yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] kyokeun1234:
Can I backup app on one phone and restore to other? I'm getting Nexus 4 and I want to keep all the GAME data (others I can just set it again) from my Galaxy Nexus. So I wanna know if they are ok. Thanks

Swyped on my Galaxy Nexus running AOKP with Franco Kernel
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Orcus29:
Hi Guys and Gals,

I was wondering if someone could help me out.

I tried doing this with a mac using this guide: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1436846 (pretty much the same commands).

All seems to go well: ./adb devices finds my HTC One X and the backup command doesn't show any errors (I get the "unlock phone to confirm message in the terminal" but my backup file always has 0 bytes (the backup pop-up on the phone is almost instantaneous from "backing up" to "back up complete"

I then saw that the desktop password needed to be set in the Developers Options menu. I'm 100% sure I've never set a password, however when I leave the 1st field blank (for the old password) and fill in the 2 other fields (new password and repeat for confirmation), I get a pop up saying "!!! Failure setting up backup password !!!"

Any ideas?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ktulu029:
Did you replace the driver with the modified android_winusb.inf?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] copkay:
Nope, just the standard Samsung driver:

SAMSUNG Android ADB Interface

Driver Date: 11/25/2011

Driver Version: 2.9.310.1125

It's the one installed with PDANet, I believe. As long as you have a connection though, I can't imagine that would be the issue. Which driver do you have?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ktulu029:
Well I am stumped. I need to call it a night, but I will come back to it tomorrow and keep working. Thank you for all of your help so far.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] copkay:
Yeah, same here. Hope we can get it working eventually; I'd suggest trying it on another machine if you have one, or maybe even a virtual machine (worst case).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] benwh:
I was getting a 0 byte file until I removed the '-shared' flag, and had to do an 'adb pull /sdcard/ .' to get the missing bits
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] daleski75:
I am guessing this guide will also work perfectly on osx?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] crachel:
I wasn't exactly clear if you needed an ICS device or just the most up-to-date SDK. After downloading the latest SDK, I tested on un-rooted OTA GRK39F N1 and got

adb: unable to connect for backup

..so that's that.

Question: My NS doesn't have ICS yet or I'd test myself, but does this work from recovery? I noticed there is a prompt on the phone at the end, so my suspicion is no.

Excellent post, by the way.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] copkay:
Well that's a weird bug, but that's worth a try for ktulu029.

You're welcome to try it. :) It just uses ADB, so it should, but I don't have a mac to test it on. You might have to use a different path notation if OS X is different, otherwise it should be the same commands.

Thanks. :)

Yes, I forgot to mention that, but it is ICS only. Doing it from recovery is an interesting idea; I don't know if that's possible or not. Can ADB access a phone in recovery, or does it rely on communicating with the OS?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] crachel:
Yep, adb works in recovery on all my devices
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] copkay:
Cool, I might have to try this later once I get home. If it works from recovery, that'd be spiffy.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] eckischeich:
Just updated to SDK version 15, but I'm not able to backup...

adb: unable to open file ./backup.ab
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] copkay:
Make sure to update the platform tools package:

This updates ADB and such; you'll need revision 10 as shown.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] crachel:
what command exactly are you using? try removing the ./ portion from the beginning
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ktulu029:
Well I went through and dropped the -shared flag with no change. I also did the adb pull /sdcard/, and all that did was render my computer unable to see my phone. Very confusing.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] copkay:
:(

Have you tried backing up an individual app to see if that works? Something like:

adb backup com.facebook.katana -f /backup/facebook.ab

Also, last resort question: have you set a device encryption password under developer options? If so, is that the same password you're entering at the backup screen?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] The Wicker King:
used Astro Backup. It should do what you are looking for
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] redstorm64:
Thanks copkay! Great guide, seems to have worked perfectly.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] eckischeich:
Commands as recommended in first post:

Neither

adb backup -apk -shared -all -f backup.ab

nor

adb backup -all

are working for me. :(

./ was not added by me.

