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[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?

To back up/restore account credentials, online banking logins, etc

On my phone, in Accounts settings, I have several accounts listed:
Samsing account, 2 Google accounts, WhatsApp, Viber, and some others.
I also have online banking apps with stored logins and passwords.
And I have a couple of VOIP apps with their login/password and other SIP settings.
And EduRoam wifi settings
How can I back up all that data with logins, credentials and very specific app settings, so I will be able to restore them to the same or a new Samsung device?
It reasonable to expect that one account credentials (Samsung or Google) must be manually entered, maybe both. But why all the other accounts data as well as apps logins cannot be backed up and restored?
I tried Samsung Cloud, Samsung Smart Switch, Google Back up/Restore.
At best, they back up just wifi passwords and no other logins and credentials.
It seems that such a task is not possible without root. I suspect that it is intended by Google and Samsung and nothing will change in the near future. Am I right?

rybshik said:
On my phone, in Accounts settings, I have several accounts listed:
Samsing account, 2 Google accounts, WhatsApp, Viber, and some others.
I also have online banking apps with stored logins and passwords.
And I have a couple of VOIP apps with their login/password and other SIP settings.
And EduRoam wifi settings
How can I back up all that data with logins, credentials and very specific app settings, so I will be able to restore them to the same or a new Samsung device?
It reasonable to expect that one account credentials (Samsung or Google) must be manually entered, maybe both. But why all the other accounts data as well as apps logins cannot be backed up and restored?
I tried Samsung Cloud, Samsung Smart Switch, Google Back up/Restore.
At best, they back up just wifi passwords and no other logins and credentials.
It seems that such a task is not possible without root. I suspect that it is intended by Google and Samsung and nothing will change in the near future. Am I right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Titanium back up
There's a very good reason banking apps won't let you back up to cloud based servers. You know it's not really a cloud right? It actually someone eleses server and servers can be hacked.
Nothing to do with root, it's about making sure you don't get scammed.

cooltt said:
Titanium back up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On Nougat and Oreo without root, will Titanium be able to back up apps' settings as well as accounts data and settings, logins?
For example, when I install a VoIP app such as LinPhone, I add several VoIP providers with their sip logins, passwords, domains, and numerous fine tuning VoIP settings. Will Titanum without root back up all that and restore to the same device? To a new device?

rybshik said:
On Nougat and Oreo without root, will Titanium be able to back up apps' settings as well as accounts data and settings, logins?
For example, when I install a VoIP app such as LinPhone, I add several VoIP providers with their sip logins, passwords, domains, and numerous fine tuning VoIP settings. Will Titanum without root back up all that and restore to the same device? To a new device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are several apps in the play store which will do as your asking I'm not sure why you keep going on about root. Titanium and Nandroid are 2 of the best.
Additionally most apps allow you to back up the settings prior to uninstall then restore to a new device.

Can I manually retrieve data from Google Drive Android phone backup (to PC) ?

Scenario: My Galaxy S8 died completely about a month ago, I got an iPhone - still getting used to it, spent incredible amount of time tuning and tweaking the settings.
Today I've noticed I still have the backup from my Galaxy S8 in my Google Drive account and it seems I still should be able to import that data to my new phone. There are some valuable information for me, especially contacts (in call history, not synced with Google), text messages, whatsapp messages etc.
I however don't have another Android phone to sync it and then somehow export it, also I probably won't be able to do it on my iPhone - I am logged in to that account but somehow can't find a way to import such data. (All of my Google synced contacts for example got imported automatically, but not the rest).
Is there a way to somehow manually download that backup data from Google Drive to PC and "unpack" it?
Thanks.

TinoArts said:
Scenario: My Galaxy S8 died completely about a month ago, I got an iPhone - still getting used to it, spent incredible amount of time tuning and tweaking the settings.
Today I've noticed I still have the backup from my Galaxy S8 in my Google Drive account and it seems I still should be able to import that data to my new phone. There are some valuable information for me, especially contacts (in call history, not synced with Google), text messages, whatsapp messages etc.
I however don't have another Android phone to sync it and then somehow export it, also I probably won't be able to do it on my iPhone - I am logged in to that account but somehow can't find a way to import such data. (All of my Google synced contacts for example got imported automatically, but not the rest).
Is there a way to somehow manually download that backup data from Google Drive to PC and "unpack" it?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This might help if you can use the import option to import your backup directly from Google drive then transfer it to iOS. Or maybe you can transfer the backup from Google drive then use 7zip or similar software to extract the backup into its separate parts and import/transfer them from your PC to iOS.
How to Transfer Data from Android to iPhone - [2023]
Want to transfer data from Android to iPhone 14 or iPhone 13/12/11/XS/X/8/8 Plus? Here are some easy and free ways to transfer data from Android to iPhone.
mobiletrans.wondershare.com
The various tools in that software may help you but you may not be able to do it all in with "one shot", you may have to attack from different angles using more than one option, function or tool provided by this software.
Or, another possible option is to install an android emulator on your PC, install Android in it, then sign into your Google account in the android running in the emulator, restore the backup from Google drive in the Android running in the emulator then see if you can transfer the data from the emulated android to iOS

@TinoArts
take note that whenever you backup Android phone to Google, all your data is safely stored in an encrypted backup file over your Google Drive account.

