on an external memory card
If you just want to keep a copy of all the photos, videos, apps and settings of your model, Smart Switch has the ability to back it up to a memory card. To do this, you must have the app installed on your Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
After granting the proper permissions, you will see a memory card icon on the home screen. Click this option.
Now just follow the on-screen instructions, including selecting what to copy to the memory card and monitoring the process. It’s important to have a memory card that stores all your smartphone data and frees up space to do all your work.
The app will warn you that you must log in with your Samsung account address and password to read the file.
What do you think of our tips on getting an Android backup? Let us know in the comments!
Security tips for Android users.
Aside from less obvious and hard-to-discover passwords (such as birth dates or the names of important people in your life), it’s important to understand that you should always use all possible means to gain more security in your day-to-day life. sky.
In addition to using a two-step setup on your Google account and social networks like WhatsApp and Instagram, always use an app that manages passwords. These are the options most recommended by experts:
- SafeInCloud Password Manager Pro (available for Android, iOS and even Windows and Mac);
- Google Password Manager (available on the web);
- Microsoft Authenticator (available for Android and iOS).
- Samsung passport.
