MyPhoneExplorer + TiBu + Nandroid.
Here is my first attempt to write a blog about the best android backup solution.
I own a mako (Nexus 4) device and creating a backup has always been a big concern to me. There are many options that allow you to backup your data to Cloud (including google backup); however I'm not comfortable storing my data which may (may not) be secure. Well, let's just say - I don't trust the cloud!
I have been flashing custom ROM's for a while now and as most of you may agree a Nandroid backup is a brilliant solution to all your backup needs. But that requires you to have a custom recovery/root access and the format in which it is stored may not be that user-friendly and readable on a simple windows PC.
I have had the pain of flashing a ROM / Kernel which led to data loss! Since then, I'm always careful to back up the data correctly before 'Swipe to Flash Zip File'!
As mentioned there are various apps available on PlayStore like - Helium, GCloud, FolderSync, Bittorent Sync etc.
But the best solution that works for me is in the order below:
- Perform a Nandroid Backup:
If you are comfortable doing so. Now we also have a app which is capable of performing a Nandroid Backup with a simple click. However, note that this will require Root access on your phone.
More info on xda: http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/NANDroid
- Titanium Backup
One of the biggest and painful procedure is to re-install your apps when your flash a new ROM. Especially when you need to clean your /data partition; you lose all your apps+data as well.
In this case titanium backup comes to the rescue.
Note: You need Root access with busybox installed.
This app has the capability to backup ALL 'user apps + data'. This is run as a batch, so all you need to do is 'one click'.
But the most exciting part of this app is that it allows you to create an 'update.zip' which means:
- You can format your /data partition on your phone -> Flash the ROM of your choice -> then flash the update.zip.
Now, you should have all your apps on your new ROM! That is amazing. And the restore process through the custom recovery is very quick!
- MyPhoneExplorer
Lastly, what is the best way to backup -> SMS. Contacts, Calendar + /sdcard folder?
Answer: MyPhoneExplorer.
This requires a client to be installed on your PC and an apk on the Phone.
It has an amazing capability to connect through
- USB
- Wifi
- Bluetooth
It can sync and display all your sms, contacts, call logs, Phone information, sdcard details
PlayStore link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fjsoft.myphoneexplorer.client&hl=en
Windows client link : http://www.fjsoft.at/en/
Bonus:
If any of you want to use the good old ADB to pull content off your sdcard, you can do so using a simple bat script. Below is sample that I use to pull content off from my Media folder on my /sdcard folder.
@ECHO OFF
CD /D "C:\Program Files (x86)\WugFresh Development\data\"
adb pull sdcard/Media/ I:\Backups\Android\Media\ >> I:\Backups\Android\Backup_Log_%date%.txt 2>&1
CMD
Hope this helps! Cheers
Amazing!!
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