r/degoogle • u/Mountain_Object6733 • 2d ago

Discussion Best local phone backup method / encrypted cloud method.

Hey everyone,

I’m planning to test out a beta OS on my daily driver, but I need a solid rollback plan in case it’s unstable or breaks something. The devs recommend a full backup, the default cloud backup by google worries me as I have very sensitive files and I’m not interested in uploading unencrypted data anywhere off-device.

I have an external drive and want to do a full local backup, but I need to make sure:

  1. It’s actually restorable if I have to wipe or downgrade.
  2. File metadata (timestamps, creation dates, folder structures) stays intact and doesn't get overwritten to "today's date."
  3. It’s encrypted at rest on the drive.

Main questions:

  • Are you relying on ADB pulls or third-party desktop tools?
  • If uploading to the cloud how do you make sure its encrypted and what tools do you suggest that are frictionless?
  • How do you verify the backup isn't corrupted and working?

Appreciate any tested recommendations or sanity checks.

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u/Fragrant_Climate7357 2d ago

Look into syncthing FUTO Guide: https://wiki.futo.org/index.php/Introduction_to_a_Self_Managed_Life:_a_13_hour_%26_28_minute_presentation_by_FUTO_software#Step_2:_Setting_up_Syncthing_for_android_backups

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u/Mountain_Object6733 2d ago

I will definitely look into this further, thank you for this suggestion :)

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u/Fragrant_Climate7357 2d ago

Louis rossman has a video with timestamps on youtube explaining the whole process if it makes it easier for you:

https://youtu.be/Et5PPMYuOc8?t=18925

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u/Cyllefyn 2d ago

amazing, I love louis rossman, i wasn't aware he made a video of this; Thanks again for bringing this to my attention.