This article was co-authored by How.com.vn staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for How.com.vn. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher.
How.com.vn marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 91% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status.
This article has been viewed 433,253 times.
To ensure your phone data's safety, you should back up your phone to the Google Cloud--Android's online file storage--every couple of weeks. You can back up your Android Phone's contacts, calendar data, app data, chrome data, documents, and Drive contents to Google's servers from within the "Settings" app, while your photos and videos back up from within the "Google Photos" app.
Steps
Backing Up Standard Data
- Tap your "Settings" app to open your Settings. The Settings app resembles a gear.
- Scroll until you find the "Backup and Reset" option, then tap it. You can enable Google Cloud backup from this menu.Advertisement
- Enter your PIN if prompted. This should be the same PIN/passcode you use to unlock your phone.
- Swipe on "Backup my data" and "Automatic restore". The pertinent switches will turn green in response, indicating that data backup and automatic restore are now active.[1]
- Tap the "Backup Account" option.
- Tap your Google Account name. This should be your main Google account that you use with your phone.
- Return to the main Settings menu.
- Scroll until you find the "Accounts" option, then tap it. You'll need to select the specific account to which you will back up your phone.
- Tap the "Google" option in Accounts, then select your Gmail account.
- Swipe on the preferences for everything you want backed up. The pertinent switches will turn green in response, indicating their approval for backup. If you aren't sure of where all your data is, back up all of these options. Your standard data options are:
- App Data
- Calendar
- Chrome
- Contacts
- Docs
- Drive
- Exit the Settings app. This completes the backup process.Advertisement
Backing Up Photos and Videos
- Open the "Google Photos" app. This app comes standard with all Android phones.
- Find and tap the three horizontal lines icon in the upper left-hand corner of your screen.[2]
- Sign into your Google account using your Google email and password. These credentials should be the ones you use for your phone's Google account.
- Return to the Google Photos app's main screen.
- Tap the "Settings" option, then tap "Back up & sync".
- Switch on the "Backup" option. This should be at the top of your screen; the switch is next to the word "On" directly beneath the "Backup" heading.
- Tap "Back up all" to back up your photos and videos to the Google Photos cloud. You can also swipe on "Roaming" to back up your photos while on data (not wifi).
- Verify your backup's success by viewing Google Photos' contents. All of your phone's photos should now be backed up!Advertisement
Community Q&A
- QuestionIf I download my backup data to my phone's internal storage, will the data in the cloud be deleted?Community AnswerNope! The cloud data doesn't change unless you either update it (read: back up your device) or delete something manually.
- QuestionHow can I retrieve backed up data and transfer it to another phone?Community AnswerSince your backed-up data is accessible with your Google Play account information, you can simply link your new phone to that account when you first boot it up. You can also change the Google Play account you're using at any time in the Settings menu.
- QuestionCan I access my Google account online?Community AnswerYes, as long as you have all of your Google account details accessible.
Tips
- SMS backup isn't included in the default backup procedures listed here, so backing up your texts requires downloading a dedicated app. "SMS Backup+" and "SMS Backup and Restore" are both highly-recommended (and free) apps in the Google Play store that are more than suited to this purpose.[3]Thanks
Warnings
- Failing to regularly back up your Android phone can result in losing all your data if your phone stops working.Thanks
References
About this article
1.Open Settings.
2.Tap Backup & reset.
3.Enable "Back up my data" and "Automatic restore."
4.Tap Backup account.
5.Select your Google account.
6.Return to Settings.
7.Tap Accounts.
8.Tap Google.
9.Choose what to back up.
Reader Success Stories
- "This description of the google backup procedure to use on an android phone was very clear, very easy to follow, and for once pretty much matched what I actually found on my phone. I was very happy with it."..." more
Is this article up to date?
⚠️ Disclaimer:
Content from Wiki How English language website. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License; additional terms may apply.
Wiki How does not encourage the violation of any laws, and cannot be responsible for any violations of such laws, should you link to this domain, or use, reproduce, or republish the information contained herein.
- - A few of these subjects are frequently censored by educational, governmental, corporate, parental and other filtering schemes.
- - Some articles may contain names, images, artworks or descriptions of events that some cultures restrict access to
- - Please note: Wiki How does not give you opinion about the law, or advice about medical. If you need specific advice (for example, medical, legal, financial or risk management), please seek a professional who is licensed or knowledgeable in that area.
- - Readers should not judge the importance of topics based on their coverage on Wiki How, nor think a topic is important just because it is the subject of a Wiki article.