You guys didn't create this file before you started the process, did you?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] copkay:
For the first command, you'll need to do something like

adb backup -apk -shared -all -f /backup/backup.ab

For some reason, I've not been able to get it to write directly to the root drive; I have to specifiy a folder, then a filename. Try that, and also reference my above post to ensure your platform tools are up to date.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ktulu029:
Boom...Headshot. I have data. I dont remember setting a password, but I did go into that menu. So I went in, set a password, then used it. We are in business.

Great toubleshooting. Thank You very much
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] basketor:
Does anyone know in wich case the application are autodownloaded after a reset ?

It doesn't seem to happen on my Nexus 7

It happened sometime on the Galaxy S2 but not always.

I can't figure how to trigger this.

yes it works on most games, i just tried on nba2k13 and cogs

however with GTA3 you have to save some files manually
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] kyokeun1234:
Thanks man. I'm trying to keep angry birds and jetpack joyride and such. Hope it works for that

Swyped on my Galaxy Nexus running AOKP with Franco Kernel
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Ra-da-god:
subs for later
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Werchio:
I'd be very glad if someone who can confirmed that this worked (have used their backup) could tell how large their filesize is. My is about 75 mb and i have 80+/- apps. I dont dare to wipe, because im afraid that it's only some of the data that got backed up...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] krudra:
Please Help

I did the backup twice but the file did not get created.. It took a really long time for Backing it up and and i cant see the file anywhere..

I use windows 7 64 bit system and i downloaded the ADB Drivers for my HTC One X and manually installed..

This is the command i used

adb backup -apk -shared -all -f C:\Backup14112012.ab

Somebody Please help..

---------- Post added at 02:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:31 AM ----------

I found the backup file at this location C:\Users\Kaeyur\AppData\Local\VirtualStore

Dont know how it went there!!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] copkay:
There's no way to say. It's backing up your apps and data, so the backup size is dependent on how large the apps and their associated data are.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Werchio:
Could you please tell me how large your backup-file is? :) Mine is 80 mb and i have about 80 apps, sounds redicilously low...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] vortex-:
Didn't restore payd apps

I did a backup with

then installed a stock ROM. After that I restored the backup with:

All settings and apps got restored, except the ones that I bought in the Play market. How do I restore them? Or didn't they get backed up at all?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] taylerdurden:
I have Yakju, all stock, LOCKED BOOTLOADER.

I am thinking in converting to TAKJU, but I have to UNLOCK the BOOTLOADER, so I will loose all my data and apps.

So, can I do a backup with this method and then, restore the yakju backup in the takju rom?

Another question, does it save data like photos, music and videos?

Thanks in advance
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] vortex-:
Unlocking a Nexus

Unlocking the bootloader on a Nexus device is a standard procedure, it wouldn't void the warranty and you don't have to erase or backup anything, your data won't be lost. It can be done with a series of commands like "adb reboot bootloader/fastboot oem unlock" (I'm not sure if it is like this, but the funcionality is in the Android SDK from Google).

The best way to unlock is with "Wug Nexus Root Toolkit", just search for it. Generally, yhis is the best tool for Galaxy Nexus phones.

You can recognize if your phone is locked/unlocked by the lock icon while the phone is booting, like in the attachment.

About backing up data:

adb backup works, but restoring is extremely slow. Besides, there are a few drawbacks that the thread starter didn't mention: Most paid apps aren't backed up, and widgets on the homescreens arent restored either. You have to keep track of all the apps that weren't backed up (you will recognize them) and reinstall them afterwards (you won't have to buy them again). So there is some manual fiddling after a restore but it is still worth it.

Essenatially you can backup/restore a whole Android system without flashing a custom recovery, which is very important for OTA updates.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] taylerdurden:
Are you sure that fastboot oem unlock doesn´t wipe my data?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] vortex-:
I am sure that the data wasn't erased on _my_ phone, but maybe this isn't the case every time:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1650830

If you are going to flash a custom recovery anyway (Clockworkmod, TWRP), then better do a NANDROID backup before.

Currently, I am struggeling with an "adb backup"/"adb restore" without the need of a custom recovery flashed.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Naymare:
Hello (:

I need some lil help here ): everytime i want to do this (backup) after i writte my backup / encrypting pass and click on "back up my data" it disconects and reconects my nexus o.0, i just hear the sound when you unplug and plug it again :/ then i check for the back up and its 0kb

Thx
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] donpippo:
I thinks that app bought can be backuped because they are encrypted (anti-piracy measure).

