Factory reset: how you back up what

[Puzzlegal]

My phone is sort of glitchy, but before trying to get Moto to replace it, I think I need to try a factory reset.

What do I need to back-up, and what's the least annoying way of restoring stuff?

I will need to reinstall several apps
Re set up email on k9
Re categorize apps in folder organizer
Re set up my home screens
Re import music and photos
(Including some ring tones and alerts)

What else?

I don't care about texting or calling history. I need to clean up my contacts, but all I have now is what google has, so that should be automatic. Calendars, too.

Thanks!

 

[dancing-bass]

easiest way is if you're rooted, in which case you can just use the custom recovery. I'm going to assume you're not rooted though

copy any photos, music, and other files you want to keep off the phone to your computer. If you DO want to back up texts, I use SMS Backup And restore (with an add-on that will send backups to Google Drive, Dropbox, or other options). Apps will be re-downloaded automatically from the Play Store.

Email, apps, folders, and homescreens you'll have to set up again yourself.

Sadly, without root, there is no quick and easy way to do a proper backup/restore that I know of (I could very well be wrong). Good luck.

 

[Puzzlegal]

Thanks. Correct, I don't have root.
I do have copies of all the photos, music, etc. on the computer, mostly looking for a convenient way to keep track and put them all back. Likewise apps, folders, etc.

In addition to a computer and home wifi network, I have dropbox.

I'm old, and do most of my correspondence by email or phone. I have too few texts to care about. (and they are mostly timely stuff that is no longer relevant, like, "I am 10 minutes late, see you soon".)

 

[ultravisitor]

If all your pics and videos are backed up by Google+, you don't even have to worry about syncing them back to your phone. You can just use the Photos app to manage (view, send , etc.) them with your phone without them actually being on your phone. That's one reason why it's easiest to just auto back up your pics and videos to Google+.

Same thing basically applies to music and Google Play.

 

[DayThyme]

If all your pics and videos are backed up by Google+, you don't even have to worry about syncing them back to your phone. You can just use the Photos app to manage (view, send , etc.) them with your phone without them actually being on your phone.

Is that what the Photo app does?

That's one reason why it's easiest to just auto back up your pics and videos to Google+.

I always had problems with this on my GNex.

 

[ultravisitor]

The Photos app just acts like the Gallery app, except it's only for your Google+ pictures (unless you set it as default for everything, I think).

Anyway, I never worry about losing pics as a result of a format or wipe because everything I take is backed up to Google+ and is immediately viewable or otherwise manageable via app. Same with all my music. My computer's hard drive crashed and lost everything, but I didn't lose any music since all of mine was backed up to Google Play.

 

[mhunter6378]

If all your pics and videos are backed up by Google+, you don't even have to worry about syncing them back to your phone. You can just use the Photos app to manage (view, send , etc.) them with your phone without them actually being on your phone. That's one reason why it's easiest to just auto back up your pics and videos to Google+.

Same thing basically applies to music and Google Play.

+1 to ^^This^^

I put all my photos (over 7,000) into Picasa on my computer, Picasa syncs to the web through Google+, all my photos are easily accessible through the Photos app on my Moto X. I also use Dropbox and auto backup photos there and pull them back down to my computer to file away in Picasa which completes my loop. I have a copy in the cloud and a copy local on my commuter that are always in sync.

 

[Puzzlegal]

I want stuff actually on the phone, not "in the cloud". I am often places with lousy data service, and don't want to have to think about it.

Also, I don't really like the google apps for music and photos. I am using quikpic and rocket player.

I have a Mac and regularly back everything up with time machine. I occasionally cut a disk of photos and give it to a friend by way of back-up in case the house burns down or something. But honestly, that's not what I will weep about if the house burns down.

Anyhow, just want to make sure I know what I need to do, and what's the easiest way to do it before I try this.

Thanks.

 

[ultravisitor]

I want stuff actually on the phone, not "in the cloud". I am often places with lousy data service, and don't want to have to think about it.

You don't understand. This doesn't work the way you think it does. You won't need to always have a data connection in order to view the pics that are backed up to Google+. Your phone will sync when you do have a connection so that you can see them when you are without a connection. Once the pictures are synced to the phone, you won't need a data connection again just to see them. You don't have to sync every time you want to see a picture. You will only need a data connection if you want to send them, but that is the case whether they are backed up to Google+ or stored locally. And when your pictures are backed up to Google+, you won't have to worry about transferring them back and forth between devices like your computer or tablet or a new cell phone.

