kristabergstein
Lurker
Hi! I recently turned on my backups iny settings to google drive. It says its on, it shows that the last backup was feb 7 & 8 for calendar contacts and photos but everything else says waiting?
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Backup wont backup?
- Thread starter kristabergstein
- Start date
Have you tried leaving your phone connected to a good Wi-Fi network while charging it overnight?
D
Deleted User
Guest
Android backup is lacklustre and as much as I'm not a fan of iOS, its backup and restore system is superior to Google's in my experience.
I've had to factory reset two devices recently, a OnePlus 3T and Pixel 2, so I removed my security and Google Account first, to avoid Factory Reset Protection, and then reset via Android's settings menu and when I checked my Drive afterwards, the associated device backup was also deleted, without any warning. I first noticed this with my 3T, when it only became apparent after I set it up as a new device and there was no backup to use for restoring it. After I did this with my Pixel 2, I checked my Drive straight away and its backup that was there minutes before was gone.
I never experienced this issue with my Nexus 5 and its backup, so I don't know why Android behaves this way now, but it's annoying.
What's the point in a backup system if it deletes the backup when you follow the correct steps to reset the device.
I've had to factory reset two devices recently, a OnePlus 3T and Pixel 2, so I removed my security and Google Account first, to avoid Factory Reset Protection, and then reset via Android's settings menu and when I checked my Drive afterwards, the associated device backup was also deleted, without any warning. I first noticed this with my 3T, when it only became apparent after I set it up as a new device and there was no backup to use for restoring it. After I did this with my Pixel 2, I checked my Drive straight away and its backup that was there minutes before was gone.
I never experienced this issue with my Nexus 5 and its backup, so I don't know why Android behaves this way now, but it's annoying.
What's the point in a backup system if it deletes the backup when you follow the correct steps to reset the device.
svim
Extreme Android User
While I agree that Apple's iCloud/iTunes backup and restore is quite good, it's not so much a matter of it being 'superior' as there is no such equivalent for Android. With iOS it's a curated platform that Apple has essentially complete control of, with Android there are multiple vendors doing multiple things, sometimes completely independent from each other so there isn't an established, universal backup solution. Even the Backup & Restore option in the Android Settings menu is a bit of a misnomer, often fooling users into thinking that's a comprehensive solution that involves all a user's data but it only applies to some specific Google apps and services.
As for the OP's (now dated) query, Google Docs won't apply to a lot of things. Items like synced Calendar(s) get automatically backed up in one's Google account but I'd suggest using this 'SMS Backup& Restore' app to safely backup text messages and phone call logs:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.riteshsahu.SMSBackupRestore&hl=en_US
And the Google Photos app will backup and sync photos into one's online Google account. There's also an option in both the Google Photos app and Google Drive app (use either one) that will link the Photos storage with Drive when enabled, allowing direct access to your photo library archive either through the app or web interface of either service.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.photos&hl=en_US
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.docs
Those are the correct steps for resetting if you are planning on selling the device, when you don't want the next owner to be caught by FRP. But in that case you can't restore the backup as you no longer have the device. If you are just resetting yourself and going to log in to the same account after the reset in order to restore there is no need to remove the account first.
I can sort of see their logic: the backup is a backup of a device, so if you remove the account from the device, implying that it will no longer be used with that account, then the backup is not needed. Equally doing it immediately seems unnecessary, and likely to catch some people out (as in your case). I think they've just not considered all eventualities. But if you turn off the backup setting on the phone it tells you that it will delete the existing backup immediately, so I'm not completely surprised that removing the account does the same. If anything I'm more surprised when you say it used to behave differently.
D
Deleted User
Guest
I can see the logic, but a warning about it would have been useful at the point of removing your Google Account and an opt out option even better. I don't change phones often and rarely have a need for a full factory reset, so perhaps it does mention it somewhere, but I don't recall seeing anything.
Auto deleting it without being able to opt out of it deleting the backup doesn't help if you're moving the device on and want to use that backup to set up its replacement. So, now you'll never have a backup to use with your new device when you follow the correct steps to avoid FRP on your outgoing device.
My Nexus 5 backup lived on in my Drive after I reset that to pass it on. That was on official Marshmallow, so perhaps something had changed in either Nougat or Oreo.
Auto deleting it without being able to opt out of it deleting the backup doesn't help if you're moving the device on and want to use that backup to set up its replacement. So, now you'll never have a backup to use with your new device when you follow the correct steps to avoid FRP on your outgoing device.
My Nexus 5 backup lived on in my Drive after I reset that to pass it on. That was on official Marshmallow, so perhaps something had changed in either Nougat or Oreo.
It is possible that something has changed. But did the Nexus 5 have FRP? I thought that was only introduced for devices which were originally released with Android 5, and the N5 was released with 4.4, so there would have been no need to remove the account from it before resetting. So maybe it's different for devices with FRP from those without?
Personally I would never wipe my previous device until I knew that the new one was set up and working. For one thing, most phones these days come with a tool for transferring data directly from the old phone (though with my Pixel 2 Google's one didn't work). Plus I don't have complete faith in Google's backup, so would not want that to be my only copy - if the phone hasn't been wiped I can always use Helium to transfer anything that doesn't restore properly (indeed I took a Helium backup in addition to the Google one before installing the Android P preview).
I agree that a warning would have been sensible - you do get a warning if you turn off the backup, after all. Or even give you a choice whether to delete then or let the backup expire after some time (as it does for old devices if you don't use them for a certain number of months). But that's Google for you: they have their idea of how things should be done, and they are often no better than Apple at allowing for users having different ideas.
Personally I would never wipe my previous device until I knew that the new one was set up and working. For one thing, most phones these days come with a tool for transferring data directly from the old phone (though with my Pixel 2 Google's one didn't work). Plus I don't have complete faith in Google's backup, so would not want that to be my only copy - if the phone hasn't been wiped I can always use Helium to transfer anything that doesn't restore properly (indeed I took a Helium backup in addition to the Google one before installing the Android P preview).
I agree that a warning would have been sensible - you do get a warning if you turn off the backup, after all. Or even give you a choice whether to delete then or let the backup expire after some time (as it does for old devices if you don't use them for a certain number of months). But that's Google for you: they have their idea of how things should be done, and they are often no better than Apple at allowing for users having different ideas.