Manual backup alternative to cloud storage

[Macnerd1948]

I have a piece of junk Samsung S10. I want to get a pixel 8 Pro.

I know that Android & iPhones come with cloud storage. I suppose that the cloud storage is enabled by default. My Samsung has its own cloud storage but I use Google Drive. I'm on Verizon & it has its own cloud storage. I suppose that every brand of smartphone has some kind of cloud storage on it that's enabled by default.

I've watched YouTube videos showing how to back up files on an Android phone to a flash drive. I think that they were just media files & documents.

I know that there's a lot of stuff in a phone that needs to be backed up - phone call history logs, notifications, text messages, pictures, device settings. What alternatives are there for people who would choose to manually back up their phone's files? I've seen apps that can be installed on a computer that back up all of the files on the phone. It seems to me that the people would be very busy frequently manually backing up files. If the phone conks out completely, & there's no recent backup, the files on the phone would be lost because they haven't been backed up. Or if the phone needs to be factory reset, all the files on the phone would be lost & no recent backup to restore the files.

I wonder how often the phone would have to be backed up.

Let;s say that I choose to manually back up my phone. I send a text message to someone & we text back & forth. I do a manual backup. Then my phone fails. We're still texting. I wonder what's involved in restoring from a manual backup. Would I need to do a factory reset first & then manually restore?

I read online something about Android Assistant. Does that come with every Android phone. Is that a manual backup?

So, what options are there for people who would choose to manually backup their phones rather than use cloud storage?

 

[w8wca]

Samsung Smart Switch will allow you to back up most of what is on phone to a computer

 

[Macnerd1948]

I don't intend to get another Samsung. I'm using Google Drive. How would I transfer everything from Google Drive to Samsung Smart Switch? Will Samsung Smart Switch be compatible with a Pixel 8 Pro? You use the word "most".

 

[w8wca]

I don't intend to get another Samsung. I'm using Google Drive. How would I transfer everything from Google Drive to Samsung Smart Switch? Will Samsung Smart Switch be compatible with a Pixel 8 Pro? You use the word "most".

I must have missed where you mentioned a Pixel 8 Pro sorry.
And I said most as it is not a complete restore of all data and system

There are programs that can handle transferring from one phone to another - I think one called MobileTrans by WonderShare can do that

If you want to backup your S10, I was just stating you can use a program called SmartSwitch and back up to your computer from your S10

 

[Macnerd1948]

Based on what I read online this afternoon, Samsung Smart Switch can only be used between Samsung phones to transfer data from an old Samsung phone to a new Samsung phone. I have no intention to buy another Samsung phone, so Smart Switch is off the table.

You state:
And I said most as it is not a complete restore of all data and system. I read about that online.

MobileTrans charges a yearly fee. I'm looking for a free app. I have a Mac, but I'm looking for a Windows version as well.

I wonder how often the phone would have to be manually backed up. Is it necessary to do a factory reset before restoring the data to the phone?