Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?
127 comments
·January 9, 2025alyandon
The only data I care about on the phone already gets backed up by Google and is then exported regularly via Google Takeout. I don't live on my phone so I tend not to generate much of any value on it other than random pictures of things.
Prior to Google automatically backing up everything, I used Titanium Backup.
anotherevan
Just to note, it seems Titanium Backup is no longer maintained (last Play store update in 2019) and definitely does not work on more recent versions of Android.
I've found Swift Backup pretty much fills the same role at TB.
hiatus
Titanium backup requires root to do anything useful at this point, since apps can set a flag to allow backup of their data or not.
datavirtue
I didn't know about Google Takeout despite having searched for a way to get my photos out years ago. Blows me away.
blactuary
The problem with Takeout is it removes the metadata from your photos. Google wants you locked in to Google Photos. Years ago they also removed the ability to sync with Google Drive, so the only way to get your photos out without losing metadata is to download them directly from photos.google.com, 50 at a time
rossjudson
AFAIK Takeout + Photos returns the original image file exactly as it originally existed, EXIF intact. Any additional metadata you have added manually is placed in a JSON file with the same name, adjacent to the image file.
It sounds like you want Photos to somehow merge that added metadata back into the image files, altering them. I'm quite confident that there would be an equal number of people complaining about changing their originals, if photos did that.
ur-whale
> The only data I care about on the phone already gets backed up by Google and is then exported regularly via Google Takeout.
Are you using Google Authenticator?
If so, how do you backup your secrets?
ascar
It has an export function that you can scan from an old phone. And I kept the setup keys in my keepass database.
On top of that now Google backs those up for you too.
OJFord
It does do that similarly to Authy now doesn't it? I saw a thread here recently with people arguing it broke MFA to do so.
snapplebobapple
aegis plus syngcthing fork works well
seszett
My device is rooted and I use NeoBackup to backup apps with all their data (including what the app developer marked as "should not be backed up", often data that they would like you to backup on their own cloud instead).
Syncthing synchronises these backups to my home server automatically, as well as the phone's user data (photos, mainly).
The photos are additionally sent to Photoprism.
I avoid Google's cloud as much as I can.
mgbmtl
My device is not rooted, but I use Syncthing as well. I mainly sync my photos and my TOTP tokens (Aegis). The rest I don't care about.
I used Nextcloud sync in the past, but found it unreliable.
Azerty9999
Synchthing on Android is End of life, alas https://forum.syncthing.net/t/discontinuing-syncthing-androi...
drio
Yes, very sad.
Two alternatives exist:
1. Syncthing-Fork (https://github.com/Catfriend1/syncthing-android) - Works just like the official app. Install from F-Droid or GitHub. Single developer but active.
2. Syncthing in Termux - Run the actual Syncthing program in Termux. Takes more setup but uses the standard version.
The fork is easier to use, while Termux needs more setup but gives you the standard Syncthing experience.
zx8080
> I used Nextcloud sync in the past, but found it unreliable.
What was wrong about nextcloud sync? I'm just about to set it up for myself.
mgbmtl
The sync would stall and I'd have to go retry, or it would fail with no error clear message. In the end, I had no idea what had really synched correctly. The app was unhappy if I deleted a photo too quickly.
With Syncthing, I sync to a directory that my Nextcloud user can access (a read-only mount), so I can still easily share photos using Nextcloud, for example.
(although it's unfortunate that the Android syncthing app is being retired. h/t for the heads up and the recommended alternatives)
beagle3
Would you trust a restore of those “do not back up” data you have a copy of? Or is this for inspection only?
seszett
I just restored my backups a few weeks ago when I bought a new phone. It doesn't work for all apps (I knew it, it's far from the first time I do that) but I am satisfied with the results.
It does help sometimes for retrieving some data manually by digging through the backup files (used it recently for retrieving all invoices from a service that were otherwise only available one by one through a painfully complicated process).
sriacha
also use NeoBackup, and it works pretty well for the most part.
esperent
Since your phone is rooted, how do you manage banking apps and other things that don't like working on a rooted device? How much work is involved in getting those to work?
seszett
For my part I use Magisk, and a specific module for one bank.
