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COMPLETELY backing up EVO

Selfdestruct

Well-Known Member
Jun 5, 2010
124
8
Ok hypothetical situation


OOps I dropped my phone into the ocean while on a boat this summer


It is fried

What program should be used to "Fully" backup said EVO in order to just buy a new one and get it back running just like it was with all apps, AND data, SMS messages, etc before said incident

Since i have a mac i am thinking something similar to Time Machine


Any ideas?
 
hmm ill have to look into that


does anyone know if it matters what OS you have? Like i have a nexus one and evo

if i back up my evo can i nuke my nexus and "restore" it with the evo data to have identical apps / data?


i was reading about missing sync for android as i had it for my palm centro but its 40 bucks and i refuse to purchase it unless it does what i need it to do haha

the mybackuppro sounds promising though
 
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Well all your contacts and calendar and email should be synced with google, so you're good there. There are a few free programs to backup messages. AppBrain will backup apps, well not all the data with the apps, but it will at least let you know what apps you had installed. I have yet to find a program to backup settings.
 
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seems thats something android needs

1 program to backup EVERYTHING

not 3-4 doing different things lol


cuz when you break your phone you just want to get up and running asap not screw around with "which program did my sms" or "which program has my apps" and "oh i need to reinstall all my apps now?" "ugh"

and "what position were all my apps on home screen etc"

hmmm
 
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OK I've done a bit of research in the last few days as I also came from Palm OS and loved my Resco backup software (Fully automated backup of everything in the phone, except bluetooth settings).

So.. facts as I've found them (Feel free to correct me and site source/app):
1) NOTHING will backup android today like the old Palm OS. That means even with the best backup software out there will require the user to do some re-engineering should they wipe/restore a phone.
2) Most of the better backups require ROOT access since many of the SYSTEM settings are protected. Root Grants that ability to backup the system settings. Contacts, App APKs (install files), and other basic data do not require root.
3) No app out there today can backup every apps settings!!! (This is my biggest concern). Some of them, like MyBackupPro have worked with developers to allow the backup software to get to the settings, but the vast majority of apps out there have no such partnership. Those that do often partner with one of the backup solutions and not all... so it's really not that useful just yet.

Per MyBackupPro site:
"FAQ 4) Can MyBackup backup the data specific to my other applications?

We can not get the applications data because of security built into Android. But we have provided developers the ability to integrate with us and some are beginning to do this. If you would like any application to have the ability to be backed up by MyBackup Pro, you may want to contact the developers of such applications and have them contact us for instructions on how to integrate with us."

So what does this all mean... basically we are somewhat out of luck at the moment.

My personal preference currently is as follows:
1) Allow Gmail to backup Contacts normally as part of it's Sync
2) Use AppBrain to remember which apps I've installed to allow for easy replacement.
3) Use ASTROFile Manager to provide backup of the APKs to the SD card in case I cannot get to Appbrain for some reason (I don't like cloud backup solutions personally)

That's it... I figure for now, if I'm going to have to go in for each app and re-do settings, then it's really not much extra work to change phone settings.

I also contacted Resco software, the people who made RescoBackup for Palm, and they replied saying they were working on some Android Apps but had no release dates nor further information at this time. (*Crossing my fingers for an early Xmas gift*)

Anyway if anyone finds out any further info, please share it... and if you 'claim' that your backup works for app settings, please wipe your phone and restore it first, before posting without testing.. I've gone through a lot of headache buying/refunding apps based on peoples unfounded posts. :(
 
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what a cool little program. Have you used it before? Does it work well?

I tried out the restore and it got everything right on my scene customizations except one home screen widget. It marked the spot though so i just had to really it. It also picked back up my sms texts completely. With Froyo just around the corner, it was $5 worth spent! Beware though, the trial wouldn't function for some reason, and others have noted that in comments.

One final point to note: as the Market knows what apps you've installed, I did not attempt app restore. Only Titanium can catch all settings, but you have to be rooted.
 
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One final point to note: as the Market knows what apps you've installed, I did not attempt app restore. Only Titanium can catch all settings, but you have to be rooted.

Hmm I hadn't seen Titanium before according to it's webpage and a tech review from January it looks like it might just be what I'm looking for:

The Most Essential App For Android – Titanium Backup | Tech N Life

Now the question is whether or not it'll work on the Evo via the "Unrevoked" root method.
 
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ok, here's my question regarding my backup pro (and flashing) for those who have experience. i'm currently rooted using toast's method on the stock pre OTA SD fix update rom. i'd like to flash to the post OTA SD fix update stock rom (.6). . . if i just flashed to the .6 stock rom am i correct that i would lose all of my home screen settings (i believe i would since i'm flashing a rom)?

if my assumption is correct, what do you recommend as the best step by step upgrade procedure (apps/money not being an issue. . . just want the best way) in order to load the updated stock rom and then restore my personalized settings (power management, home screens layout, application data and the like).

is that possible?

thanks for the guidance!
 
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So the million dollar question is.. who wants to wipe their phone and try a RESTORE and post the results :)

I'll try it. I'd rather find out now that it doesn't work than later :)

Not such a problem if it fails since I can get my contacts back anytime. I'm not that worried about apps yet...I dove right in and can do some things better this time around.

No time for it till maybe tonight, but when I get to it I will report back.
 
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I'll try it. I'd rather find out now that it doesn't work than later :)

Not such a problem if it fails since I can get my contacts back anytime. I'm not that worried about apps yet...I dove right in and can do some things better this time around.

No time for it till maybe tonight, but when I get to it I will report back.

Thanks for the offer! I've customized mine too much already (I should have tested it before I did).

One thing to keep in mind.. see if you can go install a few free apps that have settings that normally wouldn't be backed up, like say an RSS reader (I use Newroom Trial myself), perhaps even an alternate home theme.
If you're only running stock with no extra apps, we might not notice if app settings are really being restored (which is the kinda the point in my opinion :)

Thanks again, post yer results whenever your able.
 
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I just rooted using toast's method, and I had done a full Titanium backup using the free app. After flashing new rom (went with the stock .6 rooted rom for now), I restored using Titanium. Since I had not paid, I was prompted as it installed each app, and after completing, my apps and settings were restored, but not my home screen (wait, keep reading). I started to configure my home screen, then did a reboot when I realized that the Navigation app was missing (I remembered that Maps installs that on reboot). After reboot, my home screens were back except for a couple widgets that showed errors. It might have missed some sync settings that I've since updated, but it was pretty complete. I'm getting the paid version now to avoid having to click on each app on restore. Lesson learned: reboot after restoring

Notes: I was upgrading from stock .6 to rooted stock .6, so I can't say that it would work as seamlessly if you were flashing a custom rom. I'll try that soon, but not today.
 
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