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    2 min read 5 stepsMarch 31, 2026Verified March 2026

    How to Back Up Your Android Phone to Google

    Keep your contacts, photos, and app data safe with automatic Google backups — free and easy to set up.

    In this guide (5 steps):

    1. 1.Turn on Google Backup
    2. 2.Back up your photos with Google Photos
    3. 3.Check that your backup is working
    4. 4.What gets backed up
    5. 5.Restore your phone from a backup
    1

    Turn on Google Backup

    ~18s
    Go to Settings > System > Backup (on Samsung: Settings > Accounts and Backup > Google Drive). Turn on "Back up to Google Drive." This automatically saves your contacts, app data, call history, and Wi-Fi passwords to your Google account.

    Quick Tip

    Google's backup guide is at support.google.com/android/answer/2819582 — it covers all Android versions and brands.

    2

    Back up your photos with Google Photos

    ~24s
    Open the Google Photos app (download it free from the Play Store if you do not have it). Tap your profile photo in the top-right corner, then tap "Photos Settings" > "Backup" and turn it on. Choose "Storage saver" quality to back up unlimited photos for free.

    Quick Tip

    Google gives every account 15GB of free storage for backups. Photos backed up in "Storage saver" mode do not count against this limit.

    3

    Check that your backup is working

    ~15s
    Open Google Photos, tap your profile photo, and tap "Photos Settings" > "Backup." You will see "Backup is on" and when your photos were last backed up. You should see "Backup complete" or the number of photos waiting to upload.
    4

    What gets backed up

    ~17s
    Google Backup saves: your contacts (viewable at contacts.google.com), app data and settings, call history, Wi-Fi passwords, and photos and videos (through Google Photos). SMS text messages are backed up on some Android versions — if yours does not, the free app "SMS Backup & Restore" from the Play Store can help.
    5

    Restore your phone from a backup

    ~22s
    When you get a new Android phone, sign in with your Google account during setup and choose "Restore from backup." Select your most recent backup from the list. Your contacts, apps, and settings will transfer over automatically.

    Warning

    For your backup to be complete, keep your phone connected to Wi-Fi and plugged in overnight at least once a week. Backups only happen when you are on Wi-Fi.

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    Official Resources

    Apple Support — iPhoneGoogle Help — AndroidSamsung Support

    Sources used to create and verify this guide. View all sources →

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    How to Back Up Your Android Phone to Google — Step-by-Step Guide | TekSure