Syncthing for loose files and exported backup configurations, SMS Backup & Restore Pro for text messages, radicale for calendar and contacts in addition to Zoho (email provider). Immich and Google photos sync photos in the background.
Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?
51–60 of 227 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?
#52I 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.
Can you share resources on how to backup through termux? I hadn't thought of that.
Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?
#53Earlier quoted context omitted.
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?
I use root and back up specific appdata and files to a remote backup. I tried backing up the-whole-damn-thing, but it is slow and pointless, hence the picking and choosing.
Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?
#54Things I cannot (easily) replace, such as contacts and photos, I keep with Google (this will change once I run out of free space, most likely). For passwords, I use Bitwarden.
Everything else is either account-based, or can backed up using Seedvault (a backup solution integrated into AOSP, and therefore present in GrapheneOS)
Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?
#55I backup photos onto external drives every few months when I remember too. Is there anything else to backup?
Contacts, SMS messages, that sort of thing. Some people are also really particular about all their settings and widgets and such.
Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?
#56My 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.
> 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.
Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?
#57My 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.
Synchthing on Android is End of life, alas https://forum.syncthing.net/t/discontinuing-syncthing-androi...
Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?
#58Syncthing for files (music, photos, videos, noted), DAVx5 for contacts+calendar. Everything else is either a client app (email) or ephemeral (text messages).
Same for me
I posted it above, but unfortunately synchthing for Android is at end of life https://forum.syncthing.net/t/discontinuing-syncthing-androi...
Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?
#59You 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.
> Last time I had an Apple device the only way to backup was plugging it into a desktop with iTunes.
Apple's supported full iCloud backups and over-the-air restore for at least 11 years, maybe 13 years.
Re: Ask HN: How do you backup your Android?
#60My 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.
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?