Backing up to Kies

[MattE303]

cr6, are you rooted on your S5? Are you on Lollipop? What root method did you use? If I could get my S5 rooted, I would use Titanium Backup for sure!

Yeah, Kies is utterly useless for app data, it will save most (but definitely not all) of your OS settings, and the app APK's, but no app data. Pretty disappointing, there's no reason Samsung couldn't have done this right and given us the equivalent of what iPhone users have, a complete 'image' backup.

If you can't find anything better, the easiest way to use Helium is to backup to local storage on the phone, then use the built-in file manager to Zip the "Carbon" folder (that's where Helium stores all the app backup stuff) into a carbon.zip file, then you can connect the phone with a usb cable and copy the zip file to your pc (I just use the 'share' capability in the file manager to push it to my DropBox folder, but if going thru the cloud concerns you, copy it directly to your pc via usb).

 

[cr6]

cr6, are you rooted on your S5? Are you on Lollipop? What root method did you use?

Yesir I am, but I'm sticking with KK for now. Too many folks on our dedicated S5 forum have reported problems after taking the Lollipop update, so I'll wait for the Android M update. KK version 4.4.4 has been extremely stable & bug free for me so I didn't want to upgrade simply for the sake of upgrading. There have been a couple of changes in the root process since I rooted a year ago, but I'll find you the latest root method and send you the link.

S5 tap'n

 

[Bluesman2008]

I can take a screen shot of the text files and save those, but there should be an easier way.

 

[Ollie]

There is an easier way. Samsung has SNOTE which backs up to their servers when you are signed in to Samsung's account on the phone/tablet.

App data isn't happening though. Do they not have root for your phone?

 

[Bluesman2008]

App data is what I'm concerned with. Hell, I can download my apps all day long from the store if there's a problem but not the data. Any backup that doesn't backup data isn't a backup IMHO. No. My phone isn't rooted and won't be. I don't want to mess with the warranty.

 

[Ollie]

Didn't My Backup Pro used to save app data? I use Nandroids to make a full system restore file and that is what Google needs to bring to the table.

 

[cr6]

It does, but root is required to save app data.

S5 tap'n

 

[Bluesman2008]

I've tried MyBackup Pro. It only backs up, again, apps, photos, contacts, etc. but NO data (at least if you're not rooted. Either way, I don't want to back up to anything but my computer. If, god forbid, my phone is lost, a backup to the SD card won't help much.

 

[MattE303]

Without root (i.e. no Titanium Backup or Nandroid backups), there is no good solution right now. I've heard that Android "M" will include a real, built-in backup capability similar to what iPhone users have, but until then, it sounds like your only option is to use Helium and either:

1) figure out the problem you're having with the direct to PC backups (it *does* work when you have everything configured right (correct drivers installed on the PC, etc.).
-or-
2) use Helium to backup to local storage on the phone, or a cloud folder (eg. DropBox) then manually move the backup files to your PC.

If you're not able (or motivated) to debug #1, the easiest choice is to do #2 and just use Helium-to-DropBox to get the backup files out of the phone, then immediately move them from the DropBox folder on your PC to a local folder, so they don't stay in the cloud.

 

[Bluesman2008]

Sounds like a possibility. Thanks.

 

[Barkleyfan]

I've tried MyBackup Pro. It only backs up, again, apps, photos, contacts, etc. but NO data (at least if you're not rooted. Either way, I don't want to back up to anything but my computer. If, god forbid, my phone is lost, a backup to the SD card won't help much.

Back up to sdcard. Connect phone to computer. Drag n drop. Done. I haven't had a phone that wasn't rooted in the first few hours since the OG Droid. Won't buy a device until it has confirmed root.

As far as files edited in file editor, those should be saved internally. it wouldn't be app data, it would be whatever your default save location is.

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

 

[Bluesman2008]

I may have to do just that. I also recently learned that you can't restore from Kies to a different phone. How lame is that??? Before trading in my GS4, I backed up everything to Kies. When I get the new phone I try restoring to the GS5. Can't do it. You can't restore to a kind of phone other than the one you backed up. How stupid is that?? Oh well.

 

[MattE303]

I may have to do just that. I also recently learned that you can't restore from Kies to a different phone. How lame is that??? Before trading in my GS4, I backed up everything to Kies. When I get the new phone I try restoring to the GS5. Can't do it. You can't restore to a kind of phone other than the one you backed up. How stupid is that?? Oh well.

I haven't used it so I can't vouch for whether it actually works or not, but Samsung recently came out with a new app called "Smart Switch" that is supposed to do just that (migrate everything from one phone to another). When you start up Kies now, it prompts you to "upgrade" to Smart Switch and touts it as Kies' replacement.

 

[Bluesman2008]

I don't have two phones. Yes. They used that to migrate stuff from my GS4 to the GS5.

 

[Bluesman2008]

But it still didn't work for data. I lost that.