A decade ago, cellphones were used for text messaging and makings calls only. But today, they are more of a computer than just devices for communications. They contain all sorts of data like documents, videos, music, photos and email messages. Basically, smartphone owners make their devices a portable workstation where important data are packed into. Losing it might mean not being able to retrieve those data.

Therefore, it is imperative for a smartphone owner to learn how to back up his data. Fortunately, for Android device owners, it is easier to make a copy of all the data unlike other devices in the market today.

How To Backup Settings, SMS, Contacts

Your settings can easily be backed up. The worst case scenario is that you’ll take a pen and a paper and copy all your settings and let your smartphone run them when you’re through doing what you need to. But that’s just the difficult part, here are some easy ones.

Let Google do it

Yeah, Google can help you to backup all those important data, here’s how:

Step 1: Go to Settings => Personal => Backup and reset and choose both Automatic restore and Backup my data.

Step 2: Now, go to Settings => Personal => Accounts & Sync and choose your Google account.

Third-party apps 

Google can backup almost everything in an Android device that could synched, however, SMS messages are not among them. So for this, we recommend you use third-party apps. There are several apps available at the Google Play Store that are offered free but for people who don’t mind paying a little amount for a good premium service, MyBackup Pro comes well-recommended; it is offered for $4.99.

MyBackup Pro comes with a very intuitive interface and almost everything is well-provided. So, backing up your data is made easier with this app but it’s up to you to use any app that’s easier to use.

How To Backup Files, Videos, Photos

The good thing about Android devices is that everything is saved in an internal memory that is accessible to owners anytime. So, for files, documents, photos, music, videos or whatever in the memory can be backed up or copied directly from the device to computers. Here’s how you do it:

Step 1: Connect your device to your computer using the USB cable that comes packed with the device when you bought it. As long as all necessary drivers are installed in your computer your device can easily be detected that all contents will be made accessible.

For Macs, Android File Transfer is best free option available. This tool comes directly from Google and is offered free for all Mac users.

Step 2: Select the drive for your smartphone and browse through DCIM directory. That’s where you can find all your photos, videos, and files. You can also just copy every folder you find in your device.

Step 3: Just select and drag the files or data you want copied or backed up.

There is also an app available at the Google Play Store called AirSync developed by DoubleTwist that could automate this task. It functions the same as when you sync an iOS device with iTunes; you can do so, too, wirelessly.

Don’t underestimate the value and importance of backing up your data especially if you are one of Android users that often flash custom firmware and ROMs to your device. It would take just a few minutes to complete the backup process depending on the speed of your device. Nevertheless, it is the easiest and safest way to make things restorable when things go out of hand.

via The Droid Guy