Backup & Co.

Backup your apps

2026-04-25

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

Apk Extractor - Apk Manager (4.3@40,122) Ǥ 9 11 Github
Apk Extractor (4.2@74,478) Ǥ 6 1 LastUpdate: 2022-05-19 Video Howto 11/2018
AppWererabbit (4.2@1,965) 7 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2019-11-10 like AppMonster
Apk Extractor (4@1,158) 4 1 LastUpdate: 2018-01-17
App Backup And Restore (3.3@1,082) 4 1 LastUpdate: 2017-11-16
APK Extractor•APP Share/Backup (3.2@1,219) 4 1 LastUpdate: 2015-11-12
Android App/APK extractor (3@375) 4 1 LastUpdate: 2018-12-20
Apk Extractor (2.9@1,650) 4 6 LastUpdate: 2019-03-18
Backup and Restore - APP (2.6@243,551) Ǥ 37 6
APK Kit (0@0) 7 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2023-06-01 Github
Neo Backup (0@0) 25 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; Intro 10/2020; Vorstellung 10/2020; fork of oandbackup; apps+data (needs root)
DataBackup (0@0) 12 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; app data (needs root)
Kanade (0@0) 3 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2022-11-23 Github; APK-Extractor
APK Extractor (0@0) 5 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github

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

Backup SMS/MMS

2026-04-25

SMS Backup & Restore (4.2@131,414) Ǥ 30 3 / SMS Backup & Restore Pro (4.5@2,154; ~EUR 4.25) 21 2 SMS/MMS & call logs in XML format / Video Intro 6/2019
SMS Backup (4.2@3,509) Ǥ 16 3
Send SMS/MMS Messages from PC (4@145,856) Ǥ 28 5 / SMS & MMS from Tablet (3.4@19,847) Ǥ 13 8 SMS from within any browser; keep in mind this will need to upload your contacts and SMS to the cloud to work
SMS Backup, Print & Restore (4@14,281) Ǥ 18 4
Backup SMS (2.9@385) Ǥ 8 2 LastUpdate: 2020-05-03
SMS Import / Export (0@0) 12 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ 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

2026-04-25

Logger (0@0) 7 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; view and export call logs in CSV format
Call Log Sync (0@0) 7 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2022-02-24 Github

Backup calendars

2026-04-27

iCal Import/Export CalDAV (4.6@2,244; ~EUR 4.75) Ǥ 21 1
Calendar Import-Export (3.5@643) 8 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2024-09-22 Github; Import/export your Android calenders as ics files without using the Google cloud

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.

Easy Contacts Backup & Restore (4.4@49,464) Ǥ 19 7 local backup; move contacts between accounts
Contacts Backup Excel & Email (4.4@28,400) Ǥ 12 4 LastUpdate: 2023-07-03
Contact Backup (4.3@227) Ǥ 11 5 LastUpdate: 2020-02-23
Recover Contacts + Backup (4.2@12,494) Ǥ 16 9
My Contacts Backup - Merge, Save, Restore & Share (3.8@1,143) 12 3 LastUpdate: 2020-12-02
SA Contacts Pro (3.4@4,482) 11 3 / SA Contacts (3.9@827; ~EUR 5.50) Ǥ 13 4
ContactsXL: Backup & Restore (3.1@793) Ǥ 12 2
SD Contacts (0@0) 2 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2022-01-14 Github; automatically exports your contacts to SD card

Backup bookmarks

2026-04-25

VisiMarks: Bookmark Manager (4@7,602) Ǥ 5 4
Mobile Bookmarks (3.5@107) Ǥ 8 2

Backup contacts, SMS, and more

2026-04-25

MyPhoneExplorer Client (4.4@43,203) Ǥ 50 2 Video Review 8/2017; Video Walk-Through 7/2017 (DE) | 8/2017 (DE); Wikipedia; Anleitung; requires Windows client; complete remote management
All Backup & Restore (4.2@5,368) Ǥ 22 3 local backup & copy-to-cloud
Super Backup & Restore (3.9@181,286) Ǥ 45 7
Save Phonebook & SMS to Excel (3@653) Ǥ 8 5 LastUpdate: 2021-06-30 backup only, no restore

Full Backups

Full Backups (root required)

2026-04-25

G Cloud Backup (4.4@316,067) Ǥ 18 3
ROM Toolbox Lite (4.3@58,284) Ǥ 27 17 / ROM Toolbox Pro (3.3@25,088; ~EUR 10.00) Ǥ 25 13
Partitions Backup & Restore (3.9@1,367) Ǥ 7 2 LastUpdate: 2023-08-28
Swift Backup (3.6@7,757) Ǥ 29 2 Backs up to Google Drive; without root no app data, WiFi networks etc.
Titanium Backup (root needed) (2.5@363,658) 22 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2019-11-24 / Titanium Backup PRO Key (root (3.2@70,822; ~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)
Restoid (0@0) 13 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github
tarb. apps+data, system settings & more (CLI)

Full Backups without root

2026-04-25

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+.

