Develop Bugs

What is a good method to restore data and apps after flashimg new ROM?

I came over from windows mobile and am some what of an android noob. After you flash a ROM is there anyway to restore apps so they dont lose data, I dont want to start over on amgry birds.
Engage slippyfist!

I use MyBackupPro, there's also Titanium Backup. Both are paid applications in the market.

spf2722 said:
I came over from windows mobile and am some what of an android noob. After you flash a ROM is there anyway to restore apps so they dont lose data, I dont want to start over on amgry birds.
Engage slippyfist!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using Clockwork Recovery (check development forums), and depending on the flashing instructions, I usually:
save the rom to Sdcard/
boot into clockwork
backup and restore > backup (makes a full backup)
Wipe Data, (clear cache if they tell you to),
apply zip (rom) from SD
then back to Backup and Restore > advanced > select your backup > restore Data only.
Then reboot, and you should be good to go with your saved Angry Birds game

Mybackup pro worked like a charm.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Mybackup works well but you on't want to backup and restore data if you frequently switch roms/kernels. So if it's just the apk you are trying to save then astro more than gets the job done.
Epic Proportions

johnyardavid said:
Mybackup works well but you on't want to backup and restore data if you frequently switch roms/kernels. So if it's just the apk you are trying to save then astro more than gets the job done.
Epic Proportions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think he has the .apk and wants to keep his progress in the game withoout starting over after switching ROMs

daddymikey1975 said:
I think he has the .apk and wants to keep his progress in the game withoout starting over after switching ROMs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, that's what I get for not paying attention to the op.

Titanium Backup Pro will restore your backup with one click. It has saved countless hours from switching ROMS all the time. It is well worth it to get the paid app because you can let it start restoring and walk away. The free app requires you to click "Yes" to restore each app, one at a time.
I also use the back up and restore feature of LauncherPro so I don't have to keep redoing my home screen setups.
Once you have these two apps in play you don't have to be shy about trying as many different ROMs as possible.

dennistpm said:
Titanium Backup Pro will restore your backup with one click. It has saved countless hours from switching ROMS all the time. It is well worth it to get the paid app because you can let it start restoring and walk away. The free app requires you to click "Yes" to restore each app, one at a time.
I also use the back up and restore feature of LauncherPro so I don't have to keep redoing my home screen setups.
Once you have these two apps in play you don't have to be shy about trying as many different ROMs as possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But, devs and contributors keep saying,
Don't restore system stuff or apps + data using Titanium, it will cause issues
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is APK Batch Installer, [ http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1531880 ], a better option ?
Or, in the end all data restoring is not a good idea if switching between android versions?

All data restorations can cause problems, not just TB.
http://www.killthecan.org

Quicker way to backup

I'm currently using mybackup pro to do backups and restores between rom installs. It retains market links, application databases, and other system settings. My only problem is that it is SO SLOW to backup and restore. It takes probably over and hour to backup my applications and another hour to restore them. I don't even have that many. Is there any quicker way of doing this? I'd like to be able to install a new rom sometime before the singularity.

gthing said:
I'm currently using mybackup pro to do backups and restores between rom installs. It retains market links, application databases, and other system settings. My only problem is that it is SO SLOW to backup and restore. It takes probably over and hour to backup my applications and another hour to restore them. I don't even have that many. Is there any quicker way of doing this? I'd like to be able to install a new rom sometime before the singularity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to the Market and use Titanium backup. It backs up your apps over to your SD card along with app data. You can batch the backups and restores as well as schedule your backups. You can also use AppBrain. It updates which apps you download from the Market and then does a back up. But I think App brain only works with market apps. I'm not 100% on Appbrain.

sekigah84 said:
Go to the Market and use Titanium backup. It backs up your apps over to your SD card along with app data. You can batch the backups and restores as well as schedule your backups. You can also use AppBrain. It updates which apps you download from the Market and then does a back up. But I think App brain only works with market apps. I'm not 100% on Appbrain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How long does it take for titanium backup to do its thing?

gthing said:
How long does it take for titanium backup to do its thing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The back up takes me a few minutes. 10 if I have a ton of apps. The restore is pretty annoying since you have to click install for EVERY APP YOU HAVE.

sekigah84 said:
The back up takes me a few minutes. 10 if I have a ton of apps. The restore is pretty annoying since you have to click install for EVERY APP YOU HAVE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I realized this after running a backup and installing a new rom. Looks like you have to buy the pro version. I did and it restores automatically.

gthing said:
I realized this after running a backup and installing a new rom. Looks like you have to buy the pro version. I did and it restores automatically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. I might just buy it now haha.

gthing said:
I realized this after running a backup and installing a new rom. Looks like you have to buy the pro version. I did and it restores automatically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. I didn't know that.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Whats is a general guide when changing ROMs?

