After having done next to nothing with my new
phone the first backup to USB I did ended up
as a 4gb SmartSwitchBackup2 folder tree. I just
did a Factory Reset followed by another backup
and this one is only 700mb. Is there any reference
saying what size a Factory Reset backup should
be? I'm at a loss trying to understand this huge
difference.

Similarly, what's the difference between doing
a Factory Reset or instead of that just a
recovery from a previous backup made immediately
after such a reset?

Finally are all the instances of Android OS the
same on all android phones? The reason I'm asking
is that my Flip5 tells me that it cannot find any
external medium so I should plug in an SD card
or a USB device even though this phone has no SD
card port even (not to mention that all this
time it's plugged into and being read by my
computer with a path ready to accept the backup).

bad sector wrote:

> are all the instances of Android OS the
> same on all android phones?

Phone manufacturers see fit to make changes to their phones to
differentiate them, no doubt they see this as a good thing, I doubt the
users agree ...

> The reason I'm asking
> is that my Flip5 tells me that it cannot find any
> external medium so I should plug in an SD card
> or a USB device even though this phone has no SD
> card port even

Only my first Android phone had an SD slot (just as well as it only had
0.5 GB of onboard storage). Since then Google's on devices have relied
on a reasonable amount of fixed storage plus cloud storage.

> (not to mention that all this
> time it's plugged into and being read by my
> computer with a path ready to accept the backup).

Plugging your phone into a PC can allow your PC to see [some of] the
phone's storage, e.g. for copying photos, but it doesn't allow the phone
to store files e.g. backups onto your PC.

On 12/3/23 4:12 AM, Andy Burns wrote:
> bad sector wrote:
>
>> are all the instances of Android OS the
>> same on all android phones?
>
> Phone manufacturers see fit to make changes to their phones to
> differentiate them, no doubt they see this as a good thing, I doubt the
> users agree ...
>
>> The reason I'm asking
>> is that my Flip5 tells me that it cannot find any
>> external medium so I should plug in an SD card
>> or a USB device even though this phone has no SD
>> card port even
>
> Only my first Android phone had an SD slot (just as well as it only had
> 0.5 GB of onboard storage). Since then Google's on devices have relied
> on a reasonable amount of fixed storage plus cloud storage.

Cloud storage I will never go near, its purpose
was crystal clear the minute it was invented.

But thanks for chiming in, I wanted to know if
all Android OS'es were the same (except for version),
so Samsung likely saw fit to mod the OS but not
enough to write out the SD card that the phone
doesn't even have.

>> (not to mention that all this
>> time it's plugged into and being read by my
>> computer with a path ready to accept the backup).
>
> Plugging your phone into a PC can allow your PC to see [some of] the
> phone's storage, e.g. for copying photos, but it doesn't allow the phone
> to store files e.g. backups onto your PC.

THAT's exactly what I wonder about, why the phone
would not allow this, after all in this sense the
computer is just another external storage device
and its file system (ext4) isn't even proprietary.

I just got a hold of this on the Samsung NG:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2akckAYM5DA

that 'older' phone has

- a SIM card
- an SD card
- an easily removable battery

...all the features I would want but two of which
my bleeding edge Flip5 has already been liberated
from, and I've also read that physical (God forbid
easily REMOVABLE) SIM cards are also set to become
eSIM that cannot be removed.

bad sector wrote:

> Samsung likely saw fit to mod the OS but not enough to write out the
> SD card that the phone doesn't even have.

I don't know Samsungs very well, but thought they generally did have SD
cards, I inherited one from my father and gave it away to a nephew ...

On 12/3/23 8:53 AM, Andy Burns wrote:
>
> bad sector wrote:
>
>> Samsung likely saw fit to mod the OS but not enough to write out the
>> SD card that the phone doesn't even have.
>
> I don't know Samsungs very well, but thought they generally did have SD
> cards, I inherited one from my father and gave it away to a nephew ...

My IT advisor told me to buy Motorola, maybe I shudda listened to him

bad sector <forgetski@_invalid.net> wrote:
>
> After having done next to nothing with my new
> phone the first backup to USB I did ended up
> as a 4gb SmartSwitchBackup2 folder tree. I just
> did a Factory Reset followed by another backup
> and this one is only 700mb. Is there any reference
> saying what size a Factory Reset backup should
> be? I'm at a loss trying to understand this huge
> difference.

The normal backup includes everything you have selected (read: not
unselected), which includes all media (photos, videos, music),
documents, apps, app data, etc., etc.. Just look at the settings in the
Smart Switch program (assuming with "backup to USB" you mean "backup via
a USB connection to a (Windows?) computer").

