How to Back Up an Android Phone to Your Google Account

More than photos, less than everything.

Google says your phone’s data is automatically backed up to your Google Account, including apps and app data, call history, contacts, device settings, and SMS and MMS messages. More is included with specific Google apps: RCS messages with Google Messages, call settings and blocked numbers with Phone by Google, and pictures and videos with Google Photos. Not all apps back up or restore all their settings and data, so check with the developer for anything you cannot afford to lose.

Settings, Google, Backup.

Open the Settings app, tap Google, then All services. Under “Backup and restore,” tap Backup, choose what to back up — photos and videos, device data, or both — and turn backup on. The steps work fully on Android 9 and later, and menu names vary a little by manufacturer. Google says a Google One backup can take up to 24 hours; when the data is saved, “On” appears under the data types you chose. To back up right away, tap Back up now.

15 GB free, shared with Gmail and Drive.

Your Google Account includes 15 GB of storage at no charge, shared across Google Photos, Google Drive, and Gmail; more is available through Google One. Backups are encrypted in transit, and some data is end-to-end encrypted with your screen lock, which is why Google says to use a PIN, pattern, or password rather than a swipe or Smart Lock. Photos and videos in Google Photos are not encrypted with the screen lock. If photos fill the storage, see what fills phone storage.

During setup, from the same account.

When you set up a new phone, or one that has been reset, sign in to the same Google Account and follow the on-screen steps to restore. The process can take up to 24 hours to finish. Photos and videos are already in Google Photos. Google’s important caveat: you cannot restore a backup from a higher Android version onto a phone running a lower one, and an older version on the new phone may cause an incomplete transfer. Update the new phone first.

Work profiles and company phones.

Google notes that backup is not available when a personal device is set up with a work profile or for work only, or on a company-owned device. Those are managed by the organization; ask its IT team how data is kept. Removing a Google Account from a phone deletes that account’s email, contacts, and settings from the device, so back up first.

Add a second, independent copy.

A cloud backup protects against a lost or broken phone. It does not protect against deleting something by mistake that then syncs, or losing access to the account. Export photos you cannot replace to a computer or external drive now and then, as the 3-2-1 rule suggests. Switching from iPhone? See how to back up an iPhone first.