So the only thing to do is reinstall them.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] efrant:
If you are running 4.1.1 or earlier, you can root without unlocking your bootloader (see link in my signature), then you can flash the takju system and boot images via fastboot, and you will be on takju with no data loss.

1. Only devices sold via the Play Store will not wipe with a bootloader unlock. All others will.

2. A tool kit is never the best way to do ANYTHING. http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1469909

If you bought it from the Play Store, it probably won't wipe. If you bought it elsewhere, it probably will.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rufus-:
with adb backup the internal storage is saved¿? I want to backup all for unlock bootloader and then restore all. with unlock bootloader sdcar/internalstorage wipe? or only cache and data partition? I have a nexus 10 bought in play store
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Ghuntar WALDMEISTER:
And what if, late in the night, you set a password and do not remember it the next day ?

Baaaad idea ! Never take a technological initiative at 3:00 am, believe me...

Well, I know I will not be able to access my backup, but no worry, I did not wipe anything till then. But I want to make a backup now, and I just can not. Logcat says :

11-23 16:54:50.031: D/AndroidRuntime(13893): Calling main entry com.android.commands.bu.Backup
11-23 16:54:50.051: V/BackupManagerService(256): Requesting full backup: apks=false shared=false all=true pkgs=[Ljava.lang.String;@2b891f28
11-23 16:54:50.051: I/BackupManagerService(256): Beginning full backup...
11-23 16:54:50.051: D/BackupManagerService(256): Starting backup confirmation UI, token=1822674900
11-23 16:54:50.071: I/ActivityManager(256): START {act=fullback flg=0x10000000 cmp=com.android.backupconfirm/.BackupRestoreConfirmation (has extras)} from pid 256
11-23 16:54:50.181: D/BackupManagerService(256): Waiting for full backup completion...
11-23 16:54:50.221: I/ActivityManager(256): Start proc com.android.backupconfirm for activity com.android.backupconfirm/.BackupRestoreConfirmation: pid=13904 uid=10059 gids={}
11-23 16:54:51.591: I/ActivityManager(256): Displayed com.android.backupconfirm/.BackupRestoreConfirmation: +1s437ms
11-23 16:54:56.351: D/BackupManagerService(256): acknowledgeFullBackupOrRestore : token=1822674900 allow=true
11-23 16:54:56.441: I/BackupManagerService(256): --- Performing full-dataset backup ---
11-23 16:54:59.191: W/BackupManagerService(256): Backup password mismatch; aborting
11-23 16:54:59.191: D/BackupManagerService(256): Full backup processing complete.
11-23 16:54:59.211: D/BackupManagerService(256): Full backup pass complete.

The "Backup password mismatch; aborting" is quite clear, so how to change this password without remembering it ? Would it be just possible to disable this password ? Even with an adb shell command needing root.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] eagles20015:
Is there a way to back everything up on 4.2? I have a play store device but do not want to risk unlocking the boot loader and having my data wiped
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] chrone:
I believe adb backup will do just fine on locked unrooted gnex. Follow the guide on post #1, make sure you have set password for backup and enable usb debugging mode in developer option. To show developer option, hit the build code 7 times in settings > about.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] foosion:
Is there any way to verify the integrity of the backup file?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] chrone:
this is something i like to know.

edit:

i just deleted what i have posted earlier, i forgot adb backup didn't write the backup inside the phone. lol. will update later once i figured out this.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Wolatar:
I want to backup three games and use

adb backup -f F:\rgp.ab -apk -noshared com.vectorunit.blue

But I got 41 byte file without encryption and 549 byte with it

Result of

adb backup -F:\all.ab -apk -noshared -all -nosystem

is the same

It backups nothing-)

With -shared i get ~5gb files in both cases... Help, I don't want to lose the saves-)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Ghuntar WALDMEISTER:
Yes, in a way : http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1730309

With this you can "unpack" the .ab file and then be sure it can be read without error.

Hope this helped you
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] krudra:
backup size

Mine is 5.31GB backup with about 60 apps!!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] RedBlueGreen:
I can confirm this works on the Nexus 4.

