Access Google Backup on an Android

Google offers you convenient options to store and backup your data from your mobile devices. Google Photos allows you to backup your photos and videos and view them from any device. Google Drive is a cloud storage app that allows you to backup your apps data, contacts, device settings, and SMS text messages. This data is used to restore your settings and data to a new Android phone, or an Android phone that has been reset to it's factory settings. There is no way to access a Google Drive backup, except during the setup process on a new or factory-reset phone.

Steps

Backing Up Android Photos and Videos to Google Photos

  1. Download and install Google Photos. This app is available free of charge from the Google Play store.
  2. Open the Photos app on your Android device. It has an icon that resembles a red, green, yellow, and blue pinwheel.
  3. Tap . It's the icon with three horizontal lines. This is located at the top left-hand side of the screen.
  4. Select Settings . It's next to an icon that resembles a gear. This displays options for uploading pictures and organizing them.
  5. Turn the toggle switch next to Google Drive on. This will automatically save your device’s photos and videos to your Google Photos library.
  6. Check if your photos and videos have been backed up.
    • Open the Google Photos app.
    • Tap Photos. You will find this at the bottom.
    • Photos and videos that are not backed up will have an icon, which looks like a cloud, struck diagonally.

Backing Up Android Data on Google Drive

  1. Setup your account on Google Drive. Drive is Google's cloud-based service, which gives you 15GB free storage to backup your photos, videos and other data. Before you can start backing up Android files on Google Drive, you need to create your account on the platform.
    • Download and install the Drive app from the Google Play store.
    • Open Google Drive on your device.
    • Sign in with your Google email address and password to sign-in. You will then automatically get connected to Drive.
  2. Open the Google Drive app on your Android device. It's the app has an icon that resembles a triangle with yellow, green, and blue sides. This app lets you easily upload files to Google’s cloud storage facility.
  3. Make sure to turn on your phone’s Wi-Fi or cellular connection. To avoid data charges, connect your phone to Wi-Fi. Read "How to Connect to Wi-Fi on an Android" to learn more.
    • You can also swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the wi-fi icon to turn wi-fi on. It's the icon that has three arching lines.
  4. Tap the Plus (+) icon at the corner. It's the circular icon with a red, green, yellow, and blue plus (+) sign in the lower-right corner. This displays a new pop-up window.
  5. Tap . It's below an icon that resembles a bar with an up-arrow above it.
  6. Tap a photo or videos that you wish to backup to Drive. This will select them for upload.
    • To select multiple files, tap and hold a file until a checkmark icon appears to the left of the file. Then tap all the other files you want to upload.
  7. Tap . It's in the upper-right corner. This automatically backs up your chosen items to the cloud.
  8. View the uploaded files in My Drive. Use the following steps to view the files on your drive.
    • Open the Google Drive app.
    • Tap the Files tab in the lower-right corner.
    • Tap the My Drive tab at the top of the screen.

Backing Up Android Apps and Data with Google

  1. Open Google Drive. It's the app that has an icon that resembles triangle with green, yellow, and blue sides. Tap the icon to open Google Drive.
  2. Tap . It's the icon with three horizontal lines in the upper-right corner. This displays the menu.
  3. Tap . It's under "Auto backup for apps" in the Google Drive menu.
  4. Tap . This displays a list of the Google accounts you are signed into on your phone.
  5. Select the account you wish to sync. This is applicable only if you maintain multiple accounts on Google.
  6. Select an active backup option (optional). There are a variety of active backup options listed at the bottom of the Google Backup menu. These include; App data, Call history, Contacts, Device Settings, Photos & videos, and SMS text messages.
    • If you wish to turn off backup for any of these options, tap the active backup option and then tap the toggle switch at the top to turn it off.
  7. Tap the toggle switch next to "Backup Google Drive". It's at the top of the Google Backup Settings menu.
  8. Tap . It's the blue button below "Back up to Google Drive" in the Google Backup menu. This backups up your data to Google Drive.
    • Your Google backup will be automatically restored when you sign in to your Google account during the setup process on a new Android phone, or after factory resetting your current phone. Read "How to Recover Data After a Factory Reset on Android" to learn more about how to factory-reset your phone and restore it during the setup process.
    • If you have already set up your phone without restoring your Google Drive backup, you will need to factory-reset your phone and set it up again to restore your backup.
    • Apps data will be restored automatically after reinstalling the app on your current phone, or a new device.

Warnings

  • Changing backup settings will affect all apps that use the Backup & Sync feature.
  • Make sure you sign in to the same Google account you used to backup your phone when setting up a new phone. If you go through the setup process without properly restoring your Google Drive backup, you will need to factory reset your phone and set it up again to restore your Google Drive backup.

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