Looking for a solution for android file/folder backup.

[FilipeKun]

Good night folks.

This is currently my first post here on LTT, so hope we can get along.

Here's my current situation, unfortunately my android device decided to komit sudoku (mobo overheated), so i sent to warranty repair, which resulted in me loosing all the data i had on the device (mobo was replaced, where high chances the UFS NAND would be borked too). Now i do really feel ashamed of myself because i know the importance of having backups and due how much i'm into IT and the fact that such situation happen to me, it drove me nuts for a few days. Fortunately i decided to move on.

 

So now, i'm trying to find solutions to backup/sync a amount of selected folder/files from my android to either a PC or a future local storage i plan to create.

I've found a few solutions, such as Syncthing, Nextcloud, FoldSync, and even termux + rsync, but it feels like some of those solutions are either "too incomplete?", or feels "too bloaty"
Does anyone has any suggestions?

Currently i don't have that many points in what i'm looking for, as this is probably the first time i'm trying to find solutions on a android device situation, unfortunately results are lame and also in low quantity because alot of stuffs mentions to use google, microsoft, etc. I kinda really want to avoid that, hell i would probably even go to the lengths of creating my own, but that's probably too much.
 

Either way, i'm looking forward to know what others do use to backup them devices in case if well, such situations like mine happen.

[Kilrah]

Syncthing works fine for me.

[LogicalDrm]

Without knowing whats your issue with those platforms you already rules out, its going to be hard to suggest anything. I use Resilio Sync for syncing media across devices, You could use that for backup too.

[FilipeKun]

On 6/18/2025 at 9:22 AM, LogicalDrm said:

Without knowing whats your issue with those platforms you already rules out, its going to be hard to suggest anything. I use Resilio Sync for syncing media across devices, You could use that for backup too.

Synchting from what i've searched stopped supporting android, due to recent android changes, still possible due someone forked it and made a wrapper around it.

Nextcloud from what i've also searched has a suite, but idk if i can just keep it minimalist over going to the full suite when i probably wont even use half of it

Foldsync while it's getting heavily recommended, it also has a cost, is not that big, but anything that has cost even if it's highly recommended kinda makes me be really wary about it, because today can be a recommendation, tomorrow could be a no go.

termux + sync on a nerdy side, seems pretty pog, but at the moment is kinda "too much" for what i probably want to do

 

Overall, while i did listed these doesn't means they're a complete no go, having a general opinion from people here could help me out over checking 10-20 posts from like last year which opinion could change overtime.

Currently still searching out solutions.

 

As for backup, is a more of a general use over not just media or images.

Looking forward for some more feedback. 

[Kilrah]

6 hours ago, FilipeKun said:

Synchting from what i've searched stopped supporting android, due to recent android changes, still possible due someone forked it and made a wrapper around it.

Yeah, the one I'm using is literally called Syncthing-Fork  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.github.catfriend1.syncthingandroid

 

6 hours ago, FilipeKun said:

Nextcloud from what i've also searched has a suite, but idk if i can just keep it minimalist over going to the full suite when i probably wont even use half of it

Yeah, most things other than file storage are "apps" you can choose to install or not on the server.

[LogicalDrm]

11 hours ago, FilipeKun said:

Foldsync while it's getting heavily recommended, it also has a cost, is not that big, but anything that has cost even if it's highly recommended kinda makes me be really wary about it, because today can be a recommendation, tomorrow could be a no go.

Single small payment now vs subscription is something I would jump immediately if I liked the software already.

 

That said, I would recommend you check out Resilio Sync. I've been using it for 10 years. Mainly for media syncing as I rely G Drive and OneDrive for basic backup. I use it only at hotel WiFi, but I know it can be configured to sync over public WiFi or mobile data. Just read that they've removed paid licenses for personal users too.