Android Offline Backup

@for Android users who like their privacy
@author Kai Ruhl
@since 2017-11

If you try to be offline as much as possible, backing up an Android phone before an upgrade or phone change is not quite as easy. As a start, try a non-Google Android contact/calendar sync. Then connect by USB and load stuff from the file system, and finally ask the apps for backup/restore functionality. For at least one app, you need the Android development program adb.

File System

From the file system starting at /sdcard, copy Books, DCIM, keepass, Kiwix (large, contains wikipedia), Music, noteeverything, OpenKeychain.

From /sdcard/Android/data, copy com.fsck.k9, de.hafas.android.db, de.schildbach.oeffi, de.softxperience.android.noteeverything, net.osmand.plus (large, contains maps), org.kiwix.kiwixmobile, org.thoughtcrime.securesms, uk.co.nickfines.RealCalcPlus, uk.co.olilan.touchcalendar.

After (re-)installing the apps, see which files you can overwrite.

Apps

For Signal, choose "Import/Export->Export plaintext backup", which gives a file /sdcard/SignalPlaintextBackup.xml. Restore with "Import plaintext backup".

For K-9 mail, go to accounts view (the first one; just do not be in "Unified Inbox" or in one of the accounts) and choose "Settings Import & Export->Export settings and accounts". This gives a file /sdcard/com.fsck.k9/settings.k9s. Restore with "Settings Import & Export->Import settings".

For OpenKeychain, choose "Top left->Backup/Restore->All keys + your own keys" and note the backup code, which you then enter to create /sdcard/backup_<date>.sec.pgp. Restore with "Backup/Restore->Select input file".

For Note Everything, choose "More->Export textnotes to SD-Card". This gives files text[1-99]_<notename>.txt in /sdcard/noteverything/text. Restore with "More->Import".

To see the Android files in the folder view of the PC, you need to reboot the phone, then reconnect.

For OSMAnd, choose "My Places->Share->e.g. K-9" to send a file favourites.gpx. Restore with a file explorer, clicking the gpx file should given an "Open with OSMAnd" choice. For the settings, adb backup -f osm.ab net.osmand.plus -apk, restore with adb restore osm.ab [forum].

Conclusion

There, go ahead now, upgrade your phone. Good luck :)

EOF (Apr:2021)