Seedvault

A backup application for the Android Open Source Project.

If you are having an issue/question, please look at our FAQ.

Components

• Local Contacts Backup - an app that backs up local on-device contacts
• Storage library - a library handling efficient backup of files
• Seedvault app - the main app where all functionality comes together

Features

• Backup application data to a flash drive.
• Restore application data from a flash drive.
• User-friendly encryption using a mnemonic phrase (BIP39).
• Automatic daily backups that run in the background.

Requirements

• Android 11

For older versions of Android, check out the branches.

Getting Started

• Check out the wiki for information on building the application with AOSP.

What makes this different?

This application is compiled with the operating system and does not require a rooted device for use. It uses the same internal APIs as adb backup which is deprecated and thus needs a replacement.

Permissions

• android.permission.BACKUP to back up application data.
• android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE to check if there is internet access when network storage is used.
• android.permission.MANAGE_USB to access the serial number of USB mass storage devices.
• android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS to change system backup settings and enable call log backup.
• android.permission.QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES to get information about all installed apps for backup.
• android.permission.INSTALL_PACKAGES to re-install apps when restoring from backup.
• android.permission.MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE to backup and restore files from device storage.
• android.permission.ACCESS_MEDIA_LOCATION to backup original media files e.g. without stripped EXIF metadata.
• android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE to do periodic storage backups without interruption.
• android.permission.MANAGE_DOCUMENTS to retrieve the available storage roots (optional) for better UX.

Contributing

Bug reports and pull requests are welcome on GitHub at https://github.com/seedvault-app/seedvault.

This project aims to adhere to the official Kotlin coding style.

Third-party tools

The Seedvault backup parser allows you to decrypt and inspect your backups. It can also re-encrypt them.

License

This application is available as open source under the terms of the Apache-2.0 License.