Backup & Co.

Backup your apps

2023-05-28

These helpers are to backup your apps (.apk files), not their data!

Uninstaller -Quick App Manager (4.3@4,606) Ǥ 6 2 LastUpdate: 2015-12-28
AppWererabbit (4.2@1,965) 7 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2019-11-10 / AppWererabbit (DONATE) Key (3.9@53; ~EUR 3.25) Ǥ 1 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2014-01-25 like AppMonster
Apk Extractor (4.1@74,428) Ǥ 11 1 Video Howto 11/2018
APK Extractor•APP Share/Backup (4@1,249) 4 1 LastUpdate: 2015-11-12
Apk Extractor (4@1,158) 4 1 LastUpdate: 2018-01-17
APK Extractor (3.5@2,798) Ǥ 10 3 LastUpdate: 2020-12-11
App Backup & Restore, App Mana (3.5@228) 9 2 LastUpdate: 2020-02-05
Easy Backup Restore - Apps Backup (3.4@264) Ǥ 9 4 LastUpdate: 2021-08-10
App Backup And Restore (3.3@1,082) 4 1 LastUpdate: 2017-11-16
Backup and Restore - APP & SMS (3.1@248,255) Ǥ 37 3
App/APK extractor (3@377) 4 1 LastUpdate: 2018-12-20
Apk Extractor (3@311) Ǥ 6 1 LastUpdate: 2020-11-18 Github
Apk Extractor (2.9@1,650) Ǥ 15 6 LastUpdate: 2019-03-18
Backups (0@0) $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github
APK Kit (0@0) 7 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github
Neo Backup (0@0) 24 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; Intro 10/2020; Vorstellung 10/2020; fork of oandbackup; apps+data
DataBackup (0@0) 12 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; app data (needs root)
oandbackup (0@0) 5 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2019-03-15 Github; backup / restore of single apps and of multiple apps incl. their data are supported; root and Busybox required
Kanade (0@0) 3 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; APK-Extractor

Also see: AndSync with Perl via ADB => ICS+, no root required

Backup SMS/MMS

2023-05-28

Text Messages Backup & Restore App (4.5@1,840) Ǥ 18 12
SMS Backup & Restore (4.4@127,202) Ǥ 28 3 / SMS Backup & Restore Pro (4.7@1,884; ~EUR 4.25) 23 2 SMS/MMS & call logs in XML format / Video Intro 6/2019
SMS Backup (4.4@3,234) Ǥ 14 3
SMS Backup, Print & Restore (4.2@10,835) Ǥ 13 3
Send SMS/MMS Messages from PC (4@147,014) Ǥ 26 5 / SMS from Tablet & MMS Text Mes (4@19,737) Ǥ 11 7 SMS from within any browser; keep in mind this will need to upload your contacts and SMS to the cloud to work
SMS Backup Restore (4@302) Ǥ 10 2 LastUpdate: 2020-10-04
Backup SMS (2.9@385) Ǥ 8 2 LastUpdate: 2020-05-03
SMS Gate (0@0) 18 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ GitLab
SMS Import / Export (0@0) 9 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; export/import SMS to/from JSON files
Epistolaire (0@0) 3 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2020-05-02 GitLab

Backup call logs

2023-05-28

Call Logs Backup & Restore (4.5@5,910) 10 LastUpdate: 2016-02-05
Call Log Sync (0@0) 7 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github

Backup calendars

2023-06-01

iCal Import/Export CalDAV (4.8@2,086; ~EUR 4.00) Ǥ 19 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$
Calendar Import - Export (ics) (3.5@642) 6 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; Import/export your Android calenders as ics files without using the Google cloud
Calendar ICS adapter (0@0) 3 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2016-05-27 Github; Import and export calendar files

The easiest way to export/import your contact data can be found in the Contacts app itself: it offers to export/import data using the VCard format, which is also understood perfectly by most desktop applications. From the main window, simply activate the menu, and chose Export/Import – there you are.

Contacts Backup -- Excel & Ema (4.5@28,407) Ǥ 10 6 LastUpdate: 2020-08-29
Contact Backup (4.3@227) Ǥ 11 5 LastUpdate: 2020-02-23
Easy Contacts Backup & Restore (4.2@45,996) Ǥ 19 5 local backup; move contacts between accounts
MCBackup - My Contacts Backup (4.2@30,656) 6 2
SA Contacts Lite (3.9@4,478) Ǥ 13 5 / SA Contacts (4.4@822; ~EUR 3.25) Ǥ 13 3
Contacts Backup & Restore (3.8@4,322) Ǥ 14 4
UiA - Backup Contacts (3.8@3,366) 4 1 LastUpdate: 2013-03-07
My Contacts Backup - Merge, Save, Restore & Share (3.8@1,143) 12 3 LastUpdate: 2020-12-02
Contact2Sim (3.6@9,295) 6 2 LastUpdate: 2019-07-12
Export Import Excel Contacts (3.2@748) 7 2
SD Contacts (0@0) 2 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; automatically exports your contacts to SD card
Contact Easy Backup and Restor (0@0) Ǥ 11 1 LastUpdate: 2021-10-11