You say you don't want to think, but you are actually overthinking this. I'm telling you, this is the easiest solution, but you are determined to make it more difficult for yourself.

If you want to make things more difficult for yourself, then fine.

 

[Puzzlegal]

The pictures aren't that big a deal. The music is a bigger deal, and I really dislike the interface of google play, for a lot of reasons. I gather that if you use Google syncing you can only okay then with the google player, which is a deal breaker.

Anyhow, I'm more worried about what I am forgetting to back up or record than I am about very straightforward stuff like photos and music. Reconfiguring apps is going to be a pain, and just reconfiguring android may be a nuisance, too. Is there any easy way to record all your settings?

 

[Sizzers]

Is there any easy way to record all your settings?

You could try Helium, where you can either back up all your apps with settings or just the settings on their own (note, purchased apps will have to be downloaded seperately from the Store).

The notes on the Store say its not compatible with Motorola's but its supposed to be okay with both the X and the G as a number of people will testify. However, I say "supposed" because I backed all my apps/settings up through Helium a couple of days ago prior to a reset on my G: everything backed up fine but re-installed Jack S*** but hey, nothing to lose by trying!

 

[Puzzlegal]

erk. I finally did the reset. I decided to try the built in option to let google back up and restore some app data. It is now busily downloading and upgrading every app I have ever loaded on any android phone I ever owned. I'm going to have a ton of clean-up to do when this finishes.

 

[Puzzlegal]

Annnnnd, the phone is still glitchy, and Motorola agreed to replace it. They even offered to ship the new one before I mail back the old one, so I don't
have to go without a phone, which is nice. So the factory reset worked, after a fashion.

I hope the new phone works. Except for being unreliable and doing weird stuff, I really like this phone. I kinda like it anyway, but I can't afford to miss my train when the alarm doesn't make noise, or have the phone randomly reboot if I am doing something with it. But it looks pretty, and feels nice in my hand and in my pocket, and has an excellent feature set, and when it works at all, it works very smoothly. That's all worth a lot. With a reliable phone, it would be terrific.

 

[GadgetGator]

Sadly, without root, there is no quick and easy way to do a proper backup/restore that I know of (I could very well be wrong). Good luck.

And this really REALLY bothers me. I do not understand why after all these YEARS, Google has not come up with an all encompassing solution to this problem. I understand different phones have different OS skins and tweaks, but it seems like basic common things like app data, app folder layouts, sounds, widgets, etc. could be backed up to their cloud and restored properly. At least that is how it SHOULD work.

 

[techitrucker]

I use GCloud backup to backup everything but contacts and bookmarks which are already backed up to Google. It's automatic and when you sign into it on a new phone, it can restore things like call logs and text messages.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[GadgetGator]

I use GCloud backup to backup everything but contacts and bookmarks which are already backed up to Google. It's automatic and when you sign into it on a new phone, it can restore things like call logs and text messages.

Posted via Android Central App

Thanks for posting that. I will have to look into that one.

 

[ultravisitor]

I decided to try the built in option to let google back up and restore some app data.

You do realize that when you restore everything like that then you run the risk of restoring whatever it was that was causing your problems in the first place, right?

 

[Puzzlegal]

You do realize that when you restore everything like that then you run the risk of restoring whatever it was that was causing your problems in the first place, right?

That occurred to me. But I had loaded relatively few apps, and most are extremely popular and widely used. (Swype, k9...) And this feels like a hardware problem. I've had lots of computers over the years, and my share of problems, and hardware problems just feel different from software incompatibility issues.

As it turned out, the "back-up" part failed, and the gadget restored what had been on my prior phone, not what I had on the current one. That was weird. I didn't an hour just deleting just stuff I'd decided not to keep. And it didn't restore anything useful (like email settings) with the single exception of the WiFi password. (Actually, dozens of WiFi passwords, including those for several places I will never be again.) I won't bother doing it next time.

Motorola promises me a new phone real soon now. I am looking forward to it. But I won't be using the back-up and restore option.

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