Ignoring app selection and device availability, Android is the least pleasant

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Zaap

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2008
7,162
424
126
I had to root it to back it up, because Google offers no PC software that will do this.
I'm sure we have different definitions of backing up, but I don't need desktop software to keep my phone backed up.
 
Feb 19, 2001
20,155
23
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BTW the Play Store garden is hardly walled. There's spam apps coming in ALL the time.

- http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1lje23/another_fake_flash_app_in_the_play_store_how_do/

- http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1umd2m/the_trending_category_of_the_play_store_is_a/

The lists on the Play Store are so bad now it's practically unusable. Furthermore, there's a LOT of bots circulating on the Play Store with false reviews. Look at one comment on the Reddit link

I remember a game on the "grossing" page that it was absolutely shit, false claims an intense 3d world zombie survival shooter (whilst it was a 2d background, 2d guns and a fixed position, ect), a horrible pay to win practice (30$ for the best weapon) and still STILL it had 1mil+ downloads and tons of positive feedback. Are there many kids in the playstore? Or is it just bots that 5 star the app to the top? Im really curious about this because there many of this kind of apps that get tons of good feedback.

I get it that power users like me will avoid the Trending section, but how can you expect the average user to know this?
 

T_Yamamoto

Lifer
Jul 6, 2011
15,007
795
126
BTW the Play Store garden is hardly walled. There's spam apps coming in ALL the time.

- http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1lje23/another_fake_flash_app_in_the_play_store_how_do/

- http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1umd2m/the_trending_category_of_the_play_store_is_a/

The lists on the Play Store are so bad now it's practically unusable. Furthermore, there's a LOT of bots circulating on the Play Store with false reviews. Look at one comment on the Reddit link



I get it that power users like me will avoid the Trending section, but how can you expect the average user to know this?
Meh, sucks to suck. :whiste:
 

KeithTalent

Elite Member | Administrator | No Lifer
Administrator
Nov 30, 2005
50,231
118
116
I had to root it to back it up, because Google offers no PC software that will do this. I'd sayin honestly, backing up my phone ranks among the most basic functionality there is in my eyes. I mean my iPhone does it every time I plug it into my PC and run iTunes. I guess instead of Titanium I could do a nandbackup, but that would require more work than me just rooting my phone.

I don't understand. My phone died a couple of weeks ago. My new one came; I signed in my account, moved the old SD card over to the new phone, and everything I had on my old phone was now on my new phone. I did not even need to connect it to my PC at all. To me this is better than having to always connect my phone to a PC to back it up.

KT
 
Feb 19, 2001
20,155
23
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I don't understand. My phone died a couple of weeks ago. My new one came; I signed in my account, moved the old SD card over to the new phone, and everything I had on my old phone was now on my new phone. I did not even need to connect it to my PC at all. To me this is better than having to always connect my phone to a PC to back it up.

KT
SD card is not a backup. How do you back up all your app settings, app data? It's not all on an SD card. You don't need a PC to backup, but there's no solid backup solution right now on Android. Even the cloud backup is not really effective as it seems to only back up your system settings. I don't like iCloud either, but at least I found that the backups on my PC contain my app data.

To me the best solution is Titanium Backup, but it's such a power user tool and requires root that it won't work for everyone. But if we're going to compare out of the box solutions, Apple wins this one.

Agreed. But I would take that over the alternative (no file manager without jailbreak).

I get what you mean, but in regards to the file manager, I don't find a file manager to be critical in iOS. It would be critical if we could download and move files around. My use in Android typically only involves a file manager for tweaking. My top uses right now in file manager are:

1) Copying and messing with init.d files
2) Sideloading apps
3) Copying custom settings for 3rd party apps. For example, this morning I was downloading user settings for color calibration curve for my Nexus 5.

Even the average Joe wouldn't need a file manager on Android.
 
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KeithTalent

Elite Member | Administrator | No Lifer
Administrator
Nov 30, 2005
50,231
118
116
SD card is not a backup. How do you back up all your app settings, app data? It's not all on an SD card. You don't need a PC to backup, but there's no solid backup solution right now on Android. Even the cloud backup is not really effective as it seems to only back up your system settings. I don't like iCloud either, but at least I found that the backups on my PC contain my app data.