Question Backup options for Stock+Unrooted+Locked Pixel 6a

I have a new 6a here, never turned on before. I'm planning to use the stock image without root on this phone, so I can keep receiving OTAs, etc. I want this phone to just work with minimal maintenance effort.
Going forward, what is the best way to back up the data on this phone? I'm mostly trying to protect against hardware failures.
My goal would be to quickly restore the previous state on a new Pixel 6a, if the hardware stops working for whatever reason. (Which happens 1-2 per year in my case, oops.)
My understanding is that the Google Cloud backup would be the most convenient option, but that it's not end-to-end encrypted. Correct? That's a K.O., unfortunately.
EDIT: Seems Google Cloud Backup DOES have E2E? Can someone confirm? The dialog that Android shows is very ambiguous.
Thank you!

What do you mean end-to-end?
I do use the google backup and it's pretty legit. It's not a 100% "image" back up...but does include all your settings, apps, text messages, google photos etc. You can set it up to auto-backup every day or so when charging/on wifi at night...backs up to your Drive app.
When I reset the phone or add a new rom - it's about perfect. The only thing I "lose" or have to move back to the phone that google doesn't cover is data that the app doesn't automatically restore. So like - a stand-alone music library. But all my other apps automatically restore all their data as well.
So if an app uploads/auto-restores the data from their servers, you'll get everything back 100%. If an app only saves to your sdcard, you'll lose that data. I really only have 1 app that does that so not a big deal.

mmead1143 said:
What do you mean end-to-end?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
End-to-end encryption - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Encrypt the backup in a way that only the owner of the device can read it, but not Google or anyone else with access to Google's servers.
iCloud backups are not E2E encrypted, for example, so anyone with access to Apple servers could read your data. Apple just announced that they are going to change that, though, as far as I remember.
QUESTION:
I noticed that there's an option in the Developer options that allows me to set a DESKTOP BACKUP PASSWORD. What software would I then use to create the backup on my computer?
Sounds like iTunes local backup... I liked that option, I don't need it in the cloud.
EDIT: Found something here https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/ics-psa-how-to-full-desktop-backup-no-root-needed.1607254/
Why are people not using / recommending this? Sounds great?
@V0latyle @simplepinoi177

Google say their backups are encrypted:
Where your phone data is stored​Backups are uploaded to Google servers and they're encrypted with your Google Account password. For some data, your phone's screen lock PIN, pattern, or password is also used to encrypt your data so it can be backed up safely.
Back up your device - Android - Google One Help
Where your phone data is stored Backups are uploaded to Google servers and they're encrypted with your Google Account password. For some data, your phone's screen lock
support.google.com

MrUrgit said:
Google say their backups are encrypted:
Where your phone data is stored​Backups are uploaded to Google servers and they're encrypted with your Google Account password. For some data, your phone's screen lock PIN, pattern, or password is also used to encrypt your data so it can be backed up safely.
Back up your device - Android - Google One Help
Where your phone data is stored Backups are uploaded to Google servers and they're encrypted with your Google Account password. For some data, your phone's screen lock
support.google.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that's what I saw in Android when I decided not to use it. This suggested to me that some data was ONLY encrypted with my PIN/Pattern, and that didn't seem like strong protection. (Once it's in the cloud, you have to assume it will be there forever... and who knows if my PIN is still considered secure in X years from now.)
I still have to do more research, but so far my sense is that the sensitive data is encrypted at least with my (much more complex) account password.

Try Swift Backup. You need ADB for backing up system apps, but you don't need root lol

Quota and Functionality Questions related to Device Backup

I am confused about inconsistences between Device Backup on two different Pixel phones:
On my old Pixel phone, the Backup app says the backup will use Google One storage, so I do not have it turned on.
On my new Pixel phone, the Backup app doesn't mention Google One. In fact, it explicitly states that the device backup will not count towards "Drive" storage.
I'm not sure the new Pixel phone is fully patched (just took it out of the box) so it's possible the software hasn't been updated to reflect the Google One service.
I have the following questions:
Does the device backup count towards a Google storage quota or not?
Is there a difference between Google One and Google Drive?
On both devices, the device backup states that the information is encrypted before being uploaded, but it is not clear whether the backup is inaccessible by Google (can Google decrypt the backup)?
The device backup states that it will backup: apps, app data, call history, contacts, device settings (including Wifi passwords) and SMS & MMS messages. How do I restore these things on the new phone if I back them up on the old phone first?
Can I selectively restore apps and app data for only a few apps? There are some apps that are device-specific (e.g. Syncthing) where I don't want to necessarily restore the settings and app data associated with that app, because my shared folders will be located in a different place on the new phone. I would rather set up from scratch and establish my new folder locations, then allow the files to sync through Syncthing.
Thanks for any answers you can provide to these questions.
I would also welcome links to resources that explain how this works, especially vis-à-vis the new Google One branding.

With regards to "Is there a difference between Google One and Google Drive?" look inside here