How do you back up Android phones?

[Batt1eRatt1e]

Coming from an iPhone it was pretty simple. You plug it into your computer and use iTunes. How do I back up my phone for Android?

 

[knighthawk321]

If you've got your Vivid, you can use HTC Synch to synch your contacts from Outlook. If you're using Gmail, and have synched your contacts with them, they're in Google's cloud and can be re-synched from there. The main thing you've got to back up are your pictures, videos and music. HTC Synch can handle putting those on your computer. I've been reading the full Vivid user manual in advance of getting mine. I intend to use HTC Synch and HTCSense.com to their fullest to keep my data backed up. I Strongly recommend downloading the full manual from the HTC site. All you get from ATT is a quick start guide.

As for your apps, if you got them from the Android Market, you should be able to get them back from the Market just by logging in. I got that tidbit from a long time Android user friend.

The main times you have to worry about backing up is for a clean OS install, factory (hard) reset, or if you wiped it from HTCSense.com. Just keep it synched regularly and you should be good.

 

[Batt1eRatt1e]

I guess I'm just lost on this. I downloaded HTC Sync but I didn't see how to back my phone up to my PC. My worry is if I decide to stay with Android after the Vivid, isn't there an easy option to transfer everything to my next Android phone, like how the iPhone works?

 

[knighthawk321]

HTC Synch will do it. I cannot emphasize enough the value of downloading and reading the full user manual for the Vivid from the HTC website. Also, make sure the version of HTC Synch you installed ends with .5581 or later. One thing I did learn from my studies is that once you open Synch and have the phone connected on USB, it is NOT an auto run. You have to select it through the phone. There are also several settings on the phone that have to be decided for what types of files you want to synch. Those settings are a one-time deal under normal circumstances.

 

[ThorsWrath]

For offline backup of apps and settings, i have used Titanium backup
For SMS - SMS Backup and Restore and for Call logs you have Call Logs Backup and Restore

I have used these along with built-in Google account sync to successfully migrate all my settings and data from one phone to another

 

[better_man]

titanium backup，I like this app. awesome