What we need is a more reliable ability to restore data to apps, particularly across phones. This used to be possible with 3rd party apps, but they borked it a long time ago.
Scoped storage (only one app has access to its own data folders) is the heart of the problem. Not saying it's wrong, as I understand the rationale.
This makes root necessary to permit a different app to write to those folders.
And then apps need to be coded in a way that doesn't cause problems with restored data. Because even with root, this can sometimes happen.
Nah I don't think that's it, rather the app data is tied to that specific phone via a number Google assigns to it. So, if you go to a new phone, or even factory reset your phone, you cannot restore data - even using root and apps that would backup the app data folder. Like I say, it used to work, it hasn't for years.
Another reason to root. Then Neobackup.
Neobackup, thanks, I'll give that a try. I've used Titanium Backup back in the day, and maybe one or two others, but not had any luck with restoring into a new install.
I could see it maybe being useful for certain large games that you only play occasionally, but...
That'd mean redownloading right when you actually want to play, which is a pain. Also, in ability to tell it to archive or un-archive something manually makes that situation even worse.
It feels like those "ram doublers" back in the day... Neat in theory, but just painful in reality. It puts a check mark on a sales pitch, but doesn't actually help anyone.
Yeah. For persistence and cross-device stuff, it makes more sense for it to be stored server-side. Either by the app author, or maybe Google could offer a few kB free for each app, like how Chrome provides a bit of storage for extension settings.
Backups. I have apps that I specifically won't update for X reasons, and I have titanium backup to manage the backups. If I didn't need root to manage backing up and restoring individual apps then I'd only have one or two more use for root.
Is titback still functional? Had many issues on A13
I haven’t tried it on 13 yet. I haven’t done a single software update on my pixel 4 for that very reason. All of the newer devices I’ve used aren’t rooted.
Just like Nextbit!
@FragmentedChicken If you have a device with less than 32 GB of storage, App Archival could do little to help you reclaim space (and I'm telling it from my experience). 60% is too little space saved when you use multiple apps. But otherwise, if you like to download apps because they seem interesting, and then you forget about them, this is a nifty feature indeed.
Uhm. Newsflash. My Vanilla Android 9.1.0's vanilla Play Store already does... 🙄
Edit: Apologies for the tone above. I deserve the downvotes. 😅
What "vanilla" play store do you have? I have Android phones running android 4 through 13 and none of them natively have something like that built in.
First off, my apologies for the tone of my first post. I am cyclothimic and sometimes (in bad moments) shouldn't be on social media. Hard to draw that line sometimes, though.
Secondly, in a more positive manner and admitting my error in comparing native in Android to the Play Store: I had this message popup on a full phone in the Play Store if I wanted to enable it. It is now also in my Play Store settings underneath "Google Play Feedback".
I have Play Store v39.4.23-21 [O] [PR] 599960585
It also only sometimes does Archiving, but not often. Usually it'll just still pop-up the uninstall-other-apps popup as usual.
This is not something you can choose. It chooses the apps for you itself
What we need is a more reliable ability to restore data to apps, particularly across phones. This used to be possible with 3rd party apps, but they borked it a long time ago.
Scoped storage (only one app has access to its own data folders) is the heart of the problem. Not saying it's wrong, as I understand the rationale.
This makes root necessary to permit a different app to write to those folders.
And then apps need to be coded in a way that doesn't cause problems with restored data. Because even with root, this can sometimes happen.
Nah I don't think that's it, rather the app data is tied to that specific phone via a number Google assigns to it. So, if you go to a new phone, or even factory reset your phone, you cannot restore data - even using root and apps that would backup the app data folder. Like I say, it used to work, it hasn't for years.
Another reason to root. Then Neobackup.
Neobackup, thanks, I'll give that a try. I've used Titanium Backup back in the day, and maybe one or two others, but not had any luck with restoring into a new install.
What would be the point?
I could see it maybe being useful for certain large games that you only play occasionally, but...
That'd mean redownloading right when you actually want to play, which is a pain. Also, in ability to tell it to archive or un-archive something manually makes that situation even worse.
It feels like those "ram doublers" back in the day... Neat in theory, but just painful in reality. It puts a check mark on a sales pitch, but doesn't actually help anyone.
Yeah. For persistence and cross-device stuff, it makes more sense for it to be stored server-side. Either by the app author, or maybe Google could offer a few kB free for each app, like how Chrome provides a bit of storage for extension settings.
Backups. I have apps that I specifically won't update for X reasons, and I have titanium backup to manage the backups. If I didn't need root to manage backing up and restoring individual apps then I'd only have one or two more use for root.
Is titback still functional? Had many issues on A13
I haven’t tried it on 13 yet. I haven’t done a single software update on my pixel 4 for that very reason. All of the newer devices I’ve used aren’t rooted.
Just like Nextbit!
@FragmentedChicken If you have a device with less than 32 GB of storage, App Archival could do little to help you reclaim space (and I'm telling it from my experience). 60% is too little space saved when you use multiple apps. But otherwise, if you like to download apps because they seem interesting, and then you forget about them, this is a nifty feature indeed.
Uhm. Newsflash. My Vanilla Android 9.1.0's vanilla Play Store already does... 🙄
Edit: Apologies for the tone above. I deserve the downvotes. 😅
What "vanilla" play store do you have? I have Android phones running android 4 through 13 and none of them natively have something like that built in.
First off, my apologies for the tone of my first post. I am cyclothimic and sometimes (in bad moments) shouldn't be on social media. Hard to draw that line sometimes, though.
Secondly, in a more positive manner and admitting my error in comparing native in Android to the Play Store: I had this message popup on a full phone in the Play Store if I wanted to enable it. It is now also in my Play Store settings underneath "Google Play Feedback".
I have Play Store v39.4.23-21 [O] [PR] 599960585
It also only sometimes does Archiving, but not often. Usually it'll just still pop-up the uninstall-other-apps popup as usual.
This is not something you can choose. It chooses the apps for you itself
True.