I have backed up and restored from GNex > SGIII > N4.. carrying over my data from each phone.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ralexand:
Restoring to a different device (same model)

deleted

question answered in post above mine
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] IRMGARD:
Huub

Dear Kevin,

I want to make a Full System Image Backup to my PC because there is no option to select this in Nexus 7.

I do not like to Unlock or Unroot the system with a Toolkit ( for example from WugFresh).

Can i install the Toolkit 1.6 from Wugfresh and perform only the backup selection without Unlocking and Unrooting.

I have a Nexus 7 with JellyBean 4.2 Build no JOP40C.

With kind regards,

Huub

Please E-mail me at h.kirchholtes@upcmail.nl

---------- Post added at 04:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:20 PM ----------

Dear Kevin,

I want to make a Full System Image Backup to my PC because there is no option to select this in Nexus 7.

I do not like to Unlock or Unroot the system with a Toolkit ( for example from WugFresh).

Can i install the Toolkit 1.6 from Wugfresh and perform only the backup selection without Unlocking and Unrooting.

I have a Nexus 7 with JellyBean 4.2 Build no JOP40C.

With kind regards,

Huub

Please E-mail me at h.kirchholtes@upcmail.nl
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Snake Bites:
DELETE
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Joplisan:
Problem solved*
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Nitin985:
hi, i did this with my one x and it backed up some sense apps i think, what will happen if i restore later on to a different phone with or without sense?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] fakieskr8333:
Two things could happen

1) The dang thing wont even boot.

2) If it does boot those apps will constantly force close and you want be able to use the phone.

i think i saw a tutorial somewhere that showed you how to extract the files from an adb backup. I can try and dig it up for ya.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Juhler:
Hi

Great guide, I tried it on my Galaxy Nexus but nothing happens. It is just sitting there for several hours now, how long does it usually take?

This it was it is saying in cmd:

D:\Android\Root-without-unlock>adb backup -apk -shared -all -f D:\Android\Galaxy

Nexus\Backup\backup20121202.ab

* daemon not running. starting it now on port 5037 *

* daemon started successfully *

Phone is stuck on saying "android" after it began copying...

I typed in a password on my phone, and pressed copy my data, and it is now sitting there on the same screen with both buttons "unpressable?".

Any one had a similar problem, or now what I should do?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Nitin985:
Hey guys I've ran this a few times now but every time even though i set a path i can't seem to locate the backup file :( any help?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ashish_k29:
Phone not asking for permission yet, backup file size 0kb

I tried this command, but I did not get a permission screen on the phone even after almost 10minutes. The file was created at the location specified, but shows a 0kb size.... I think the backup process did not start successfully.... :confused:

I get a message on the command prompt saying "Now unlock your device and confirm operation" But there is no confirmation screen on the phone.

Please help..

Unrooted, Locked Xperia Arc LT15i, Android 4.0.4

USB debugging enabled, connected. Tried using a WinXP 32bit PC.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ejatds:
this is taking so long :/

what would happen if i disconnect my phone mid-way? the file is already past 2gb.. :(

also, i accidentally pressed home while the backup was in progress, so how would I know when it's done? would there be a notice on the command prompt window?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Ghuntar WALDMEISTER:
Did you get a correct answer when you typed "adb devices" ?

Look at your bash/cmd window. If you can type something, it's done (successful or failed).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ejatds:
thanks =)

i just exited the cmd window and disconnected my phone mid-way through the backup. thankfully nothing happened!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] tinker.strachan:
Great [Guide]!! & suggestion for files not being copied.

Thanks for the [Guide], I am a newbie to Android but not iOS & jailbreaking so this was a great help to me.

I would like to add that I used the adb shell to pull all files from sdcard. Partly since I added a password to the backup & so I could have a complete unarchived backup just in case the sdcard wasn't restored after I'm done rooting.

This is the command I used to copy the files from my N7, which gave me a complete directory of my Nesus 7 sdcard/storage:

adb shell pull sdcard/ ~/myhomedirectory/nexus7/sdcardbkp/

This is the format for the push/pull command:

adb pull <remote> <local>
adb push <local> <remote>

I can use 'push' for putting it back, all or in part.