Hey
Whats a "general guide" when changing ROMS? I Have titanium backup installed on my Android. I wouldnt like to go thru configuring everything again and most importantly would like to keep my applications, settings, sync, calanadar, contacts, messages, etc....

These are the steps that I usually take when flashing a new rom.
1. NANDroid backup of the current running ROM
2. Complete flash (Data, Davlik, Battery, Cache)
3. Flash new ROM and boot
4. Go through the configuration screens (if any) and land on the homescreen
5. Perform a complete reboot (no fastboot from HTC, make sure it's a complete shut down and reboot)
6. Sync contacts and calendar from Gmail
7. Sync Facebook (if applicable)
8. Redownload apps and reconfigure
I am not a fan of Titanium for restoring settings and configuration if going to another dev or another ROM. It's fine if you are reflashing the same ROM, but I find stories of people who have tried to restore their configuration settings with Titanium and have headaches. Better to just take the time to reconfigure manually than to cut corners. I do, however, use Titanium to give me a good and complete list of the apps I have installed so that I can go and redownload them from market.
Have fun!

I still think its a waste of time to do a nandroid before every flash..
Nandroid the original stock(duh)
If you are on a rom u like nandroid before trying another
But if you don't like the rom and are going to flash something else then what's the point to back it up? Plus they will start filling up your sd card
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA Premium App

Spastic909 said:
I still think its a waste of time to do a nandroid before every flash..
Nandroid the original stock(duh)
If you are on a rom u like nandroid before trying another
But if you don't like the rom and are going to flash something else then what's the point to back it up? Plus they will start filling up your sd card
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You back it up incase the new rom does not work, so you have something to fall back to! I only keep my backups for a day then there deleted (Apart from the stock rom)
Delivered by Western Union in the rain after 70 Years

Spastic909 said:
I still think its a waste of time to do a nandroid before every flash..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, my belief is that you should always backup before flashing just so you can always get back where you started. I can see your point if you use a rom for just a few hours and then go to something else, but anything more than that... It's only a few minutes wait.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk

tronmech said:
Well, my belief is that you should always backup before flashing just so you can always get back where you started. I can see your point if you use a rom for just a few hours and then go to something else, but anything more than that... It's only a few minutes wait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, totally agree. Also, I only keep 1 nandroid or so on my SD, and move others to my PC.

Athrun88 said:
I do, however, use Titanium to give me a good and complete list of the apps I have installed so that I can go and redownload them from market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there a way to generate this list?

riahc3 said:
Is there a way to generate this list?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use titanium backup (free version) and have never had a problem. Just backup your apps and there is your list when you flash a new rom and redownload titanium. Then you can choose which apps you want to reload by choosing "batch" which makes it easier to reinstall all the apps quickly.
Sent from my HTC Vision using meXdroidmod Pre-Ghost Chili(simply the best!)

Spastic909 said:
I still think its a waste of time to do a nandroid before every flash..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems like a waste of time till you have a botched flash. It takes 5 min to backup, and saves you a TON of time if something messes up.
For OP:
1) Go to Titanium Backup, backup all apps (not system data, unless moving from one ROM to a fresh version of the same ROM).
2) Enter recovery
3) Make Nandroid backup. It will automatically be given a date and generic name (rename when you get back into ROM Manager)
4) Wipe cache/dalvik data/Factory reset
5) Flash new ROM, applicable kernels you want, etc.
6) Boot, install TB, restore apps (NOT system data!)
7) Fix permissions with ROM Manager, Reboot, etc. as the ROM requires.
Like I said, the only way you can keep your settings, etc. is if you're backing up from a ROM and returning to the same ROM. Don't try to backup system data from a Sense build and restoring it to an AOSP build. Just gonna have to deal with reconfiguring your system it'll save you hassles of incompatibility. Contacts should be syncing to your main Gmail account, so once you add that to the new ROM everything will be imported back. As far as saving SMS and MMS, there are different apps for that.

