Ask HN: How do you backup your Android? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?

#41

Post by dismalaf » Thu, Jan 09, 2025, 11:24 PM UTC

aucisson_masque wrote: post #17

You don't. Google backup is partial and very limited compared to what apple does, plus privacy issues and you don't get access to app folder without root. (I know about adb but then you can't push the files back there). So it's a shitshow as usual with Android, it all depends on the app. My weight lifting app it can backup on Google cloud. Great. My 2Fa on the other hand it only backup to the 'external' storage, need…

Last time I had an Apple device the only way to backup was plugging it into a desktop with iTunes.

How do you figure Google's backup (which backs up contacts, messages, photos, mail, and remembers which apps you have installed) is bad? What more could it do or should it do in your opinion? Also Google Authenticator now backs up to your account and you can recover it through a logged in browser.

Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?

#42

Post by baobun » Thu, Jan 09, 2025, 11:24 PM UTC

Step 0: Use a reasonable device.

Story from a few years back: I have an old Samsung Galaxy I needed to migrate off of. As I recall, the only way to back up all the important data without involving trusted cloud infra was unlocking the bootloader and using TWRP. Don't recall if rooting was also part of the process - I think I wanted to back up before attempting rooting and later actually reflash it. Somehow I think I managed to trip a hardware fuse in the process because the device bricked and I'm not sure if I will ever be able to get at that data or if it's already gone forever...

Especially infuriating that what caused the full data loss was an attempt to back it up!

I'm so done with combating malicious manufacturers and OSs.

Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?

#43

Post by dyingkneepad » Thu, Jan 09, 2025, 11:27 PM UTC

The important stuff gets auto uploaded to my NAS via the NAS app, whenever I'm home.

Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?

#44

Post by rsync » Thu, Jan 09, 2025, 11:28 PM UTC

troyvit wrote: post #30

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 (look…

"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.

Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?

#45

Post by sureglymop » Thu, Jan 09, 2025, 11:31 PM UTC

cam_l wrote: post #13

therealmarv wrote: post #2

Android internal storage backup with Termux (and ssh daemon and rsync): https://wiki.termux.com/wiki/Remote_Access and apps I use the internal Google mechanism.

Restic also works pretty well through termux. I found it easier to setup with include & exclude lists than rsync.

Really interesting! Though what do you back up? Just files?

Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?

#46

Post by FrostKiwi » Thu, Jan 09, 2025, 11:31 PM UTC

Self-hosted Nextcloud + Nextcloud's auto-upload feature. Works on non-media as well.

Used to do complete system mirrors with lower level backup solutions, but gave up, when I realized, that I won't be restoring it to a phone anyways.

Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?

#47

Post by koolba » Thu, Jan 09, 2025, 11:35 PM UTC

t067633 wrote: post #39

DAYS=(some number); cd /place-to-save-stuff ; adb -e shell "cd /sdcard/; find . -mtime -${DAYS} | cpio -o" | cpio -idmuv # rooting phone not required

> find . -mtime -${DAYS} | cpio -o

That will break if a file name has new lines.

Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?

#48

Post by sriacha » Thu, Jan 09, 2025, 11:41 PM UTC

seszett wrote: post #8

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…

also use NeoBackup, and it works pretty well for the most part.

Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?

#49

Post by mgbmtl » Thu, Jan 09, 2025, 11:45 PM UTC

seszett wrote: post #8

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…

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.

Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?

#50

Post by ThrowawayTestr » Thu, Jan 09, 2025, 11:51 PM UTC

Samsung smart switch has a backup feature on the PC application.