Linux Android Backup
Linux Android Backup is a tiny shell script & Flutter app that makes securely backing up Android devices on Linux and macOS easy, without vendor lock-ins or using closed-source software that could put your data at risk. It's based on ADB but doesn't use the deprecated adb backup
command.
Status: Works, albeit testers are needed (my testbench broke).
Data backed up
- Apps (.apk files of installed apps)
- Internal storage (pictures, downloads, videos, Signal backups if enabled, etc)
- Contacts (exported in vCard format)
These 3 things are the majority of what anyone would want to keep safe, but we all have different expectations and requirements, so suggestions are welcome.
Features
- Automatically restores backed up data.
- Works on macOS & Linux (including WSL), and supports any Android device.
- Backs up data not normally accessible through ADB using a native companion app.
- Tiny - the script is 5KB in size, and the companion app is around 15 megabytes.
- Doesn't use proprietary formats: your data is safe even if this script ever gets lost. Simply open archives created by this script using 7-Zip.
- Encryption is forced - you can't disable it.
- All data is compressed using 7-Zip with maximum compression settings.
Installation
- Install p7zip and adb (
sudo apt update; sudo apt install p7zip-full adb
on Debian). - Clone or download this repository.
- Enable developer options on your device and run
backup.sh
.
Running under Windows
- Install the Windows Subsystem for Linux and a distro (Debian or Ubuntu is recommended).
- Continue with the steps above.
License
This software is licensed under the "Linux Android Backup License", a license based on the BSD 3-Clause license, but with another clause preventing the use of this software by law enforcement.
TODO
Sorted by importance. PRs are appreciated.
- Write usage instructions
- Create a desktop GUI for newcomers (using Flutter maybe?)
- Improve mobile app by fixing bugs and making it more appealing
- Clean up the code