Backup bookmarks

2023-05-29

Bookmarks manager (deprecated) (5@291) 6 1 LastUpdate: 2012-06-28
VisiMarks: Bookmark Manager (3.9@6,708) Ǥ 10 3
Mobile Bookmarks (3.7@94) Ǥ 10 2

Backup contacts, SMS, and more

2023-05-29

MyPhoneExplorer Client (4.5@42,503) Ǥ 42 2 Video Review 8/2017; Video Walk-Through 7/2017 (DE) | 8/2017 (DE); Wikipedia; Anleitung; requires Windows client; complete remote management
Rapid Backup & Restore - SMS, (4.5@63) 13 1 LastUpdate: 2020-04-10
Super Backup & Restore (4@181,971) Ǥ 41 7
All Backup & Restore (4@4,496) Ǥ 21 3 local backup & copy-to-cloud
Mobile Backup 3 (3.9@3,053) 23 3 LastUpdate: 2020-04-06
Super SMS Call Contacts Backup (3.9@1,065) Ǥ 11 1
Save Phonebook & SMS to Excel (3@653) Ǥ 8 5 LastUpdate: 2021-06-30 backup only, no restore
Slight backup (0@0) 13 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2013-09-03

Full Backups

Full Backups (root required)

2023-05-29

G Cloud Backup (4.3@318,707) Ǥ 19 9
ROM Toolbox Lite (4.3@59,692) Ǥ 27 20 / ROM Toolbox Pro (3.2@25,428; ~EUR 10.00) Ǥ 26 6 LastUpdate: 2019-04-03
Swift Backup (4.1@6,048) Ǥ 26 3 Backs up to Google Drive; without root no app data, WiFi networks etc.
Partitions Backup & Restore (3.9@1,366) Ǥ 8 2 LastUpdate: 2020-06-22
Titanium Backup (root needed) (3.3@371,391) 22 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2019-11-24 / Titanium Backup PRO Key (root (3.7@71,702; ~EUR 6.50) Ǥ 2 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2019-10-27 Testbericht 5/2016; Howto EN 11/2013 | DE 11/2014; Video Tutorial 1/2014 (DE) | 9/2018 (EN); DroidWiki (DE)
tarb. apps+data, system settings & more (CLI)

Full Backups without root

2023-05-29

Not all of these "complete backups" do really backup everything (if they do, I've pointed it out). An (almost) full backup without root is only possible via ADB on Android 4.0+.

Phone Backup and Restore (4.2@7,184) Ǥ 17 3 does not cover app data
Backup Your Mobile (4.1@21,843) Ǥ 30 6 LastUpdate: 2021-05-01 Anleitung 2/2020
Ultimate Backup (4.1@7,031) Ǥ 22 LastUpdate: 2016-10-12 real "full backups" might require root.
JS Backup – Restore & Migrate (3.9@17,833) Ǥ 47 5 LastUpdate: 2021-06-08
Huawei Backup (3.6@179,215) 44 1 LastUpdate: 2020-08-10
Helium - App Sync and Backup (3.4@68,547) Ǥ 24 2 LastUpdate: 2019-03-07 / Helium (Premium) (3.3@19,558; ~EUR 3.75) Ǥ 4 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2013-12-28 Anleitung 3/2016 | 3/2017; full how-to; Video Howto 9/2013 (EN); Backup apps & data! root optional. Without root, app needs to be initialized via PC with ADB.
My Backup (3.2@19,021) Ǥ 34 2 / My Backup Pro (3.5@38,931; ~EUR 7.00) Ǥ 34 2 real "full backup" requires root

Also see: Adebar, a small project of mine. Utilizes ADB and Bash to generate scripts for backup/restore, also taking care for re-disabling apps following a restore.

There's also a FOSS pendant to the built-in Google Cloud backup, where you can shose your own resources (e.g. local card, Nextcloud) to back up to. A video demo of the Beta can be found at PeerTube. It’s called Seedvault, and you can find the source here – and Seedvault itself described in an article at nlnet. LineageOS includes Seedvault since Android 10 (LineageOS 17).

Full Backups: Nandroid

2023-05-29

Nandroid Backups require a rooted device with Custom Recovery.

ROM Toolbox Lite (4.3@59,692) Ǥ 27 20 / ROM Toolbox Pro (3.2@25,428; ~EUR 10.00) Ǥ 26 6 LastUpdate: 2019-04-03
ROM Installer (4.3@43,759) Ǥ 16 19
Ultimate Backup (4.1@7,031) Ǥ 22 LastUpdate: 2016-10-12 real "full backups" might require root.
[ROOT] CRAB - Custom Recovery (4@31) 1 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2018-10-22
TWRP Manager (Requires ROOT) (3.8@34,415) Ǥ 12 4 LastUpdate: 2017-07-02 Live Nandroid Backup for TWRP
Tipatch • Backup internal stor (2@144) 2 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2018-11-27 Github; XDA 8/2018; patch TWRP to include internal storage

Using tetherback (needs Python3 and TWRP) you can create Nandroid-Backups directly from your PC; they are stored on your PC directly then.

