What is simplest backup option for my use case?

AmphibiousExploringVehicle

Hi all,

New GrapheneOS user. I've read a lot about different backup options including the unreliability of Seedvault. Before I dive into it, I wanted to ask the community what would be the ideal backup solution for my use case.

Realistically all I absolutely need to backup are my:

-Contacts
-Photos
-2FA authenticator app data

Ideally, what I would like to be able to restore from a back up are:

-Contacts
-Photos
-Each user profile I created (3 atm: Owner, Financial, and "Google")
-The settings that exist on these profiles
-The apps installed and if not, at least their config settings

I don't care about anything else, no messages, no SMS, no files, nada. I also really dont mind restoring things doing a fresh install of GOS and manually rebuilding, but I'd rather avoid the hassle if I can. Would Seedvault be okay for my use case or would it be more of a pain than it is worth?

rb411

I really don't know much about what exactly Seedvault can do, other than that I see a lot of complaining about it being inadequate and unreliable. Personally, I just back up anything I need individually, and will have to manually restore each of those on a new phone if needed. Here's what I use if you're interested

Export contacts as VCF file, manually copied to Proton Drive.
Ente Photos for photo backup and storage
Ente Auth for 2FA Codes.
A few other manually saved backup files to Proton Drive, such as the config file for OLauncher Clutter-Free (my launcher)

AmphibiousExploringVehicle

Thanks that seems simple enough, it seems like Seedvault isn't worth the hassle. I have a minimal # of apps anyway it probably wont be a huge burden to rebuild.

JulianKaiser

Seedvault is probably the simplest for your setup if you want local backups without cloud.
It backs up app data + settings to USB drive or internal storage partition, encrypted, and works offline. Just enable it in Settings > System > Backup, pick external storage, and run manual backup when needed. No account, no internet, low hassle.
If you skip Seedvault, Titanium Backup (with root) or manual copy of /data/media/0 for photos/docs is next easiest, but Seedvault covers more without extra apps.
Test a restore on a spare device first though. What apps are you most worried about losing data from?

AmphibiousExploringVehicle

Interesting, I dont have a 2nd device at the moment I could test the backup on, but maybe it is worth getting one just in case. Honestly I dont really care about losing any of my data. All of the messages, photos, are not priceless for me. I really only care about losing access to my email, password manager and 2FA app data. It is more just to avoid the hassle of manually rebuilding another GOS phone since it is quite a manual process to set it all up.