A step by step tutorial to test Android backup and restore

Environment

• Android 7.0+
• Google Play is present on device

Prepare device

1. Add your Google Account, e.g. shizhen.sg@gmail.com to your device.
2. Select the Google Account shizhen.sg@gmail.com as backup account inside device backup settings. Usually, it is under Settings -> System -> Backup -> Account.
3. Remember to turn on Back up to Google Drive. See below screenshot

Turn on Android app allowBackup attribute

Set android:allowBackup="true" inside AndroidManifest.xml. See below screenshot:

Test flows

1. Install BackupRestore.apk.
2. Open the app and modify the two EditText fields, click on button SAVE. E.g..
3. Verify that the shared preferance already saved correctly. E.g..
4. Perfom a backup.Check availble transport

   $adb shell bmgr list transports
   
     android/com.android.internal.backup.LocalTransport
     com.google.android.gms/.backup.migrate.service.D2dTransport
   * com.google.android.gms/.backup.BackupTransportService
   

   Run the backupnow command

   #On Android 7.0 or later
   $adb shell bmgr backupnow com.arophix.backup.restore
   

   You should see something like below:

   Running incremental backup for 1 requested packages.
   Package @pm@ with result: Success
   Package com.arophix.backup.restore with progress: 512/1024
   Package com.arophix.backup.restore with progress: 1536/1024
   Package com.arophix.backup.restore with progress: 2560/1024
   Package com.arophix.backup.restore with result: Success
   Backup finished with result: Success
   

5. Perfom a restore.Clear the app storage first.

   

   Check the token name of the dataset to retore using below command

   $adb shell dumpsys backup | grep Current
   

   You should see something like below, the hex string after Current is the token name to use.

   Current transport clients: 0
   Current:   30ebe10fc40cee0a
   

   Restore date using below command

   $adb shell bmgr restore 30ebe10fc40cee0a  com.arophix.backup.restore
   

   You should see something like below

   Scheduling restore: Pixel 2
   restoreStarting: 1 packages
   onUpdate: 0 = com.arophix.backup.restore
   restoreFinished: 0
   done
   

6. Verify the data is restoredOpen the app and click on button REFRESH. You should see the two EditText fields are updated to the content restored from GoogleDrive.

Reference

• Testing Android Backup and Restore
• My Github backup and restore project