[Q] How does backup to Google servers work? (on ICS) - General Questions and Answers

I noticed an option in the settings menu to automatically backup my phone to Google servers. Settings, Wifi password etc... However I wasn't able to find any further information about this backup. What exactly is being backed up? I know that my contacts, calendar, mail are synced with my Google account but what about text messages, applications, application settings, Doodle Jump score? Can I display this backup somewhere online? If I reset my phone (for example to have it repaired), what will the phone look like once I log in again with my Google account?
I have Nexus S with Ice Cream Sandwich, I know this didn't work much with Gingerbread so I'm wondering what has changed.

The app data is displayed in your google dashboard (https://www.google.com/dashboard).
But, in my dashboard I only see 10 of 120 apps being backup'ed.
Anyone know how to get all apps backup'ed?

Thank you. Chmm, in my case I see only 8 of ~60 apps being backup'ed. I wonder why. At least some basic stuff like sms or call log would be nice to have automatically backuped.

Related

Backup program that backup both contacts and contact thumbs?

Will MyBackupPro or Titanium Backup do this?
Lets say i get a new android phone, and want to backup/restore contacts with contact the contact thumbnails. Going to be a drag adding 200 pictures each time i change phones
bump!
need one as well
"Yes, MyBackup Pro will also backup the contacts icon picture."
Found that on android forums.
http://androidforums.com/htc-desire...pictures-before-factory-reset.html#post854116
Seems MyBackupPro will do the job then.
If anyone can confirm this, id be greatfull.
Also found this:
"If your contacts are Google ones then the details and photos will be re-synced back to you phone after the update, Have a look at your Gmail account on a pc and check. "
Any way to easy convert phone contacts to google contacts? (Cant find Contactsync anymore on market, this app should do the trick)
I have alot of contacts, and dont want to do each one manualy. I tried to set up contacts sync to make it sync with gmail, but it will only sync google contacts it seems.

[Q] Advice for switching from Windows Mobile to Android?

I am well aware that none of my apps will be portable unless somebody made an Android version that I can re-download, and that I obviously cannot carry over any of my settings either.... but does anyone have any suggestions on what would be the best way to port over contacts, documents (and convert them into whatever Android uses for it's equivalent of Office, if necessary) and other such data if one wants to make the switch from Windows Mobile to android? Either re-flashing their phone to run Android or just buying a new Android phone?
Embracing the Google account is the best thing. Adding everything to the 'cloud' gives you a permanent storage solution with the benefit of being able to sync it all to your device when you need it.
Contacts to Gmail Contacts
Pictures to Picasa
Documents and random files to Google Docs
Calender to Google Calender
..and so on.
What apps are you looking for Android versions of?
Sorry for taking a while to reply.
So then how would I go the Google route? Its a shame I will lose my call and IM logs but its not like I would expect such data to work between different operating systems.
Photos aren't an issue since I store those on MicroSDHC, I mostly cared about all my contact information and switching my MS Office Mobile formatted documents to whatever Android uses in it's place, even though those are on MicroSD too. The only real data I keep on the phone itself is installed apps and contacts.
And don't worry about my apps, at this point there really isn't any Windows Mobile app I care about anymore.
Just create a Google account and sign into that account on your Android phone. If you've added your contacts through the contacts section in Gmail they will automatically be synced to your phone.
Any settings, browser bookmarks etc, on your phone will sync and be backed up to your Google account.
The contacts were all added through my phone or though backups apps, none were added through Google, will it still back them all up?

[Q] What setting components are backed up by Google?

As you all know under the privacy settings, there is an option that lets you back up your settings. I am wondering what exact components of the settings are backed up there? I know contacts, emails, calendars,....are synced (i.e. backed up) in accounts and settings, and i noticed that, for example, my ringtone or wallpaper is never restored after wiping the phone (and of course checking the automatic restore option).
So again, what exact settings are backed up then?
no clue?!...
I'm not 100% sure but I believe just contact, email, calander, socical settings like google talk. They have a dashboard that stores, website searches, blogger, ext, just about anything at all that's Google related. You can take a look at your personal dashboard to see what is exactly stored their on you. It's quite a list. It lists your devices, playstore activity, much much more. Then you will know exactly what is stored
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G
WiFi settings for sure, preferences (like user dictionary) and bookmarks, wallpapers and privacy settings.

