Seeking advise on backing up Android to Linux MATE

[nov_rainman]

Hello,

I'd like to make a backup of my Android phone data to either my computer (Linux Mint MATE Vera on a Macbook Pro) or a FAT32 HD attached to my computer. I've been researching the matter, but it seems like every article I've seen offers a different solution, and i'm not really sure which one I should try to use. I'm a bit concerned about compatibility issues, complexity (I still consider myself something of a noob), and, as one article ominously states, bricking my device!

Here are some of the more promising(?) ones I've seen:

https://www.maketecheasier.com/back-up- ... db-ubuntu/ (using ADB. Seems straightforward, but see the comments and many people have had troubles which went unanswered)

https://www.howtogeek.com/423442/how-to ... x-desktop/ (KDE Connect on Android, GNOME extensions on Linux. Seems nice, but will the GNOME extensions even work with a MATE desktop?)

https://www.linux-magazine.com/Issues/2 ... oid-Backup (Uses a Github-based project which has little mention anywhere else on the web. I for one have had little luck installing and using Github hosted applications. Also the overall method seems rather complex)

I'm a bit hesitant about simply relying entirely on Google's services for backup; for privacy concerns, storage size considerations, and the ever-looming possibility that Google may simply decide one day that everybody has to pay $X for any kind of cloud storage and never host anything free online again, thereby holding anybody's data hostage, so to speak (just as Lastpass did not so long ago).

Can anyone suggest any methods they've used successfully for backing up their Android data at a hardware level? I'd love to simply plug the Android in and run an rsync job, but it unless I've missed something simple, that just doesn't seem to work. I get "Could not display SAMSUNG -blah-blah"

I'm open to methods either wireless or USB-connected, and any and all comments are appreciated!

[decrepit]

when I plug my android phone in, I get "can not display," until I hit the "allow" button on the phone. Then I can copy whatever I like from phone or SD memory

[nov_rainman]

Odd... That's the first thing I do when I plug in, but that error is still what i get.

[axrusar]

I use syncthing. You can get it in the software manager.
By default, it will add the camera folder of your phone, but you can toggle it off and add the root directory instead so everything on the phone is copied to the computer.
It works over the network so do not worry about usb wires. After setting up the basics, you can read the docs and tweak more advanced settings and options.
Here is a video showing how to set it up.
https://youtu.be/pClFiCZDpZk

[senjoz]

Can anyone suggest any methods they've used successfully for backing up their Android data at a hardware level?

I have a Samsung Galaxy A33 5G phone. I can backup phone settings and data to the USB key inserted in the phone, Settings - Accounts and backup - External storage transfer - Back up to USB storage. The USB key is formatted with the fat32 file system.

[dave0808]

This is one of the weakest areas of Android devices. In part, it's a problem born from the security model where each app is installed with separate user rights. Access to the files and database are restricted to the app itself (with some caveats), hence why you can't simply browse for and copy the files. Only the publicly accessible data in the shared storage area (and/or additional SD card) is available.

Different manufacturers can offer different solutions, some may work, but only if you stick to the same device, etc. They also work (if they work at all) because they're hooked in with a greater level of access which ordinary apps simply don't have the permission for. Then some of the third party solutions require a rooted device (which itself can be a security issue).

Of course, Google simply expect you to use their cloud, as you have noted. Then you can plug in your new device, and restore the installed apps, along with their data. However, even that doesn't necessarily work. Each app has a flag indicating whether it should be included in the backup process. It's up to the app developer to decide whether this is allowed - not the user! So not all of your app data is going to be backed up.

A virtual minefield!

I don't imagine Google turning off their cloud backup solution without notice, nor negative publicity. If they do go down that route, you would have time to take your data elsewhere.

If you really want to have a local backup, it's a bit of a manual process. Yes, you could use the ADB backup option, though I've never tried it, and I would certainly recommend disabling USB debugging afterwards.

Otherwise, it's a case of doing it manually. Go through each of your apps, export the data and settings if there's an option to do so. If there isn't, you could raise a ticket with the developer if possible, though they may simply defer to the Google mechanism and not be interested in providing an alternative. In which case, you might need to seek an alternative app that offers similar functionality.

Things like SMS messages, contacts and calendar information will likely require alternative apps in order to create a backup. Or move your data onto an independent CalDAV/CardDAV provider, in which case, a copy of the data lives on the server so you simply re-sync to get it again.

Once you have your collection of exported data and settings, copy them to an external USB device or connect your computer and transfer that way.