I have been having a few issues with my Samsung GALAXY Note 10.1 the last few days and was hoping to find a
NON-Root way to backup my non-Google and non-default app data. I wasn't hopeful. Backups with Android can be deceiving. When you see 'Backup' what actually gets backed up is just the .apk file which is what you download from the Google Play Store. That doesn't do much good for all of the hard work you have put into advancing to high levels in Angry Birds, Fragger, Greedy Spiders #1 and #2 or whatever your favorite games are. I know Titanium does this but it requires root access and I don't care to root my device just to get a backup if I can avoid it.
A little searching and I soon found a few different non-root app backups that include the data within the apps. Most are not free and I didn't really like them anyway. Until I found
Helium - App Sync and Backup. Helium is
free and allows you to backup your non-default apps and the app data! You can also choose to save some space and just backup the app data. Just read through the instructions and you should have a reliable backup started in no time at all.
You do have to install a desktop app if you are not rooted and it takes a few more steps without root but is simple and you are walked through the process with on-screen prompts. A true app data backup without root access!
All Android users can use Helium to backup and sync Android applications.
Helium lets you backup your apps and data to your SD card or cloud storage. With Helium, you can sync app data from your other Android devices-- even if they are not on the same network. Set up backup schedules with Helium, and never lose data again.
Helium also gas a premium version for $4.99 that includes a few more useful features like restoring from Google Drive and other cloud services. You can back up to Google Drive with the free version but not restore from Google Drive. $4.99 falls into my "maximum amount I will pay for an app" mindset so I'll probably be paying for that once the 'Automatic Backup schedules' is added. We all know keeping backups on the same drive/device you are backing up is kind of pointless. As long as I don't somehow accidentally format my SD Card I should be fine, for now anyway.
Helium Premium Features:
No Ads
Android to Android app sync
Automatic Backup schedules (coming soon!)
Cloud backup and restore
* Dropbox
* Box
* Google Drive
P.S. Be sure to remove the USB cord from the computer/tablet/phone before starting your backup or you will get an error with no explanation as to what happened.
