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I'm only speaking to Android but unfortunately many Android apps don't implement cloud backup; if you wipe the app you lose your information or progress. From

I'm only speaking to Android but unfortunately many Android apps don't implement cloud backup; if you wipe the app you lose your information or progress. From memory everything from Google's 2FA app authenticator to popular games like Bloons don't do off-device saves at all or automatically. So it's not quite as easy as "just wipe your device and restore a backup." At a minimum you need to root your phone and install a third party backup app like Titanium backup.

gizmo686 8y ago
Adb has a backup function you can use to download an apps data. I assume there is a reciprocal function to restore, but I've never used it. The confirmation dialog that comes up on the phone looks like it is intended as an end user backup feature, but I've never seen a way to do it without enabling developer mode.
- asteli 8y ago
  IME it's a pain in the ass to backup your phone this way -- you have to download and setup development tools, and sometimes things fail in ways that are hard to explain. Inaccessible for the non-technical user, and frustrating for the savvy, aside from android developers. Furthermore, on phones with locked bootloaders (e.g. Pixel) it's impossible to root your phone in order to make the process of doing full-device backups easier. That being said, if anyone knows a way to do full-device backups on the Pixel series phones, let me know.
  - inawarminister 8y ago
    I've used Helium a few times before (by the maker of CWM), does it work on Android P? That reminds me, I just moved 3 Android phones recently (Samsung GN5 broke -> Redmi 4A backup -> Redmi Note 5 replacement), and the only cloud backup that worked were WhatsApp and Line :/ I should backup all my apps for the next time.
mikeash 8y ago
Can you not back up the entire phone, including all data from third party apps?
jdeibele 8y ago
I've been using Google's 2FA app for years but switched fairly recently to Authy because it allows for multiple devices to be used as authenticators. It would also allow you to wipe a device and add it back. I'm using an iPhone but used to use Android. It's surprising to hear that there's not something equivalent to the measly 5GB of online storage that Apple gives. Terrible for backups but good for sharing state from apps.

gizmo686 8y ago

Adb has a backup function you can use to download an apps data. I assume there is a reciprocal function to restore, but I've never used it. The confirmation dialog that comes up on the phone looks like it is intended as an end user backup feature, but I've never seen a way to do it without enabling developer mode.

asteli 8y ago
IME it's a pain in the ass to backup your phone this way -- you have to download and setup development tools, and sometimes things fail in ways that are hard to explain. Inaccessible for the non-technical user, and frustrating for the savvy, aside from android developers. Furthermore, on phones with locked bootloaders (e.g. Pixel) it's impossible to root your phone in order to make the process of doing full-device backups easier. That being said, if anyone knows a way to do full-device backups on the Pixel series phones, let me know.
- inawarminister 8y ago
  I've used Helium a few times before (by the maker of CWM), does it work on Android P? That reminds me, I just moved 3 Android phones recently (Samsung GN5 broke -> Redmi 4A backup -> Redmi Note 5 replacement), and the only cloud backup that worked were WhatsApp and Line :/ I should backup all my apps for the next time.

mikeash 8y ago

Can you not back up the entire phone, including all data from third party apps?

jdeibele 8y ago

I've been using Google's 2FA app for years but switched fairly recently to Authy because it allows for multiple devices to be used as authenticators. It would also allow you to wipe a device and add it back. I'm using an iPhone but used to use Android. It's surprising to hear that there's not something equivalent to the measly 5GB of online storage that Apple gives. Terrible for backups but good for sharing state from apps.