Data Backup Digest

We often think of data backup as just involving our computers, but in the modern world it goes far beyond that. The majority of us carry around smartphones all the time, along with laptops and tablets. These devices might contain unique data that isn’t stored elsewhere – your smartphone could have messages, photos and videos that you don’t have a second copy of.

As such, it’s equally as important to back up your mobile devices as it is your desktops. Thanks to the new version of Android, 5.0 Lollipop, it’s become a whole lot easier to transfer your data across to a new device. Previously on Android it was always a bit questionable how that backup and restore process actually worked – it was never entirely clear what data was going to transfer over. And while it’s still not one hundred percent clear on the new operating system, it’s definitely better.

The first thing you’ll notice when booting up a new phone is the lovely new design of Lollipop. It might be a minor thing, but good design goes a long way to improving an experience and Google have really nailed the clean aesthetic that works well on a portable device.

But let’s get down to the actual process. There’s two ways of bringing your old data onto your new device: Tap & Go and specific device restores. The former literally allows you tap your old device against the new one to transfer the data. The second allows you to choose which specific device you want to restore from, something which will come in very handy if you’re a multiple device owner.

All of your Google accounts and the backed up apps and data will transfer across with both versions. The Tap & Go feature uses NFC, so you’ll need to ensure that that’s activated on your old device before attempting it. When ready, just tap the two devices together, input the password and proceed from any notifications. And that’s it! All your data is ready and available.

The Tap & Go is a neat feature, but you might be restoring from a specific device more often if you’re often going through this process. If, for example, you factory reset your new phone, you can choose to restore from that new phone from the state it was in before the factory reset. Alternatively, you can restore from an old smartphone that you’ve lost or even from your tablet.

You can also choose which apps you want to restore, making it easier than ever to get everything back up and running just how you like it. Restoring from a specific device is reportedly the more reliable option out of the two, so if you want to ensure everything gets transferred over correctly then it’s best to go with this.

Thanks to Google Now, your old home screen layout will also be transferred over. If an app or widget is still being downloaded it’ll be greyed out, filling up with colour as it downloads and installs itself. It’s intuitive, automatic and works great, though if you want an entire and full system backup then you’re still going to want to check out an app like Titanium Backup.