To me the best solution is Titanium Backup, but it's such a power user tool and requires root that it won't work for everyone. But if we're going to compare out of the box solutions, Apple wins this one.

Well my podcast app is cloud synced, so is my running app (these are the two I use the most) and all of my contacts/calendar/mail/photos/music are either cloud synced or are on my SD. The apps I use are all sitting in my Play account. I'm not sure what else I am missing? I'm no super power user, so there could be a bunch of stuff I just don't do, I don't know.

KT
 

sweenish

Diamond Member
May 21, 2013
3,656
60
91
Are we seriously whining about having to root for backups on Android when Helium exists?

Caveat, it does require a PC to initiate backups if you are not rooted.

I also could not care less about backups on my straight stock N7.

All I would lose is game progress, but not even all games, as I try to support devs that make use of Play Games services. Just about everything else is already cloud-synced one way or another. Losing my text messages is not the end of the world.
 

Zaap

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2008
7,162
424
126
Losing my text messages is not the end of the world.
Even that's easily covered with SMS Backup & Restore.

Any of this is really only an issue for people that want it to be so they have something to gripe about.
 

poofyhairguy

Lifer
Nov 20, 2005
14,612
318
126
I get what you mean, but in regards to the file manager, I don't find a file manager to be critical in iOS. It would be critical if we could download and move files around.

I mostly use the file manager to access things on removable storage- SD Cards and OTG USB drive- or on my NAS.

Even the average Joe wouldn't need a file manager on Android.

Agreed, but I guess my point was Mr. Average Joe doesn't need 90% of the functionality of a good old Windows x86 computer either! The popularity of Chromebooks shows that really many people only need a web browser. Apple certainly agrees with your assessment, hence no file managers on iOS.

The thing is, almost everyone on this forum CAN use that extra functionality. I picked file manager as an example, but I could chose many many other apps my Android and x86 Windows devices have that iOS lacks - nzb downloaders, game emulators, wifi analysis tools, fully functional media players, tethering apps, etc. So I see that as a certain benefit of Android.

Losing my text messages is not the end of the world.

I find this works well for that, no root needed:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zegoggles.smssync
 

Puddle Jumper

Platinum Member
Nov 4, 2009
2,835
1
0
SD card is not a backup. How do you back up all your app settings, app data? It's not all on an SD card. You don't need a PC to backup, but there's no solid backup solution right now on Android. Even the cloud backup is not really effective as it seems to only back up your system settings. I don't like iCloud either, but at least I found that the backups on my PC contain my app data.

To me the best solution is Titanium Backup, but it's such a power user tool and requires root that it won't work for everyone. But if we're going to compare out of the box solutions, Apple wins this one.



I get what you mean, but in regards to the file manager, I don't find a file manager to be critical in iOS. It would be critical if we could download and move files around. My use in Android typically only involves a file manager for tweaking. My top uses right now in file manager are:

1) Copying and messing with init.d files
2) Sideloading apps
3) Copying custom settings for 3rd party apps. For example, this morning I was downloading user settings for color calibration curve for my Nexus 5.

Even the average Joe wouldn't need a file manager on Android.

What app settings and data are there to back up? Everything I can even think of wanting is already synced with the cloud.
 

npaladin-2000

Senior member
May 11, 2012
450
3
76
Are we seriously whining about having to root for backups on Android when Helium exists?

Caveat, it does require a PC to initiate backups if you are not rooted.

I also could not care less about backups on my straight stock N7.

All I would lose is game progress, but not even all games, as I try to support devs that make use of Play Games services. Just about everything else is already cloud-synced one way or another. Losing my text messages is not the end of the world.

Yes they are, because some people just need a reason
 

QueBert

Lifer
Jan 6, 2002
22,951
1,140
126
Even that's easily covered with SMS Backup & Restore.

Any of this is really only an issue for people that want it to be so they have something to gripe about.


That doesn't back up MMS's though, TB is the only app that I've found where I can back up my MMS's without issue. But the restore process when I put a new ROM on my phone is OMGWTFBBQSAUCE slow. I have about 100k of texts and it takes like 4 hours to restore them all. I switch roms a lot so it's annoying to say the least. But, it works better than anything else.