The French and Belgian identity apps (France Identité and itsme) don't work though. When I really need them (which is rare) I have to use an old phone that's not rooted.
kQq9oHeAz6wLLS
I don't use banking apps, but you usually can get around this with Magisk's DenyList.
ur-whale
> My device is rooted
A problem in and of itself: brittle when upgrading, won't work with you banking app, etc...
seszett
It's true that it makes some things more complicated, but it's a trade-off that I'm willing to make for the convenience and security of hosting my own backups.
grakker
Just install a couple Magisk modules and your banking app should work fine. At least mine does.
exabrial
Sorry for a dumb question, what are those
ethagnawl
Banking web apps usually, mostly work just fine. The one exception is depositing checks. It's pretty rare that I need to do that these days, though.
elorm
Play Integrity Fix.
foobarbecue
Unfortunately his positronic net contains too much information to duplicate, so I rely on the third law.
solardev
I just let Google handle it with the built in backup: https://support.google.com/googleone/answer/9149304?hl=en&co...
sunaookami
This never once worked for me with app data. I always have to set up apps from scratch.
null
hollow-moe
Using the LineageOS built-in backup tool : Seedvault and upload it to my nextcloud server. Didn't have to use it to restore yet so no real idea how good the restoration is. I also have automatic pictures/video upload to nextcloud and contact/agenda sync with DAVx5.
udev4096
Then it's not a backup. Always test your restoration properly before calling it a day
troyvit
I don't have root on my android and I try to avoid using any FAANG's infrastructure. A few weeks ago I bricked my phone and lost a bunch of data because I only backed up my photos. More on that in a sec, but the big thing I learned is how much stuff on my phone I didn't miss once it was gone and how much I did miss.
App backup? who cares? This was a chance for me to see what's new on F-Droid and it's been great (lookin' at you keyboard.futo.org).
I back up my photos using termux, rsync, and rsync.net. This model seems pretty solid. I should extend it to app data, but I don't have an automated way to back up app data yet. It's just a thing I have to do when I think of it, which is a recipe for disaster.
I'm taking syncthing out of the picture. I was using it to share markdown, html and some graphics between devices and my phone, but I regularly end up diffing .conflict files. I hope to get better behavior from Nextcloud.
Still, I'm the same happy guy I was before December 30 so I think a few manual app data back-ups, back-ups for non-photo content to Nextcloud so I can share it between devices more easily, and the same old rsync stuff for photos should work great.
rsync
"I back up my photos using termux, rsync, and rsync.net. This model seems pretty solid."
This is a common workflow.
In addition to termux/rsync we do see a number of people using syncopoli.
FWIW, my personal phone is an iphone and I use the excellent 'iexplorer' to browse the phone as if it were a filesystem.
fullstick
Can you share resources on how to backup through termux? I hadn't thought of that.
troyvit
I wrote a how-to!
https://troyvit.net/2023/01/backing-up-android-to-rsync-net/
It has one error. termux-job-scheduler isn't a separate install.
udev4096
Stop using F-droid. It is insecure and shouldn't be the primary way of installing apps. Stick to Aurora Store or Play Store
vroomik
Could you elaborate on that? Do you mean bigger possibility of apps containg malware or what?
udev4096
https://privsec.dev/posts/android/f-droid-security-issues/, the recent findings of bypass of certificate pinning [0], wireguard creator doesn't trust f-droid himself [1], continued harmful attacks to GrapheneOS devs [2] and a few more points regarding their build infra using a deprecated debian release.
[0] https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/04/08/8
[1] https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroiddata/-/issues/3110#note_1613...
[2] https://gitlab.com/ironfox-oss/IronFox/-/issues/7#note_22877...
orbital-decay
Why is it insecure?
snapplebobapple
try flickboard. once it stops melting your brain it is awesome
jasoneckert
I just plug in an external SSD formatted with exFAT via the USB-C port and manually copy folders (Documents, DCIM, Downloads, etc.) to it in the Files app.
After dismounting it in the Settings app (Advanced menu), I plug it into my computer and copy any files over I want to store there too (e.g., Pictures).
seb1204
How do you deal with duplicates when you copy the files?
kvsankar_
I use Folder Sync Pro to sync files to a NAS. This app provides a lot of flexibility in terms of the kinds of destinations (NAS, various cloud service providers) and support for different protocols like FTP and SMB.
udev4096
Seedvault. What I miss is a backup app which can take a full snapshot of the current state and make it flashable from adb or TWRP. Although, I think that method would definitely require root which is not worth the hassle
luqtas
rsync -a --delete --quiet '/run/user/1000/gvfs/mtp:host=SAMSUNG_SAMSUNG_Android_5210f7e3ea5e5417/Internal shared storage' /home/luqtas/Android; notify-send "android backed!"
fulafel
How does this work, isn't gvfs a userspace virtual fs? FUSE?
t067633
DAYS=(some number); cd /place-to-save-stuff ; adb -e shell "cd /sdcard/; find . -mtime -${DAYS} | cpio -o" | cpio -idmuv # rooting phone not required
koolba
> find . -mtime -${DAYS} | cpio -o
That will break if a file name has new lines.
grakker
Is that really an issue? I just haven't seen a file name with a newline in it. If so, couldn't it just be run with -o0?
ur-whale
How does that reach into app folders where adb has no permissions ?
cf100clunk
The classic tools for local Android backup are/were Titanium Backup, Swift Backup, and 3C All-in-One Toolbox. Here is a comparison chart provided by the latter versus Titanium:
How do you backup your Android?