Backup Pixel before trying Graphene

Privacy Questions
1

I am thinking of trying out Graphene. Before I install Graphene I want to backup my Pixel 6A. ADB looks like the best way to backup and avoid any backups going to the cloud.

Is it safe to download ADB i.e. can I trust it not to mess with my computer. On a similar note can I trust Graphene ( I’m paranoid about installing anything which is “alternative” ) ?

2

ADB is the standard Android Debugging interface. It is 100% safe if you are downloading directly from Google, or if you are using Linux the adb package provided by your distribution. Graphene is also safe, as long as you use their web installer or follow the command line installation on their site. All their source code is 100% open source, and they include steps for how to build the firmware locally if you want to help with development. Graphene is probably the safest alternative OS you can install on your device, given they enforce all of the security measures they can for an Android installation.

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3

Please note that ADB backups are extremely limited, and will almost certainly not back up the majority of things you care about. Do not rely on this tool to make a complete snapshot of your device. There are also no suitable alternatives to back up an unrooted Android device, unfortunately.

  1. Apps targeting Android 12 and higher are excluded by default (this is nearly all apps obtained from Google Play within the past 2 years).

  2. App developers can exclude their apps from backups (and many of them do), or they can set it so their app is only partially backed up, and there’s no easy way to tell how much actually was backed up.

  3. adb backup has been deprecated entirely since Android 10, and the number of apps it works with keeps getting smaller and smaller.

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4

Yeah, you are basically forced to copy any user files to a USB drive or computer, and hope you don’t need any data from your apps. If you need SMS messages backed up, I recommend this app from F-Droid SMS Import / Export | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository

5

Thanks @jonah for your reply, I didn’t know that. Time for a rethink perhaps ? Maybe I’ll concentrate for now on reducing tracking on my existing setup

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6

Google’s native cloud backup makes starting over pretty seamless. It restores your apps (without data), call logs, SMS, contacts, photos and videos, device settings, wallpapers, home screen layout, and quick toggles layout. It is also e2ee with your account password.
Unfortunately it isn’t supported on graphene as it is degoogled.

You can use swift backup on the playstore to backup APKs (without data) and SMS messages. It also supports batch restore apps without requiring a click on each prompt using shizuku. You can uninstall shizuku and swift backup after finishing the migration.

That leaves:

  • Backing up your internal storage to a PC via usb
  • Exporting contacts to a .vcf file (export option available in google contacts app, dunno about other apps)
  • For apps that require a lot of configuration (e.g. syncthing), you might find a config backup/restore option in its settings.
  • IF YOU USE 2FA MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BACKUP or check if your app syncs to the cloud. (Aegis cloud sync in UNRELIABLE. you have to make a local backup)
7

Thanks for the reminder about 2FA.

In relation to cloud backup I am reluctant to use Googles cloud back up option - I’m not sure if there might be GDPR issues.

In regard to USB / cable backup x if I copy all folders with Data in their name could I simply copy these back if I reinstalled the stock Android OS ?

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You can copy all folders except /Android/data. Moving from stock to graphene or vice versa wipes your entire internal storage, so make sure you select everything and copy all of it.