I just realized I didn't have to use the 'shell' command. Doh!

Add this info to your original post, if you think it's worth it.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ashish_k29:
Yes, I got a device id when I tried adb devices.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] biRonic:
First off, thanks for this great tip! ...and sorry if this has already been dealt with...

Is root required for a restore of a single app's data?

The reason I'm asking is that I'd like to export (or, in this case, back up) the data from a single app (a volume/mute/vibrate profiles widget) on my phone and import (restore) it to my folks' phones (without rooting their phones, because I'd rather not get into all that with them at this point) in order to save them the tedious process of setting it up like mine is (which is the state I'd like to get theirs in, so we're working with the same thing on both ends).

If it's not possible, using this method, I will go back on the search for an app/widget that has an export/import feature for its profiles.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Ghuntar WALDMEISTER:
This should work.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] :
i can't recommend this for an update, it may hung at some app and stops there, (at me it was TuneIn Radio pro).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] biRonic:
Without rooting theirs?

(Sorry, but that's probably an important point I was wondering about that I forgot to mention.)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Ghuntar WALDMEISTER:
Did you read the title of the topic ?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] biRonic:
:lol: Yes. I did.

However, I also actually read every word of the instructions, and in step 7, it mentions something about unlocking the bootloader, and I think my brain just forgot about the title, and mistook those words for something regarding rooting. ....you know....somethin-or-ther about

boot

becomes somethin-or-other about

root

.....oops.

So, is it actually necessary to unlock the bootloader in order to restore data that was backed up through this process?

Another potential problem is the fact that I was just doing an in-the-wild search when I came up with this thread, and I totally missed the fact that this is in a section that's specific to a particular phone. So, does that matter, or will (should) this process work the same on all ICS devices?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ashish_k29:
I did get a device id when I tried "adb devices". It was connected alright. Does the phone need to be switched off for this procedure to work ?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Ghuntar WALDMEISTER:
In fact, unlock is not mandatory. This guide has been made for people wanting to backup before unlocking (because it may wipe the devise) and restore if needed. But you can restore on an unlocked/unrooted device. I'm not sure everything can be restored, but app setting should. I used this method to quickly configure the launcher of 30 Galaxy Note (touchwizz parameters).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] seidler2547:
So, thanks for the guide. I did this, and it ran fine, but it only restored about 80% of all apps. That was annoying. More annoying was that among the apps that were not restored was Google Authenticator. And PITA annoying was that none of my accounts (4 google, 1 exchange, dropbox, twitter, ...) were restored, most of them also had 2-step-authorization enabled which made it even more time-consuming.

Needless to say that I was not happy and had to spend a couple of hours getting it all back to work.

Now my question - what went wrong? My backup was obviously not totally borked, but why were some apps and all accounts and almost (expect WiFi APs and wallpaper) all settings not backed up? Or were they not restored? No clue.

TiA,

Stefan
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Ghuntar WALDMEISTER:
Nope, if you get the device id, it should be ok. You only need to have debug bridge enabled (this should already be the case since you get an id from adb device).
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] biRonic:
OK, great!

Thanks a lot for your help.

I'm going to give it a try...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] krudra:
App Data did not get restored!!

i did this.. All the apps got restored but all the app data disappeared.. None of my saved games data got restored.. :(
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Ruxin:
I'm trying to backup a single application and it only ever seems to create a file of 549 bytes - and then when attempting to restore to a new device (or even to the same device after deleting/nandroiding) it doesn't work.

I've tried the syntax:

adb backup com.dev.app.apk -f C:\backupname.ab

adb backup backupname.ab com.dev.app

Both work at creating backup files under (either at the specified location or in the platform-tools folder), and both at the same filesize.

I've tried a few different applications and get the same result.

ADB is working as I've been able to pull files from the phone to the computer using the adb pull command.

I've been able to complete backups in the past of this application, so I wouldn't think that it would have changed. The only thing I can think that may be a factor is that I'm pretty certain in the past I was running 4.0.4, and now the phone is at 4.1 and doesn't want to play the game.

Any help or troubleshooting tips would be appreciated.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] GIMMEL:
This rules, thanks a lot!