Huawei Backup (4.7@15) 46 1 LastUpdate: 2024-02-18
Phone Backup and Restore (4.4@17,391) Ǥ 18 9 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 (3.8@17,901) Ǥ 47 5 LastUpdate: 2021-06-08
Helium - App Sync and Backup (3.4@68,547) Ǥ 22 2 LastUpdate: 2019-03-07 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@18,687) Ǥ 34 2 / My Backup Pro (3.2@38,747; ~EUR 7.00) Ǥ 33 2 real "full backup" requires root
Open Android Backup Companion (0@0) 11 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; Companion app for Linux Android Backup

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

2026-04-25

Nandroid Backups require a rooted device with Custom Recovery.

TWRP Manager (Requires ROOT) (4.9@14) Ǥ 11 4 LastUpdate: 2017-07-02 Live Nandroid Backup for TWRP
ROM Toolbox Lite (4.3@58,284) Ǥ 27 17 / ROM Toolbox Pro (3.3@25,088; ~EUR 10.00) Ǥ 25 13
ROM Installer (4.3@42,885) Ǥ 20 17 LastUpdate: 2024-05-16
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
Tipatch (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

2026-04-25

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

2026-04-25

Backup Contacts (4@4,707) Ǥ 15 4 LastUpdate: 2023-07-06

Backup SMS, MMS, and more into the Cloud

2026-04-25

All Backup Restore (3.1@4,409) Ǥ 24 5 LastUpdate: 2021-03-20
SMS Backup+ (3@68,033) Ǥ 18 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2020-01-25 Github; Howto 6/2016 | 8/2019; SMS, MMS, Call Logs – & WhatsApp?

Various Cloud Backups

2026-04-25

JS Backup – Restore & Migrate (3.8@17,901) Ǥ 47 5 LastUpdate: 2021-06-08

Other Backups

Backup WiFi APNs

2026-04-28

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

WiFi Password Recovery (3.8@24,743) Ǥ 11 2
WIFI Key Recovery [ROOT] (3.7@3,121) 2 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2013-05-25
WiFi Key Recovery (needs root) (2.9@41,127) 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

2026-04-26

Immich (4.8@7,282) 23 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github
PhotoSync – Transfer Photos (4.5@19,790) Ǥ 23 5 / PhotoSync Bundle Add-On (4.8@3,516; ~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: Private Backups (4.5@2,162) Ǥ 10 1 / Ente Photos - Encrypted photo storage (0@0) 17 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github
Les Pas - Photo Album for Nextcloud (3.8@43) 19 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; gallery incl. Backup/Sync with your Nextcloud
Photo Transfer: Send via WiFi (3.7@8,391) Ǥ 12 4 device to device (including your computer), no cloud (local WiFi)
PhotoBackup (3.7@10) 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 (2.3@164) Ǥ 18 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2023-10-20 Github; Review 8/2021 | 8/2021; gallery with backup functionality
Chitralaya CloudGallery App (0@0) 11 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; (auto) backup photos to your Telegram account
Immich Uploader (0@0) 12 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Codeberg

Various Backups

2026-04-25

Restic (0@0) 10 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ LastUpdate: 2024-09-09 Github; unofficial Android client
AppListBackup (0@0) 11 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github
ArchiveKeep (0@0) 3 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; keep multiple copies of your files in different locations
Resticopia (0@0) 10 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Codeberg; unofficial Restic Backup Android
Backup (PFA) (0@0) 4 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; backup/restore for all SECUSO Privacy Friendly Apps
stasis (0@0) 13 $Contains no trackers known to us \o/$ Github; also available for Linux and Mac

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 - 7/2023)
Nandroid Backups
- What is a Nandroid backup TWRP, and how to create and restore it? (1/2019 - 11/2022)
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)

2026-05-06

IzzyOnDroid