Flashing Inquiry

Hey all, long time no talk.
I noticed everytime a new ROM comes out you guys are always flashing. Is there an easy way to flash without having to "re-install" everything and keeping your screens the way they were previously? Or there is no simple solution?
Mike

Generally not really. If its a minor update for a current Rom u don't always have to erase everything but generally u will have to start from scratch. That's always the best bet for squashing bugs ect
Sent from my vivow using XDA

mrw5641 said:
Hey all, long time no talk.
I noticed everytime a new ROM comes out you guys are always flashing. Is there an easy way to flash without having to "re-install" everything and keeping your screens the way they were previously? Or there is no simple solution?
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can always use titanium backup to reinstall apps, I'd definitely recommend dropping a few bucks on the paid version for no click restores. If it's an update to a rom I'm already running, I usually just wipe cache and dalvik before flashing, but you should always wipe before flashing a different rom.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using Tapatalk 2 Beta-5

Excellent that is what I had figured. I just had noticed some guys flashing everytime a new rom comes out, that has to be a pain in the a**. But I have been using Astro to back up everything.
Thanks guys

mrw5641 said:
Excellent that is what I had figured. I just had noticed some guys flashing everytime a new rom comes out, that has to be a pain in the a**. But I have been using Astro to back up everything.
Thanks guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Titanium is a great ap. I have noticed that restoring aps with it can cause some issues and slowdowns. I always used titanium but now I prefer a fresh install. When u log into your gmail account u can set it to automatically restore your previous aps also when you look at the "my aps" section you can slide to the right and look at all aps you had ever downloaded.
Good luck, have fun and follow the roms specific instructions!
Sent from my vivow using XDA

jman42028 said:
Titanium is a great ap. I have noticed that restoring aps with it can cause some issues and slowdowns. I always used titanium but now I prefer a fresh install. When u log into your gmail account u can set it to automatically restore your previous aps also when you look at the "my aps" section you can slide to the right and look at all aps you had ever downloaded.
Good luck, have fun and follow the roms specific instructions!
Sent from my vivow using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm with you. I used TiBu a couple of times, but had random crashes and stuff.
I do the full wipe now, every time. Stability is worth the trade-off of reinstalling everything

Titanium can be buggy at times but I use the heck out if it... I make a backup of xyz rom and rename it, then switch roms. Set everything up (if it's new to me) and backup/rename. For example I have titanium backupUKB, titanium backupCM9 and titanium backupSRZ all on my SD card...
Sent from my Incredible 2 using XDA

I have been using GO Backup instead of Titanium lately and it is pretty good. You can restore all your backed up apps with one click; it only backs up user apps. It also can backup your messages and wifi access points if you backup that kind of stuff, and most of all it's free. I definitely recomend you try it out.
Sent from my vivow using XDA

juzz86 said:
I'm with you. I used TiBu a couple of times, but had random crashes and stuff.
I do the full wipe now, every time. Stability is worth the trade-off of reinstalling everything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I only restore the user apps using Titanium Backup. I believe that should technically not cause any problems. Well I am glad it didn't the few times I did use it, so far.

from 4.0.4 to 4.1 + TitatiumBackup

Hi,
I am on 4.0.4 and I regurarly backup with Titaniumbackup both apps and system data.
If I manually update to 4.1 (which means a total factory reset of the phone) will I be able to import back the above backups and get the phone as it was before the upgrade.
I am not really worried about the apps but about the system data, as they may have changed.
Thanks

You can restore apps and user data. Do not restore system data.

consultant.ben said:
You can restore apps and user data. Do not restore system data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well then I'm gonna wait for official JB OTA... Don't wanna spend another 2 hours re-configuring my phone :-(
btw, any official root method for JB, just to prepare in advance... I have Voodo OTA rootKeeper but not sure if it'll work...

If you're using titanium backup with encrypted stuff, you'll have to wait for a jb update.
Also, if you're trying to uninstall anything from /system/app/ you'll also have to wait for a jb update for titanium backup.
Supposedly basic backup and restore of tb is working.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

thegios said:
well then I'm gonna wait for official JB OTA... Don't wanna spend another 2 hours re-configuring my phone :-(
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What takes 2 hours to configure?? Email accounts and settings, WiFi settings, BT settings, etc, are all downloaded once you sign into your Google account. If you use a third-party sound manager, alarm clock and launcher, all those settings would be restored when you restore from Titanium. What else is left??
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

efrant said:
What takes 2 hours to configure?? Email accounts and settings, WiFi settings, BT settings, etc, are all downloaded once you sign into your Google account. If you use a third-party sound manager, alarm clock and launcher, all those settings would be restored when you restore from Titanium. What else is left??
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well upgrade + restore + some configurations that cannot be backedup (home screen icons placement, alarms, etc.) may take up to a couple of hours...
pls, I have just realised that the JB rom here on xda is deodexed whioch means no future OTA updates...
I can wait till the official JB OTA, in the meantime the new gnex toolkit compatible with JB will be ready and right after the upgrade in one click I can re-unlock and re-root

