So, you just got a new phone, and it feels different to use it. The reason ‒ it does not have all your previous data. How can you get it, then?
Enter Google One. Yes, the cloud storage subscription service app has a nifty little backup and restore feature too. You can store all the data from an old Android phone and use it to restore them when switching to a new device.
The methods mentioned here will work on the most recent versions of Android. So, let’s take a look at how you can do that right in this article.
How to Backup Your Data Using Google One
There are three ways how you can back up your data using Google One. Using Android Settings, Google Drive, and the Google One app.
Google has integrated Google One into the Android system. That means the default backup application and Google Drive all have Google One built-in. And there is a separate Google One App too, that serves the same purpose.
So, whichever method you choose, you will likely end up in the same Google One backup interface. It looks something similar to this.
Before backing up your files, you must log in to your Google account. The same account will be used to restore the data when going into a newer device.
Let’s look at Android Settings first.
These steps will back up your data from Android’s Settings:
- Scroll down from the top to open the Notification tray, and tap the gear icon to open Settings.
- Scroll down and tap on Google.
- Tap on Backup.
- Press the Turn on button.
- Scroll down, and you should see different options for Photos, Apps, Messages, Call History, and Google Accounts. Tap these and change these settings as per your preference. By default, Google will back up essential data of your device automatically.
- Tap on Back up now.
Google will start backing up the data on your phone now.
You can navigate to the same backup screen from Google Drive. Tap the more options icon and press Backups. Now tap on Backup Settings. It should land you on the Google Settings menu as before.
As for the Google One app, this is its homepage. Clicking on Set Up under Backup will also lead you to the same backup page as earlier.
If you want a quick refresher on what Google One is, check out our separate article, where we take a detailed look at all its features.
How to Use Google One to Restore Your Backup
You can restore backups that you made from the Google One app or when setting up your phone for the first time. When you log in to your Google account for the first time, you are presented with the option to sync the data to your phone.
First, let’s look at how you can use the Google One app to restore your backup.
- Open Google One.
- Tap on Storage.
- Tap on Get Backup under Previous device backup.
- Press the Restore button next to each item, such as Pictures, Call History, Files, etc.
The files are now downloaded onto your device. Depending on your internet connection and the backup size, the process may take some time to complete.
On the other hand, if you want to restore your data to a different device, first log in to your Google account. Next, you can see all your backups to that account. Once you choose which backup to restore, tap on it.
Now you can select what items will be restored. There is a broad list of items that you can select from. From Photos, Call history to Apps, the choice is yours. By default, everything is selected. So, uncheck the items that are less important to you. Tap the Restore button when done.
That way, when the device is ready, all your existing data is already present. You don’t need to restore it using any other methods.
Google One Revisited
Every Android device comes with a free 15 GB of storage. Everything on your phone (photos, documents, files) is stored in this storage space. But you can easily fill up this space very quickly.
To mitigate this, Google introduced a subscription plan to give you more storage space. The lowest tier gives you 100 GB of space for $1.99 per month. For 200 GB, the pricing is $2.99 per month. You can configure it up to 2 TB of space for $9.99 /month.
Google One has a nice app that you can also use to manage storage space very easily. You can use it to free up the space easily by deleting large files. Apart from this, Google One’s app can back up your files automatically if you set it up. This is very similar to what Google Drive can do on most Android devices.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I access my Google One backup?
To access your Google One Backup, open Settings > Google > Backup. You will be able to see the backup’s size and the files which are saved to the cloud.
Does Google Backup restore everything?
Google Backup will only restore the files that you have selected specifically. If you want to change this or set Google to backup everything, you can go into Settings > Backup and make sure you select all the data from here.
How to use Google One to restore backup to a new phone?
During the initial setup screen, you have to log into your Google account. Then select the backups associated with that account. Finally, choose which files to keep and tap the Restore button.
Conclusion
Google One was introduced with one thing in mind. A single app that can handle every file operation on Android, whether you are using it to access files or back them up. And I feel it succeeds in doing that.
You can perform the backup or restore operations very easily using the Google One app, as mentioned in the article. And most importantly, build a habit of backing up files regularly. This ensures that your personal files stay safe should a tragedy befall.
That’s all for today.
Goodbyes for now.
