Samsung Galaxy: backing up with Samsung Cloud or Google, and which to use

A backup is a safety copy of your phone, kept online, so a lost or broken phone does not mean lost photos and contacts. Galaxy phones offer two options, and you can use both.

The two options

• Samsung Cloud is tied to your Samsung account. It can back up things such as settings, call logs, messages, the home screen layout and some app data. Free storage is limited, and the details of what is included have changed between versions, so check what your phone offers.
• Google backup (using Google One) is tied to your Google account. It backs up app data, contacts, device settings and, if you turn it on, photos through Google Photos. Free Google storage is shared with Gmail and Drive, and more costs a monthly fee.

For most people, using Google for contacts and photos and Samsung Cloud for phone settings is a sensible mix. Neither is a perfect copy of everything.

Turning backups on

1. Open Settings and tap Accounts and backup.
2. Tap Back up data (or Samsung Cloud, depending on the version).
3. Choose the Samsung account backup and tick what you want to include, then tap Back up now.
4. For Google, look for Back up data under the Google heading in the same area, or in Settings then Google. Turn on Backup by Google One and tap Back up now.

Wording differs slightly by model and One UI version.

Good habits

• Stay on Wi-Fi and plug the phone in for the first backup.
• Check how much storage you have left. A full cloud means a failed backup.
• Photos matter most. Make sure they are going to Google Photos or another service you trust, and check by opening them on a computer.
• Backups can miss things such as WhatsApp history or some banking apps. Use each app's own backup option.
• Never delete the originals until you have confirmed the backup copy opens.

When to get more help

Ask for help if a backup keeps failing, if you are running out of storage, or before wiping a phone that holds photos you cannot replace.