The backup after a Factory Reset contains none of this, because it has
been wiped.

> Similarly, what's the difference between doing
> a Factory Reset or instead of that just a
> recovery from a previous backup made immediately
> after such a reset?

It would leave the extra stuff on the phone, i.e. it would *not* be
wiped.

> Finally are all the instances of Android OS the
> same on all android phones? The reason I'm asking
> is that my Flip5 tells me that it cannot find any
> external medium so I should plug in an SD card
> or a USB device even though this phone has no SD
> card port even (not to mention that all this
> time it's plugged into and being read by my
> computer with a path ready to accept the backup).

It said to plug in an SD card *or* a USB device. The "USB device" is
probably meant to be a USB *storage* device, i.e. a OTG USB memory-stick
(or a regular USB memory stick via a OTG adapter). The USB connection to
your computer is not a USB storage device but a USB connection to a
computer.

When you reply, specify which model phone you have (probably some
Samsung as you mention Smart Switch).

And in case you discuss the "Flip5", specify its brand, etc..

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote

> Plugging your phone into a PC can allow your PC to see [some of] the
> phone's storage, e.g. for copying photos, but it doesn't allow the phone
> to store files e.g. backups onto your PC.

Just to add value to that statement, you can see almost all the phone's
storage from the PC but you can only read some of it (e.g., you can copy
the HOSTS file off of an unrooted Android but you can't write to it).

My Samsung is unrootable & here is what I can see in the / partition.
<https://i.postimg.cc/BvJdKWzt/webdav06.jpg> Both sdcards mounted

Note the mounting of the external sd card & internal storage each as its
own drive letter.

I "think" there is some storage that is not visible but I can't see it.
:)

bad sector <forgetski@invalid.net> wrote

>>> Samsung likely saw fit to mod the OS but not enough to write out the
>>> SD card that the phone doesn't even have.
>>
>> I don't know Samsungs very well, but thought they generally did have SD
>> cards, I inherited one from my father and gave it away to a nephew ...
>
> My IT advisor told me to buy Motorola, maybe I shudda listened to him

I have had five free Samsung Galaxy A32-5G phones from T-Mobile and _all_
of them have sd slots, aux ports and FM radios. Alas, only my $140 LG Stylo
3 Plus had the removable battery. My $100 Moto-G had no sd card slot.

Personally, I'd never again buy a phone that doesn't have these things,
as I format all my sd cards to the same volume name (0000-0001) which
allows me to pop one out into another phone and it works perfectly.

The apps that stored stuff on the sd card don't even know that it's a
different sd card - it works that well in practice.
<https://i.postimg.cc/yYWwgGmy/webdav12.jpg> As Windows drive letters

And best of all, I don't use the USB cable all that much anymore
because it's all done over Wi-Fi.

Plus, my phone is almost feet tall and nine inches wide.
<https://i.postimg.cc/wvsbcNBz/scrcpy05.jpg> Drag APK from Windows

I operate it from Windows even if it's somewhere in the clothes room
or in the kitchen as it doesn't matter where the phone is to use it.
<https://i.postimg.cc/g2yNftw0/scrcpy15.jpg> Trick to pin batch shortcut

Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote

> The normal backup includes everything you have selected

On that note alone, the OP should be apprised that the Nova free launcher
saves the homescreen EXACTLY and allows you to re-create it EXACTLY on not
only the same phone after a backup/restore, but on _any_ Android phone.

I do it all the time.

That EXACT homescreen backup isn't just the widgets, shortcuts & folders.
It's also every app icon in every folder so it's pretty much everything.

To repopulate the apps into the folders, you just slide them from Windows.
<https://i.postimg.cc/wvsbcNBz/scrcpy05.jpg> Drag APK from Windows

Although you could do it with a batch command using adb over Wi-Fi too.
You can even do your entire system setup using adb over Wi-Fi if you like.
<https://i.postimg.cc/d0dcz022/adb13.jpg> Adb using -a for wifi Intents
<https://i.postimg.cc/sxn4F1WS/adb14.jpg> Wi-Fi Calling Activity

