I posted a step by step instructions over here that uses the direct download (web browser) method to backup apps, maybe you can give it a shot to see if it would help you?
To make it easily accessible by others, I will copy paste the steps here as well:
1- Restart your device (just in case), keep wifi on, run Helium, don't click 'OK' yet
2- Run Helium on your computer
3- Connect the USB cable to your phone, give it a few seconds
4- Click 'OK' on your device's screen (on the 'Welcome to Helium' message)
You should get the following message on your Android: "Android app backup enabled!" [Press OK]
Your Helium on the PC should show a green arrow
5- Click the hamburger menu on the app, select 'PC Download'
You should see a green on/off button, with a URL address displayed on port 5000
6- Unplug the USB cable [here's the weird part!]
7- Re-plug the USB cable, give it some time, maybe 20 seconds [the other weird part!]
8- Open your preferred browser on your PC (I used Chrome), type the address shown on your Android's screen, and give it some time to load all the apps. Now follow steps 9 to 12 on that page:
9- Select the apps you want to backup
10- Confirm 'Backup App Data Only' is unchecked
11- Click 'Start Backup'
Don't touch anything that's happening on your device's screen, it goes through a dialogue form on its own, probably a script
You'll also see a confirmation 'toast' saying "Backup starting..."
12- Once the backup is done you'll see a confirmation 'toast' saying "Backup finished", and the download should complete soon after
Confirm your apps are saved in the zip file by opening it
13- To do another backup, repeat steps 6-12
And that's one part done, the Backup part !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
I used it to backup an app from a Samsung Galaxy S2 (which was giving the same error), and restored it on a Samsung Galaxy S4. Worked well
To make it easily accessible by others, I will copy paste the steps here as well:
1- Restart your device (just in case), keep wifi on, run Helium, don't click 'OK' yet
2- Run Helium on your computer
3- Connect the USB cable to your phone, give it a few seconds
4- Click 'OK' on your device's screen (on the 'Welcome to Helium' message)
You should get the following message on your Android: "Android app backup enabled!" [Press OK]
Your Helium on the PC should show a green arrow
5- Click the hamburger menu on the app, select 'PC Download'
You should see a green on/off button, with a URL address displayed on port 5000
6- Unplug the USB cable [here's the weird part!]
7- Re-plug the USB cable, give it some time, maybe 20 seconds [the other weird part!]
8- Open your preferred browser on your PC (I used Chrome), type the address shown on your Android's screen, and give it some time to load all the apps. Now follow steps 9 to 12 on that page:
9- Select the apps you want to backup
10- Confirm 'Backup App Data Only' is unchecked
11- Click 'Start Backup'
Don't touch anything that's happening on your device's screen, it goes through a dialogue form on its own, probably a script
You'll also see a confirmation 'toast' saying "Backup starting..."
12- Once the backup is done you'll see a confirmation 'toast' saying "Backup finished", and the download should complete soon after
Confirm your apps are saved in the zip file by opening it
13- To do another backup, repeat steps 6-12
And that's one part done, the Backup part !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
I used it to backup an app from a Samsung Galaxy S2 (which was giving the same error), and restored it on a Samsung Galaxy S4. Worked well
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