Recently switched to a new Android device? Or starting fresh on your Android device? Lost all your files due to a technical glitch? Whatever may be the case, you can get back all your lost data – contacts, apps, calendar, photos, and a lot more, if you have backed up your device previously on Google. So, are you having a Google backup already, but don’t know how to get data from that? Are you looking for a method to restore your Android phone from a Google backup? We just heard you, and we decided to help you out! We will walk you through every step of the process in detail. Not only that, but we will also provide you a few tips here and there, and also warn you about what could go wrong. So, what’s there to wait? Keep reading this guide and let’s do some recovery together!
A Few Initial Words
Before starting with the restoration process, you must know what will work, and what won’t work. There are a few cases in which your Google backup will not restore your contents. For example, you cannot use your backup if –
- You are restoring your backup from a higher Android version – That is, you cannot restore your Google backup, if your backup was taken from an Android device of higher version, and you are trying to restore contents to a lower version of Android. If you are in doubt of the Android version that you are using, refer to this guide on checking your Android version.
- You are using a business device – You cannot use your Google backup if you are setting up a company-owned device. The same condition applies for a personal device that you use with a work profile (when you use it only for work).
Also, remember that some of the steps mentioned in this article work only for Android devices of version 9, or higher versions.
Finding the Suitable Backup File
If you are reading this before you have backed up your contents into Google, or if you have multiple backups on your device, and you are confused to select the perfect one, this section is for you. We will cover the entire process of creating Google backups of your device, where to find them, how to select the perfect file, and then we will move to the part of using them to restore your Android device.
First of all, to check whether you have enabled Google backups and whether you have previously backed up something, go to your Google Drive application (If you don’t have it, install it from the play store). After this, click on the hamburger menu (denoted by the three parallel lines). Now, go to backups. You will see all your device backups listed on this screen. If you see multiple backup files on your screen, you can click on any file and view its contents. Select the appropriate file that holds all data that you are looking for.
If you haven’t created a backup previously, a message titled “Your device is not backed up” appears on the top. In that case, go to Backup Settings. Inside there, make sure that you check Back up to Google Drive, and then click on Back up now if you want to back up your device in the background.
Restore Your Android Phone From a Google Backup
Are you switching to a brand new Android device? Are you going to use a different Android device? Have you enabled factory reset on your Android device and now want all your data back? Recently faced an expensive technical glitch and want to recover all your data from your Google backup? The process is the same for every case mentioned above. All you need to do is to log in to your Google account. We will discuss this in detail here –
- Firstly, when you enter into your new Android device, it asks you to sign in to your Google Account. Log in to your Google Account with your username and password.
- If your device does not prompt you (which it will), open your web browser, and go to Google. Now, sign in to your account.
- Once you have succesfully logged in to your account, all further instructions will be displayed on your screen.
Follow all the on-screen instructions without missing any step. As you proceed, you will be asked to select the backup file that you want to use. Select the file which has all the required content (as discussed above). This process may take a little time. It may even take up to 24 hours. You have to wait patiently until your recovery is complete. That’s it. You have done restoring your Google backup to your Android device.
