I use rsync normally but I want something similar for my Android (GrapheneOS) smartphone. I want to just click and backup everything that I set up earlier. For now I manually copy folders to one and then upload it to external drive. What are your recommendations?
I use Resilio to constantly back up everything to my NAS, then I run a backup nightly to iDrive e2 from there.
Resilio monitors the folder(s) you pick for new files and instantly uploads them. I have it set to the root at /emulated/0 so it just grabs everything.
SMBSync2. It looks sketchy as hell but has a pretty intuitive interface to copy files to a NAS.
First create a task saying which folder to copy to where. Then either activate it manually or put it on a schedule. It makes it possible to auto create new folders based on date whenever I do a copy which I love.
Syncthing
Fork? I heard the original is dead.
with graphene you can’t backup everything. for that you will need to root it, and graphene devs are vehemently against that
I’ve used Open Android Backup Companion from F-Droid for my GrapheneOS device for a while now. It’s pretty simple and straight forward, I definitely recommend giving it a go. You can select what files to backup or just back it all up.
Thanks for the recommendation. I chcked it but the app seems amandoned with very basic and default Flutter styling so it’s a sus for me and not for long term backuping. I’ve see on GrapheneOS there is a experimental files backuping in Backup Settings though.
It was updated twice in 2024, granted last update was in April. But once software is dialed, it shouldn’t need consistent updates. The website doesn’t reference anything about the project being abandoned either: https://www.openandroidbackup.me/
Guess if nothing else, it’s worked very well and hopefully will get updated in 2025. If not, ideally Graphene will have their own backup option here soon.
I run rooted just so I can backup/restore apps, using NeoBackup. It backs up to a local folder.
That folder, along with pretty much every folder on my phone is synced to a server at home using Syncthing-Fork. This way new data (photos, downloaded files, etc) are always replicated, and I can effectively manage the phone file system by moving files around at home. Any changes I make will sync back to the phone.
I don’t want to root my smartphone but I do know NeoBackuo.
So the Fork is still maintaned? And you have 2-way sync yeah?
It’s really frustrating there’s no proper backup/restore without root - that’s my primary reason for having root.
Yea, Syncthing-Fork is still maintained, though there hasn’t been an update for a while. The company that makes Möbius Sync for iOS is a big supporter of Syncthing, hopefully they’ll help in some way. Alternatively there’s Resilio Sync, but it’s hard on phone ram - I’d have to manage it a lot more often. Though it has Selective Sync - I can browse a shared folder from my phone and tell it to sync specific files. This is great for my media server - I can grab any movie/music anytime.
I like Syncthing-Fork better because it moves sync conditions to within each folder. So my DCIM folder syncs on any network or battery condition (so I don’t lose photos), but NeoBackup folder only syncs on wifi and while charging.
Pretty much all folders now sync 2-way, and I export the Syncthing config on the phone whenever I change something. That export folder is also synced, so when I switch phones I just install ST, import that config, and after a couple hours the new phone has all the same stuff as the old phone. Then I launch NeoBackup and start restoring.
The basic bitch shit that comes with Google/Android. Most is backed up. I wish there was an iOS like backup/time machine
Generally I don’t keep important stuff on my phone. That stuff is in cloud storage and synced down to my phone as necessary.
Personally I use Google Drive, but you could certainly self-host an equivalent.
I try to but when I do I want to have a backup.
Google Drive is a no no for me but maybe a rclone for Android will interest you: Round Sync https://apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/index/apk/de.felixnuesse.extract
I just pull important stuff via ADB.
I do that via git-annex’ ADB special remote but it’s just an abstraction over pulling the files manually.
Seconding this. Far faster than copying from the phone mounted the default way through MTP over USB.
If you’re used to rsync, there’s a Python wrapper that makes syncing through ADB work like rsync: https://github.com/jb2170/better-adb-sync
If you’re on Windows, I found a simple GUI for browsing the phone through adb and pushing/pulling files, useful for a one time manual backup like I just did in prep for replacing my phone: https://github.com/Alex4SSB/ADB-Explorer
Oh nice. Gotta try it with git-annex.
I use folder sync pro.
Backs up to my home server or a multitude of online services.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dk.tacit.android.foldersync.full
I’ve used Folder Sync since about 2011. Killer app.
It’s absolutely awesome and rock solid. It even allows for not syncing deletes, a sort of append-only backup in regards to files. Very handy for photos and especially large videos, because deleting them locally won’t delete them remotely! And if you only sync in one direction, they stay off your phone. You can take as many videos as you want without filling up your phone.
How is it working for you? I guess it’s not open source…
No it’s not open source I don’t believe.
But it works fantastically well for my use case. I just back up the folders I want to back up and it just does it when I want
rsync over USB via termux but I might try to get Borg workiing on the phone. Also, I chose a phone with an SD card slot so I can back up to that at some point.
Yeah but that’s very manual. I’m looking for something that can help me select the folder click backup when eexternal storage is plugged in and that’s it.
I see there are several backup apps on F-droid but idk what they do. I think you can connect a launch button to a termux script that does the backup. That seems simplest to me, ymmv.
Termux to cloud provider Peergos, using their easy cli. They are privacy focused with a recent, positive audit. Some uploads (put command) fail if the folder/file size is large, but enjoying it so far overall. Would like a solution to backup/restore settings from app Canta or to backup Android settings rather than just media.
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