You can back up content, data and settings from your phone to your Google Account. You can restore your backed up information to the original phone or to some other Android phones. You can't use back up when you set up a personal device with a work profile or for work only, or when you set up a company-owned device.
Restoring data varies by phone and Android version. You can't restore a backup from a higher Android version onto a phone running a lower Android version.
Important: Some of these steps work only on Android 9 and up. Learn how to check your Android version.
Where your phone data is stored
How your data is protected
Your data is encrypted to help keep it safe and secure.
- All data, including photos and videos, messages and more, are encrypted as they move between your device, Google services and our data centres.
- Some data is further encrypted with your device's screen lock. Photos and videos in Google Photos and MMS media received from your operator aren't encrypted by your device's screen lock.
Automatically back up your device
Important: To help protect your backed-up data, use a PIN, pattern or password screen lock instead of a swipe or Smart Lock.
You can set up your device to automatically back up your files.
- Open your device's Settings app.
- Tap Google
All services.
- Under 'Backup and restore', tap Backup.
Tips:- If this is your first time, turn on Back up your device with Google One and follow the on-screen instructions.
- Select the data that you want to back up: Photos and videos, Device data or both.
- Turn Backup by Google One on or off.
All services.Your Google One backup can take up to 24 hours. When your data is saved, 'On' will be displayed below the data types that you selected.
Manually back up data and settings
- On your Android device, open your device's Settings app.
- Tap Google
- Under 'Backup and restore', tap Backup
Erase after backing up
Get your data onto a new device
When you add your Google Account to a phone that's been set up, what you'd previously backed up for that Google Account gets put onto the phone.
To restore a backed-up account to a reset phone, follow the on-screen steps. For more help, get help from your device manufacturer.
Your photos and videos are already available in Google Photos. But you can restore the rest of the data that you backed up while you set up your new phone for the first time or after a factory reset. At setup, to restore your data, follow the on-screen steps.
The process can take up to 24 hours.
Important: Both devices must be on the same Android version or your new device must be on a later Android version. If your new device is on an older Android version than your previous device, it may result in an incomplete data transfer. Find out how to check and update your Android version.
How backup handles your data
Important: The data that backup collects is encrypted in transit.
Backup sends your data to Google’s backup servers and helps you to transfer data between devices. Backup collects certain information to perform services on your device. Some of this functionality uses Google Play services. For example, backup collects:
- Messages, contacts, app settings and preferences are collected as part of your personal backup.
- Personal identifiers are collected to ensure that your backups are associated with you and your account.
- Crash logs and diagnostics are collected for analytics and troubleshooting purposes.
Turn backup off
To disable your backup:
- Tap Settings
- Under 'Backup and restore', tap Backup.
- Turn off Backup by Google One.