Owners of Android smartphones have long been able to create backups in Google Drive. This has also been possible with the Google One subscription service since last year. We explain to you in which ways you can save your mobile phone data on Google.

With every Google account you get 15 GB of free cloud storage space. You can use this to create backups of your Android smartphone and to save photos, videos, contacts, emails, apps, settings and more online. If you switch to another smartphone, you can easily upload this data again.

Since 2019 there has also been a paid subscription service from Google called Google One , with which you can book additional storage space. We'll tell you how Google Drive and Google One differ and how you can create Android backups.

What is the difference between Google Drive and Google One?

In an FAQ overview , Google says the following: "Google Drive is a storage service. Google One is a subscription that gives you more storage space for Google Drive, Gmail and Google Photos." So Google Drive as you knew it stayed with the introduction of Google One. This means that you can still create free backups of your Android smartphone on Google Drive. However, if more than 15 GB of data is collected, for example through high-resolution photos and video, Google One comes into play. You can book cloud storage space with a corresponding subscription, the following table gives an overview of the prices (as of 08/2020):

Create Android Backups: Here's How To Use Google Drive

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You can initiate Google Drive backups via the app (left) or in the settings of your Android smartphone (right).

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You can also select individual files for backup in Google Drive.

Backing up the data on your Android smartphone via Google Drive is very easy. It is best to set the option to have automatic backups created directly. Then you are always on the safe side should your smartphone be lost or broken. You can manually initiate an Android backup with Google Drive in two ways. This is how it works with the app:

1. Open the Google Drive app on your smartphone.
2. Open the menu using the three lines in the top left.
3. Select "Settings" and then "Backup and reset".
4. Under the appropriate smartphone account, tap on "Back up now".

The data on your mobile phone will now be uploaded to the cloud. Via the menu item "Backups" you can see at any time when the last backup was created.

Alternatively, you can call up the settings of your Android smartphone. Under "System> Backup" you will find a slider for automatic backups in Google Drive. Regardless of whether these are activated or deactivated, you can also tap on "Back up now" to manually initiate a backup at the current time.

This is how you can back up Android data with the Google One app

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If you need more storage space, you can take out a suitable subscription with Google One.

If you like to take pictures in high resolution or film a lot of 4K videos with your smartphone, the free 15 GB cloud storage may no longer be sufficient at some point. Then Google One offers you the option to subscribe to additional storage space for Google Drive, Gmail or Google Photos. If you are a Google One subscriber, you can use the Google One app for Android backups that are just as easy as with Google Drive. If you log into the app with your Google account, you will also find a "Back up now" button for smartphone backups.

Summary

• You can easily create Android backups via Google Drive or with a Google One subscription and the corresponding app
• Every Google account comes with 15 GB of free cloud storage for backups. Everything that goes beyond that can be purchased via subscription
• In the settings of your Android smartphone you can activate automatic backups with Google Drive ("System> Backup> Save in Google Drive") or make manual backups. You can also find the same option in the Google Drive app ("Settings> Backup and reset> Back up now")
• If you are a Google One subscriber, you can alternatively make backups using the Google One app