Sometimes you need to wipe your phone, clear the data, and hit the factory reset button. Doing that makes you lose your installed apps and their data. App Backup & Restore allows you to easily back up and restore all of your apps on your device. It even supports App2SD, and can be automated.

What is it and what does it do

Main Functionality

App Backup & Restore is an app backup and restoration app for Android. It backups up APKs for apps (APK = app install file on Android) to SD card and restores from there. If you don’t have SD card, backed up apps can also be stored in internal storage.

Pros

• Can backup apps to your SD card or internal storage in batch
• Can backup Play Store links for protected apps (apps who’s APK cannot be copied)
• Is able to batch restore apps
• Allows you to uninstall apps
• Can sort applications by name, install date and size
• Can be automated (automatically backup when app is installed)
• Can transmit the APK file via email
• Supports App2SD
• Can search for the app via Play Store as well as share the market link
• Notifies you of storage usage
• Does not require root
• Very fast

Cons

• Only backs up apps, not data associated with apps
• You must enable ‘Unknown Sources’ to restore apps

Discussion

I reset my phone a lot. Time to time I see a neat new ROM with some modifications, and naturally I reflash and have to clear my entire device. I usually have a strong backup app (Titanium Backup for root). App Backup & Restore isn’t really that kind of app. Sure it does backup your apps and lets you restore them, and that can be handy, but it’s not really used in the same context as something like Titanum Backup would be used.

If you have to reset your phone to basic factory settings, or something like that and you don’t have root, this is the perfect tool for the job. That’s really the market for something like this, and even for something that has such a limited reach on your device, App Backup & Restore actually has a pretty impressive set of features and options.

My absolute favorite feature is that I was able to automate the backup process. I’m a huge fan of making things simpler and faster. The more I don’t have to think about something the better. I’m also a pretty big believer in backups. Not just for security sake, but for the simple fact that some updates can either break the apps, or just turn the apps into complete garbage (looking at you, Google). The latest update for the YouTube app has integrated Google Play Services for easy sign on and the like, but during this update, it has rendered the YouTube app very unstable. Crashes all the time. With this app I am able to load a backup of a previous version of the YouTube app so that my experience does not suffer.

So you see, backups are not just for root users that want to try out new ROMs and alternative operating systems on their devices, backups also have a very practical use. That is why you need to find a backup app that is not complete garbage, and I think it is safe to say that App Backup & Restore is a very good app.

The only real issues I have with the app is the simple fact that it does not support Link2SD. Sure, it supports App2SD, but personally, I prefer Link2SD. Factually Link2SD is the superior app, so it’s kind of confusing that the developer would choose to support App2SD over Link2SD. Either way, it’s his choice. I also wasn’t impressed that this app only backs up APK files themselves and not the data for the app (.dex and libs files). Though, it is obvious that since this app does not require root, there is obviously no reason that it would support such a feature.

App Backup & Restore is a wonderful layman’s take on the backup application, and it is done very well. It’s certainly not as full featured as I would be personally comfortable with, but it is simple and easy enough that anyone can understand it. It’s the perfect app if you’re just looking to backup some APK files and you don’t have root. It will never surpass Titanium Backup for root (for me personally).

Conclusion and download link

If you’re just looking to backup app APKs for easy reinstall later and you don’t have root, App Backup & Restore is for you. If you have root you shouldn’t bother with this because other programs — like Titanium Backup — work much better since they can backup and restore app data also.

Price: Free

Version reviewed: 2.1.1

Requires: 1.6 and up

Download size: 380 KB

App Backup & Restore on Play Store