Performing backups regularly is vital to ensuring that none of your personal user data is lost.
One of the easiest ways to back up your data is by plugging your phone directly into a computer with the USB cable that you originally received. You can then copy your important files (such as photos, videos and music) across for safe keeping.
You can also sync your Contacts, Calendar, Settings and more with your Google account. To ensure this is enabled, follow the steps below (note that the steps may differ slightly for your specific device):
- Click on the 'Settings' button.
- Select the 'Backup & Restore' option.
- Make sure 'Back up my data' and 'Automatic restore' are both ticked.
- Click the 'Backup my account' option.
- Select an account or 'Add Account'.
Once this has been completed, your phone will automatically back up data to the Google Cloud Service.
To back up photos you can sync the phone through 'Google Photos' by following the steps below:
- Click on the 'Google Photos' button.
- Press the 'Menu' button on the bottom of the phone, this normally has three lines across it.
- Select 'Auto backup'.
- Turn 'Auto Backup' to ON.
This allows you to sync the photos with your Google account.
Alternatively there are a large amount of 3rd party apps available in the Google Play Store that can be used to back up your data, including text messages. Dropbox and Google Drive, for example, are great free and easy to use services.