Possible to get the Pixel sms backup on other phones? (Google Drive app data)

On Pixel phones, there's a new backup and restore option which includes sms.
Even though I have Android 7.1 on my Nexus 5X, I don't have this feature. It seems to be a Pixel exclusive for now. However, it should be possible to replicate it somehow I think. Could this be part of Google Play services - or Google Drive, where we lately saw some new backup options in the hamburger menu and settings menu? I'm not rooted, but I still have my hopes up this piece of functionality could be activated on other phones. Did someone look into this?
As an example, we have a backup solution for call history and blocked numbers. It's been there for a few Android versions. The sms functionality seems to be very similar to those. Can't someone find out if it's done through Drive, Play services or some system component, and then begin experimenting?
Otherwise, if we can't replicate the Pixel functionality, then could something similar be built using the Google Drive app data backup? Sms backup apps typically have a solution of their own, such as file export, Gmail import or creating a folder in Google Drive. But what if my sms messages could be backed up as app data instead (from a homemade app, released to the play store for this purpose), using the Google Drive app data backup tool? Could someone write an app for that? Or are there limitations, perhaps the sms container on the phone can't be reached in that way?
I'm curious about what you have to say about this!
EDIT:
To clarify, I know there are many good backup solutions out there. What I'm asking for, is to have that task done as natively as possible in the OS. That's why I'm curious about the things above! Cheers

Disable standard Android 11 Contacts Provider and replace with alternate Contacts Provider?

With Android 11, Google seems to have taken yet another step in the "making Android increasingly painful to use" direction by disabling the ability for device-only contacts to be available via the standard Contacts Provider. Because of this, I have to use Google-stored contacts on my Android 11 device in order for these contacts to be available to my apps. Otherwise, my apps don't see any contacts.
I have a rooted Android 11 device, and I'm hoping that there is some way that I could disable the standard Contacts Provider service and that I could then install an alternate, custom Contacts Provider service which knows how to access device-only contacts, and which knows how to make these contacts available to all apps that need contacts ... and which never will try to store my contacts on any of Google's servers nor anywhere else in the cloud.
Is it possible to disable Android's standard Contacts Provider service? And does such a 3rd-party Contacts Provider service exist?
Thank you in advance for any thoughts and suggestions.
Well, I think I found a solution to the issue that I'm trying to solve. And it doesn't require any new Contacts Provider service to be installed, after all.
First of all, I made sure that contacts syncing is turned off.
Next, I installed the "True Phone" contacts and phone manager app from the play store and made it my default phone app.
Then, I used that program to make a local backup of my contacts, which is one of its capabilities.
Following that, I froze the Contacts app, but I kept the Contacts Storage app active. I checked the permissions for the Contacts Storage app, and I see now that it has no network-related permssions. So apparently, it just looks at the local contacts database, and some other piece of software is what actually syncs Google's cloud-based contacts data with the local database. And by turning off contacts sync-ing, it seems like I have indeed disabled that process.
Then, I went from my desktop computer to http://contacts.google.com with the same login credentials that are associated with my Android device. I then permanently deleted all of the contacts there.
(I rebooted my Android device between each of these steps and also after the final step.)
Now, my SMS and phone apps still see the contacts info in my local database. And I can manage the local contacts backup and restore via that True Phone app.
There are probably other phone/contacts apps which also could be used for this. But True Phone works well enough for me.
So ... it turns out that no OS surgery is needed to mess with the contacts nor to install an alternate Contacts Provider service.
PS: And I now have learned something. I was asking about a "Contacts Provider service", but I now realize that the standard Contacts Storage app itself seems to be the "Contacts Provider".
And because I found out that this app does not even have network permissions, it seems clear that this app simply gets contacts from the locally stored sqlite contacts database, and therefore, I don't need to replace this app with anything else.
And so all I needed to do was disable contacts sync-ing, because that is what would sync contacts between Google's cloud and the local contacts database.
How long were you playing with it to get to this point? Fun times...
Cloud apps can be little terrors, the only one I use is Gmail. It's never been breached by malware in over 15 years. Lol, Outlook not so much so.
blackhawk said:
How long were you playing with it to get to this point? Fun times...
Cloud apps can be little terrors, the only one I use is Gmail. It's never been breached by malware in over 15 years. Lol, Outlook not so much so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It took me around a day of on-and-off playing around sessions to figure this all out ... with some input from a few other helpful souls.
I agree about cloud-based services. I don't even use gmail. I run my own email server, so I use that to manage all my email accounts. I manage my own web servers and my own DNS servers, as well.
It's more work for me to manage those things, but I don't mind, and I actually enjoy that work, most of the time.

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