On 12/3/23 20:49, Wally J wrote:
> bad sector <forgetski@invalid.net> wrote
>
>>>> Samsung likely saw fit to mod the OS but not enough to write out the
>>>> SD card that the phone doesn't even have.
>>>
>>> I don't know Samsungs very well, but thought they generally did have SD
>>> cards, I inherited one from my father and gave it away to a nephew ...
>>
>> My IT advisor told me to buy Motorola, maybe I shudda listened to him
>
> I have had five free Samsung Galaxy A32-5G phones from T-Mobile and _all_
> of them have sd slots, aux ports and FM radios. Alas, only my $140 LG Stylo
> 3 Plus had the removable battery. My $100 Moto-G had no sd card slot.
>
> Personally, I'd never again buy a phone that doesn't have these things,
> as I format all my sd cards to the same volume name (0000-0001) which
> allows me to pop one out into another phone and it works perfectly.
>
> The apps that stored stuff on the sd card don't even know that it's a
> different sd card - it works that well in practice.
> <https://i.postimg.cc/yYWwgGmy/webdav12.jpg> As Windows drive letters
>
> And best of all, I don't use the USB cable all that much anymore
> because it's all done over Wi-Fi.
>
> Plus, my phone is almost feet tall and nine inches wide.
> <https://i.postimg.cc/wvsbcNBz/scrcpy05.jpg> Drag APK from Windows
>
> I operate it from Windows even if it's somewhere in the clothes room
> or in the kitchen as it doesn't matter where the phone is to use it.
> <https://i.postimg.cc/g2yNftw0/scrcpy15.jpg> Trick to pin batch shortcut

Thanks, the wifi method sounds cool but I'm not
there yet in my digest-the-manual efforts :-)

As for removable cards and battery they will
become non-negotiable for my next phone, I
can live without a smartphone very well.

On 12/3/23 11:08, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> bad sector <forgetski@_invalid.net> wrote:
>>
>> After having done next to nothing with my new
>> phone the first backup to USB I did ended up
>> as a 4gb SmartSwitchBackup2 folder tree. I just
>> did a Factory Reset followed by another backup
>> and this one is only 700mb. Is there any reference
>> saying what size a Factory Reset backup should
>> be? I'm at a loss trying to understand this huge
>> difference.
>
> The normal backup includes everything you have selected (read: not
> unselected), which includes all media (photos, videos, music),
> documents, apps, app data, etc., etc.. Just look at the settings in the
> Smart Switch program (assuming with "backup to USB" you mean "backup via
> a USB connection to a (Windows?) computer").

Well I probably selected "All" which I presume
would include all items regardless of whether
they were individually slected; this would not
be the source of any such huge size difference
though.

> The backup after a Factory Reset contains none of this, because it has
> been wiped.

Most likely I only thought that I was still on a
new phone when I did my first backup of 4gb. In
the real world I might already have installed
F-Droid and who knows what else. I'm going to
ask the provider dealer to restore my phone to
exactly what it was when they gave it to me and
I will have my answer.

>> Similarly, what's the difference between doing
>> a Factory Reset or instead of that just a
>> recovery from a previous backup made immediately
>> after such a reset?
>
> It would leave the extra stuff on the phone, i.e. it would *not* be
> wiped.

That is good info, thank you. I had thought more
along the lines of an image file made with dd as
opposed to this which sounds more like a 'copy'
command, the different file sizes should have
been a hint :-)

>> Finally are all the instances of Android OS the
>> same on all android phones? The reason I'm asking
>> is that my Flip5 tells me that it cannot find any
>> external medium so I should plug in an SD card
>> or a USB device even though this phone has no SD
>> card port even (not to mention that all this
>> time it's plugged into and being read by my
>> computer with a path ready to accept the backup).
>
> It said to plug in an SD card *or* a USB device. The "USB device" is
> probably meant to be a USB *storage* device, i.e. a OTG USB memory-stick
> (or a regular USB memory stick via a OTG adapter). The USB connection to
> your computer is not a USB storage device but a USB connection to a
> computer.
>
> When you reply, specify which model phone you have (probably some
> Samsung as you mention Smart Switch).
>
> And in case you discuss the "Flip5", specify its brand, etc..

It's a Samsung Z Flip5G the other model
name being SM-F731W (as shown @ Settings > About phone)

bad sector <forgetski@_INVALID.net> wrote

> In
> the real world I might already have installed
> F-Droid and who knows what else.

F-Droid has been deprecated for a long time, as far as I know.

Use F-Droid Basic instead. <https://f-droid.org/packages/org.fdroid.basic/>
<https://f-droid.org/repo/org.fdroid.basic_1019000.apk>

Also Aurora is far better than the Google Play Store in many ways.
<https://auroraoss.com/>

And App Finder is a great way to find apps on the Google Play Store repo.
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=scadica.aq>