[Q] Need help restoring a backup taken from Helium

pspuser007 · Feb 7, 2014

I've taken a backup of all the app data with Helium (checked "Backup app data only") via my laptop's browser (connecting to the local IP address of the server) and now, after unlocking bootloader, flashing TWRP, and gaining root I need to restore it.

(I've posted this at the Help thread, but since it seems to be more than a simple question I'm migrating it here.)

To sum what I've done so far:
How I've taken the backup:
Opened Helium Server via my laptop's browser and selected all the apps, checked the "Backup App Data Only" and then clicked backup, it asked me where to save the zip file, clicked ok and now I have a backup of about 80MBs.

Now I want to restore the backup, what I've done:

Installed Helium
Connected it successfuly with my laptop running run.sh script
Opened helium and selected settings and then the 1st option (sth about PC), so I got the local address of the Helium server
Accessed the server via my laptop's browser and clicked browse to select my backup file
It said uploading and after that the list of all the apps showed up, clicked the Restore button
At the phone, the Backup/Restore dialog opened, a quick message showed up in this dialog about the 1st app (9gag) and then the dialog closed (not force close) with a toast notification saying "Restore starting..."
After that I got a message at my laptop's browser that "Restore complete" although no such thing happened

So, what can I do now?

Is there any way to manually restore the apps via adb restore now that I don't have an ab file? Actually I don't care using GUI, I just want to proceed restoring the backup, I've seen these threads here and here but I have a zip file, not an ab.
Does helium backup uses adb backup and then this tool to convert the ab file to zip?

Really frustrated that this has taken up so much time..

jsgraphicart · Feb 7, 2014

I have never used or even heard of Helium before today. But I looked it up and read the description. One of the points said "You may need to set your USB Connection Mode to "PTP". (Nexus 7, Nexus 10, etc)". Did you do that?

And maybe you should try Titanium Backup if you havent before. It works Flawlessly.

pspuser007 · Feb 7, 2014

jsgraphicart said:
I have never used or even heard of Helium before today. But I looked it up and read the description. One of the points said "You may need to set your USB Connection Mode to "PTP". (Nexus 7, Nexus 10, etc)". Did you do that?

And maybe you should try Titanium Backup if you havent before. It works Flawlessly.

I've asked at the help thread for a backup application without having root (because Titanium needs root) and they recommended this one.
Yes, it's connected via PTP

I've also tried testing with the app a little bit, here's what I got/done:

Installed an app
Taken a backup of this single app checking the "Backup app data only"
Restored the backup via the browser client (at my laptop) and it said "Restore starting...", but also "Restore finished", but there wasn't any prompt to install the application from Google Play

I've also sent an email to the developer..

jsgraphicart · Feb 7, 2014

pspuser007 said:
I've asked at the help thread for a backup application without having root (because Titanium needs root) and they recommended this one.
Yes, it's connected via PTP

I've also tried testing with the app a little bit, here's what I got/done:

Installed an app

Taken a backup of this single app checking the "Backup app data only"

Restored the backup via the browser client (at my laptop) and it said "Restore starting...", but also "Restore finished", but there wasn't any prompt to install the application from Google Play

I've also sent an email to the developer..

Ive looked into the app a little bit more and watched the video. I'm starting to get interested in the app. lol. You said you backed up app data only. Maybe you need to download the app first.

pspuser007 · Feb 7, 2014

jsgraphicart said:
Ive looked into the app a little bit more and watched the video. I'm starting to get interested in the app. lol. You said you backed up app data only. Maybe you need to download the app first.

Well, it says at the option "Backup app data only" that "You will be prompted to download the app from Google Play before restoring.", so something surely goes wrong. Maybe I've hit a bug, I don't know. I hope I get a prompt reply from the devs team.

Also, I've tried doing that with viber and it didn't work. So I've browsed through /sdcard/Android/data/ and here's the result of

Code:

ls -l

.

Note that the only non standard package is

Code:

com.ninegag.android.app.tmp

, which is probably the one that flashes when I click restore just before the app goes off focus and posting the toast notification "Starting Restore...".

jsgraphicart · Feb 7, 2014

pspuser007 said:
Well, it says at the option "Backup app data only" that "You will be prompted to download the app from Google Play before restoring.", so something surely goes wrong. Maybe I've hit a bug, I don't know. I hope I get a prompt reply from the devs team.

Also, I've tried doing that with viber and it didn't work. So I've browsed through /sdcard/Android/data/ and here's the result of

Code:

ls -l

.

Note that the only non standard package is

Code:

com.ninegag.android.app.tmp

, which is probably the one that flashes when I click restore just before the app goes off focus and posting the toast notification "Starting Restore...".

Well just to see, download an app first and then restore the data and see if it works. If it does, then its just not prompting you to download the app.

pspuser007 · Feb 7, 2014

jsgraphicart said:
Well just to see, download an app first and then restore the data and see if it works. If it does, then its just not prompting you to download the app.

Nothing happened :/

jsgraphicart · Feb 7, 2014

pspuser007 said:
Nothing happened :/

With my lack of experience with the app, I dont know what else to say. I guess just wait and hope you hear back from the dev. Sorry

Ghengis042 · Feb 20, 2014

Total shot in the dark, but I saw some mention earlier that Helium (maybe adb-backup itself?) has issues running on a PIN-locked device. Maybe try disabling your phone security before doing the restore? It can't hurt to check, at least.

I had an issue on another device, where an adb backup with a password showed similar problems on restore -- "starting restore" then immediately "restore complete" or whatever, without actually writing any files. Making a new backup without a password "fixed" this -- the restore actually worked. Not sure if that helps you at all, since your old data is already gone

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[Q] Need help restoring a backup taken from Helium

pspuser007

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jsgraphicart

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pspuser007

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jsgraphicart

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pspuser007

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jsgraphicart

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pspuser007

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jsgraphicart

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Ghengis042

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