And then there're also various PC-Tools for Backups:

HoloBackup: Graphical FrontEnd for ADB Backup (formerly: SimpleADBBackup)
Ultimate Backup Tool: Command-line tool to ease the use of ADB Backups
tetherback: Create Nandroid backups remotely (requires TWRP on the device)

Also see: Full Backup of non-rooted devices

Backups to the Cloud

Also see: Synchronizing Files and Folders.

Backup SMS into the Cloud

2023-05-29

Nextcloud SMS (3.4@112; ~EUR 1.50) 18 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2019-01-14 Github

Backup contacts into the Cloud

2023-05-29

Easy backup contacts (3.9@4,742) Ǥ 15 4

Backup SMS, MMS, and more into the Cloud

2023-05-29

All Backup Restore (3.1@4,423) Ǥ 24 5 LastUpdate: 2021-03-20
SMS Backup+ (3@68,201) Ǥ 20 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2020-01-25 Github; Howto 6/2016 | 8/2019; SMS, MMS, Call Logs – & WhatsApp?

Various Cloud Backups

2023-05-29

JS Backup – Restore & Migrate (3.9@17,833) Ǥ 47 5 LastUpdate: 2021-06-08
AT&T Tech360 Backup and Go (3.5@218) 6 2 LastUpdate: 2019-12-17 access files from PC-Backups

Other Backups

Backup WiFi APNs

2023-06-01

This generally requires root. And it's a fact: root has permission to access everything…

WIFI Key Recovery [ROOT] (4.2@3,294) 2 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2013-05-25
WiFi Key Recovery (needs root) (2.9@42,765) 2 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2012-05-18 Kurzvorstellung 3/2015; restore manually

For more apps, also see WiFi Password Recovery

Photo Backup

2023-05-22

Immich (4.7@106) 10 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github
PhotoSync – Transfer Photos (4.6@16,482) Ǥ 23 4 / PhotoSync Bundle Add-On (4.8@3,497; ~EUR 6.00) 0 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ between phones, tablets and computers/NAS; instantly, on WiFi, or on a specified location
ente Photos (4.4@142) Ǥ 11 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ / ente - encrypted photo storage (0@0) 16 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github
Photomatic - photo backup (4.2@30) Ǥ 8 5 LastUpdate: 2016-05-13 backs up to your Windows computer; desktop pendant required.
Photo Transfer: Send and Share (3.7@7,876) Ǥ 11 3 device to device (including your computer), no cloud (local WiFi)
Les Pas, Nextcloud Photo Album (3.7@30) 15 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; gallery incl. Backup/Sync with your Nextcloud
PhotoBackup (3.7@7) 5 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2016-11-08 Github; automatically backup your photos as soon as they are taken – to your own backup server
Stingle Photos (2.8@122) Ǥ 15 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; Review 8/2021 | 8/2021; gallery with backup functionality

Various Backups

2023-05-29

Sweet Home WiFi Picture Backup (4.3@2,466) 8 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2020-02-26 Vorstellung 4/2017 | 3/2018; Camera photos/videos only?
Linux Android Backup Companion (0@0) 6 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github
Backup All Apps (0@0) LastUpdate: 2015-04-13 enable ADB backup for apps blocking it; Github
Restic (0@0) 9 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; unofficial Android client
Backup (PFA) (0@0) 4 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; backup/restore for all SECUSO Privacy Friendly Apps

Further Readings:

General
- Artikel zum Android Backup bei MobilSicher.DE
- DroidWiki: Backup erstellen ohne Root
- Backup fürs Handy: Diese Möglichkeiten gibt es (10/2017 - 10/2021)
- Android-Backup im c't-Check: Auf Google darf man sich nicht verlassen (8/2017)
- Backup-Apps für Android: Alles sichern mit und ohne Cloud (1/2014 - 11/2020)
- Backup Apps, Contacts, Logs, Messages and Settings without Rooting Your Android Phone (3/2013 - 5/2018)
Contacts, SMS/MMS
- 5 Android Apps To Backup Your Contacts & Messages (5/2014 - 12/2018)
Nandroid Backups
- What is a Nandroid backup TWRP, and how to create and restore it? (1/2019 - 8/2021)
Others
- Android Sicherung mit SeedVault and DAVx⁵ to your Nextcloud via WebDAV (12/2022)
- 4 Ways to Sync and Upload Photos to Cloud Storage on Android (8/2018 - 8/2019)

2023-06-01

IzzyOnDroid