thegios said:
well upgrade + restore + some configurations that cannot be backedup (home screen icons placement, alarms, etc.) may take up to a couple of hours...
pls, I have just realised that the JB rom here on xda is deodexed whioch means no future OTA updates...
I can wait till the official JB OTA, in the meantime the new gnex toolkit compatible with JB will be ready and right after the upgrade in one click I can re-unlock and re-root
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) The ROM here is not deodexed: http://tinyurl.com/JRN84D
2) If you rely on a toolkit to do things for you, you will never learn anything and more importantly, it will make it harder to troubleshoot if you have issues.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

efrant said:
1) The ROM here is not deodexed: http://tinyurl.com/JRN84D
2) If you rely on a toolkit to do things for you, you will never learn anything and more importantly, it will make it harder to troubleshoot if you have issues.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1] thanks do i still have to install the radio first?
2] I had an HD2 with android before the gnex, so I do know how to do things manually, and my first unlock/root on my gnex I did manually... simply since 1 month I wake up at 6am, commute for 1h, wotk for another 9 hours and then back home at 8pm... so honestly I have no time at all to waste on my phone considering i prefer wasting it with my wife, my bike, my scubadiving, etc... ;-) so yes the toolkit is a timesaver for me ;-)

You really shouldn't ever restore system data. It's just asking for trouble.

thegios said:
1] thanks do i still have to install the radio first?
2] I had an HD2 with android before the gnex, so I do know how to do things manually, and my first unlock/root on my gnex I did manually... simply since 1 month I wake up at 6am, commute for 1h, wotk for another 9 hours and then back home at 8pm... so honestly I have no time at all to waste on my phone considering i prefer wasting it with my wife, my bike, my scubadiving, etc... ;-) so yes the toolkit is a timesaver for me ;-)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Yes, I would. I would also install the bootloader. See the second post of the "flash" link in my signature.
2) I hear ya. But what I was trying to say is that: a) doing it yourself is NOT any slower than a toolkit if you know what you are doing, and b) it will be faster to fix (in the event of any issues) if you don't use a toolkit.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

efrant said:
1) Yes, I would. I would also install the bootloader. See the second post of the "flash" link in my signature.
2) I hear ya. But what I was trying to say is that: a) doing it yourself is NOT any slower than a toolkit if you know what you are doing, and b) it will be faster to fix (in the event of any issues) if you don't use a toolkit.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
btw, I am rooted and i have CWM installed: does it mean that with CWM i won't get the OTA?

I can confirm that restoring system data from 4.0.4 to 4.1 will not work fully. I did that last week and google now wasn't working properly, and there were some syncing issues with other applications (grey wifi and data bars)
I also don't think its that much of a hassle to have to re-setup stuff. Each time you do it, it gets quicker . Plus sometimes I make improvements to homescreen/widget setup.

thegios said:
btw, I am rooted and i have CWM installed: does it mean that with CWM i won't get the OTA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I answered you in the other thread.
bruceree said:
I can confirm that restoring system data from 4.0.4 to 4.1 will not work fully. I did that last week and google now wasn't working properly, and there were some syncing issues with other applications (grey wifi and data bars)
I also don't think its that much of a hassle to have to re-setup stuff. Each time you do it, it gets quicker . Plus sometimes I make improvements to homescreen/widget setup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should never restore system data across different builds, only across the same build.

You should always do a full wipe before taking a full system ota. It is no different then flashing a rom... you can set the rom not to wipe data either but lots of things will get screwed up.
If you have such a complex setup that you never want to wipe data then you should just stay on the same build and be happy

Can anyone tell me what exactly restoring system data does? I noticed 4.1 comes with its own google maps and such but i also restored it from 4.0.4. Does that mean I'm running 4.0.4 apps?

stickmage said:
I restored system data. What happens when I do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's fine to restore system data when going from a 4.0.4 ROM to a 4.0.4 ROM. But you are asking for trouble (FC's, crashes, bootloops, etc.) by restoring system data from one version of a ROM to another (like from 4.0.4 to 4.1).

so to be safe, i should only choose restore missing apps with data option? I don't see any other option that excludes system data.

stickmage said:
so to be safe, i should only choose restore missing apps with data option? I don't see any other option that excludes system data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should only restore user apps/data, not system apps/data.

stickmage said:
so to be safe, i should only choose restore missing apps with data option? I don't see any other option that excludes system data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're doing a batch restore in Titanium it will not include system apps. So, yes, restore missing apps with data should be fine. Titanium is smart enough to not let you mass restore system apps.

I have been able to upgrade from a full stock 4.0.4 to the 4.1 shown in ROM manager without wiping more than cache.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus