Gadgetory

ever since we've been recording information taking down notes and keeping track of stuff but information can suddenly vanish data can suddenly become unusable records can suddenly become scrambled that's why we keep duplicate triplicate even quadruplicate copies that's why we keep backups hi I'm mark welcome to Android Authority many years ago carbon paper was the vogue way for creating backup copies of paper documents backing up data digitally is essentially similar in this video I'm going to show you how to use an Android app that works just like the carbon paper of the yesteryears in fact it's aptly named Carbon app sync and backup in a nutshell Carbon app sync and backup creates digital carbon copies of your messages call logs device settings apps app data and app settings with carbon you can sync apps among different devices backup directly from mobile device to computer and even scheduled backups it works on both rooted or non rooted devices running Android 4.0 and higher except according to the developer Motorola devices and certain experience in this guide I'll be demonstrating the premium version of the app on an unrooted nexus 4 carbon is a truly helpful and useful app let me show you how to enable and set up carbon before starting download and install the app from the Google Play Store unless your phone is rooted you'll need to enable and set it up so you can start using it here's how to do it on your computer download the Carbon desktop installer and if needed install it there are versions for Windows Linux and Mac on your Android device and able USB debugging this is usually found in settings developer options then set the USB connection mode to PTP instead of MTP Carbon requires this the procedure for switching between MTP and PTP may vary from phone to phone on the nexus 4 for instance go to settings storage and tap the menu button then toggle camera mode or PTP then you also need to make the Android debug bridge or ADB recognize your device when it's plugged into the PC this means that you may need to install device drivers for Windows or add you dev rules and Linux now run carbon on your device connect your non-rooted Android to your PC via USB cable then run Carbon desktop installer on your computer and follow the prompts on your Android device you'll get a confirmation on your Android device saying that carbon has been successfully enabled also if your phone is non rooted you'll need to run Carbon desktop installer every time you reboot your phone now you're all set first let's take a quick look at the interface this is a very clean and straightforward UI the main screen has two tabs the backup tab and the restore and sync tab on the backup tab you'll see this pull up pane which has backup options and settings this one's the schedule button which will be useful to you only if you have the paid version now let me show you the basics of backing up your apps and data using carbon on the backup tab check off those items that you want to backup on the rooted device you'll also be able to backup certain items such as Wi-Fi settings if you want to backup everything just pull up the bottom pane and tap the select all button if you want to save app data only check this option here this will also create smaller backup files as the apps themselves won't be saved you can also group your backup items just select the items you want to include in the group then type a name for the group here grouped items can come in handy if you just want to restore a subset of your backups later finally tap the backup button to start backing up pick a location for your backup files you can choose internal or external storage which in my experience is faster you can also choose cloud storage such as Google Drive Dropbox or box just log in to your cloud accounts when prompted you should see progress indicators when done Carbon confirms that backing up has completed remember that the more apps and files you select the longer the backup process may take you can also automate backups according to a schedule so your backups stay always up-to-date and fresh here's how to do it go to the backup tab select items that you want to backup decide whether to backup only app data or to include the apps themselves tap the backup button from the pop up dialog select scheduled backup you'll see the scheduler dialog like this tap the time to change the scheduled time for running the task let's change this to 11 a.m. check off each day of the week on which you want the backup to run this task for example will run every 11:00 in the morning on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays if you want to use only a Wi-Fi connection when backing up enable this this other option causes carbon to run the task only when your device is charging down here are icons of the items included in this scheduled backup if you tap this rightmost icon you can select the destination for the scheduled backup tap ok to save the schedule there you can view your list of scheduled backups by going to the main screen then tapping this clock icon tap on an item to edit it or long tap to delete it now you know how the backup I'll now show you how to restore it's very easy to do with a carbon app go to the restore and sync tab tap on the location of your backup files you should be able to see a list of your saved groups and your backed up items select which apps or AB group you want to restore then tap the restore button to begin the process you should be able to see a confirmation at the end to restore from the cloud your device needs to be connected to the Internet just connect to your cloud storage service select items to be restored and tap the restore button again you'll get confirmation when the restore is finished it's that easy apps syncing I believe is one of the most powerful features of the carbon app through this feature you can sing apps on two or more devices just as long as carbon is installed and enabled on the devices they are logged into the same Google account and they are connected to the same wireless network here's how the sing apps and their settings and data from one device to another either receiving device launched carbon and open the restore and sync tab you should see all your linked devices under my devices if not try tapping refresh device list tap on the device name to see the list of installed apps on that device then select those that you want to sync or restore from the other device if you sync an app that doesn't exist on your device yet it will be installed straight from the other device after data and settings will be synced to if the app already exists on your device only the settings and data will be synced once you've made your selections tap the restore button and watch carbon do its magic you'll be notified once restoration or syncing is done have limited internal or external storage space can't trust cloud storage services with your data don't fret Carbon app sync and backup let's see save backups to your computer over a Wi-Fi connection the Carbon feature to use is called PC download neatly tucked away in the menu here's how to use it tap the Menu button on Carbon screen and select PC download you'll see a screen similar to this if this huge button is green and you see your IP address it means you're good to go if it's not green tap on the big button to start the Carbon server on your computer launch a web browser open the IP address and port number provided by Carbon server you'll see a web interface similar to this these are the apps installed on your device to backup apps select the apps by clicking on them you can also opt to backup only app data by enabling this option tap this button to begin your browser will download a zip file containing the backed up files save them to a convenient place on your computer to restore from a backup zip just click this button select your backup file or drag and drop the backup file to this gray zone here Carbon will ask for confirmation before proceeding with restoration click on the blue restore button to start restoring the backup to your device generally your web browser will tell you when restoration has finished although sometimes but if you monitor your device you will see a small notification on the screen saying that the restoration process has finished if you want a reliable way to back up your apps or to synched app data and settings among your various Android without having to root your device Carbon app sync and backup may be the solution you're looking for in the last few minutes I've shown you the wonders of carbon and steps on how to use the app I hope you find this video helpful for more Android guides news and reviews visit android authority comm and subscribe to our youtube channel thanks for watching I'm mark glad to be of service until next time and remember the power of Android is yours