If you answered yes to any one of these questions, read this guide and learn how to backup Android apps.
Method 1: Helium (Carbon)
Developed by ClockworkMod and receiving thousands of downloads, Helium (Carbon) is one of the most popular apps on the Google Play store for backing up and restoring apps. The app lets you backup your apps on your device’s storage or online through cloud storage. Aside from that, Helium also supports setting backup schedules for automatically backing up your apps. Helium’s Android to Android sync lets you sync app data between different Android devices. Use the app directly if you have root access, but you’ll need root access to install the Helium PC software as well. This app should work on most Android devices, but several Motorola devices are currently not supported.
Step 1
Download and install Helium on your Android device. Get the app through the Google Play button below.
Step 2
If you have root access on your Android device, proceed to Step 5. Download and install the Helium desktop app on your PC. If you don’t have the relevant drivers for your Android device installed on your PC, then download and install the drivers here.
Step 3
Enable USB Debugging on your Android device by going to the Settings app and tapping on Developer options.
Step 4
Open the Helium app on your Android device and on your PC. Connect your Android device to your PC using a micro USB cable. Once the desktop app recognizes your Android device, you will get a message saying Carbon has been enabled on your Android. You’re good to go.
Step 5
Under the Backup tab in Helium, select all the apps that you want to backup by tapping on the check-boxes and pressing the Backup button.
Step 6
Make sure that the App Data Only option is disabled if you want to perform a full backup of your apps and tap on the Backup button. Enabling the App Data Only option will only backup the list of apps and you will need to download each of the apps individually from the Google Play store when you restore the backup.
Step 7
You will now get a backup destination popup. Select Internal Storage if you want to save the backup on your device’s storage and select your preferred cloud storage account if you want to save the backup online. You can also create a scheduled backup for automatically backing up your apps by tapping on the Schedule Backup option. The backup process should now start and it may take a while, depending on the number of apps.
Step 8
For restoring your apps, go to the Restore and Sync tab and select the option where you saved the backup.
Step 9
Select all the apps that you want to restore and tap on the Restore button.
Method 2: App Backup And Restore
App Backup and Restore is another fantastic app available on the Google Play store that lets you backup your apps directly on your Android device. Downloaded by over 5 million users, the app also supports sending apk files through email, sharing Google Play links for apps, automatic backups on app installation and backing up Google Play links for protected apps. The app is user-friendly and one of the fastest ways to back up apps on Android.
Step 1
Download and install App Backup and Restore on your Android device. You can get the app through the Google Play button below.
Step 2
Open the app, press the Menu button and tap on Settings.
Step 3
Select the backup directory by tapping on Backup Path. For backing up system apps, make sure that the Show System Apps option is checked. If you want to create regular app backups, check the Override Old Version option. This will overwrite any old app backups by your latest backup.
Step 4
Go to the Installed tab, select all the apps that you want to backup by ticking the check-box next to each app and press the Backup button. The backup process will now start and might take a while if you are backing up a lot of apps.
Step 5
For restoring your apps, go to the Archived tab, select the apps that you want to restore and press the Restore button.
Method 3: APK Batch Installer
APK Batch Installer is a fantastic PC app for backing up and installing apps on your Android device. The software comes from the XDA Forums and offers several functions including backing up apps, backing up app data, batch app installation, wireless installation, batch app renamer and backing up messages. The app does require root access and it should work for most rooted Android devices. Through a USB connection, the software makes backups almost instantly on the PC and restoration is also speedy. Aside from that, you can also back up system apps that came preloaded on your device. The ADB Wireless Link option lets you backup and restore apps wirelessly on your Android device.
Step 1
Download APK Batch Installer on your PC. Extract the zip file and run the exe file.
Step 2
Install the relevant drivers for your Android device on your PC and enable USB Debugging by follows Step 2 and Step 3 from Method 1.
Step 3
Connect your Android device to your PC using a micro USB cable.
Step 4
Select the Batch Backup APKs option from the dropdown menu.
Step 5
Select the path where you want the apk files to be saved by clicking on the Browse button.
Step 6
If you want to backup app data as well, make sure that the Backup Data option is checked. For backing up system apps, check the Backup System Apps option. If you want to set up a wireless connection for backing up your apps instead of using a USB connection, check the ADB Wireless Link option.
Step 7
Click on the Next button. The backup process should now start and once completed, the green bar will fully load.
Step 8
For restoring your apps, select the Batch Install APKs option from the dropdown menu.
Step 9
Select the directory where you backed up the apk files by clicking on the Browse button.
Step 10
For restoring all the apps to your device’s SD card, check the Install to SD option. For restoring app data along with the apk files, make sure that the Restore Data option is checked. Click on the Next button.
Step 11
You will now get a list of all the backed up apps. Select the apps that you want to restore by clicking the check-box next to each app and click on the Next button. The restore process will now start and all your backed up apps should be installed on your Android device.
Conclusion
Initially, earning how to backup Android apps isn’t that easy and is almost impossible to back up all the apk files installed on Android devices. However, you don’t need to memorize all the apps that were installed on your Android device for installing each app through the Google Play store, as you can now backup all your apps easily on your Android device. If you’re not using an automatic backup function, make sure that you create a new backup right before you install a custom ROM or factory reset your device. For rooted Android users, all the methods should work fine and users without root access can use Methods 1 and 2. You might even think about backing up your files and learning how to recover items in case something goes missing. Whichever method you choose, make sure that you follow all the instructions correctly and feel free to shoot any questions below.
