What Does Syncing Mean On Android? A Guide

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Have you ever wondered what it means for a device to “sync?” well, before we even attempt to answer that question, it is important to highlight the fact that there used to be a time when backing up an Android device was a really big deal. A few years ago, you would need to be physically connected to a computer to be able to back-up your files. Time has however changed everything as it does not take much to back-up your files on an Android device.

What does syncing mean on Android?

Syncing on your Android device simply means to synchronize your contacts and other information to Google. You should be able to access this by checking out Settings>Accounts and then sync. The sync function on your Android device simply syncs things such as your contacts, documents, and contacts to certain services such as Google, Facebook, and the likes.

The moment the device syncs, it simply means that it is connecting data from your Android device to the server. The good thing about this function is that if you switch phones and the new phone can sync, you will be able to get back your documents and contacts to your phone.

How Difficult Is It To Sync An Android Device?

Syncing your Android device to backup data has become a rather easy and straightforward process these days. Much of the work is usually done behind the scene either with your efforts or a one-time set-up when you first switch on your mobile device. Also, you should know that restoring your data is a pretty straightforward process that just requires you signing into your device and allowing Google to do their work.

Why Is Syncing Your Android Device Important?

If you consider your data as important syncing should be important for you. Your data is a precious thing that should be kept safe and retrievable at all times. By syncing backing up the relevant data on your device, you would be safe for future use. Syncing also provides you a platform to backup your data to a place where only you have to access them. Hence, you will be getting a backup and security as well.

App Data And Apps

Every app you install from the Google play store is automatically synced to Google’s servers. Each time you get a new Android device that you want to switch to, you will always be allowed to restore certain apps from that list. Also, if you have used more than one Android device before then, you would be asked which of the devices you want to choose from.

You should also know that for devices that function on Android 6.0 and above Google has made available a more comprehensive system. This system allows more apps to be saved while also restoring specific data. Also, you are now able to see which of your apps are backing up data and their time of backing up. This can be done by simply going to the backup section of your device settings.

How Can I Backup My Email, Calendar, And Contacts?

Your calendar, email and contacts, and calendar are a very important component of your daily business running. This is why it becomes imperative to know how to back them up. The good thing is that backing these aspects of your Android devices is not as difficult as it used to be simply because most of these aspects are cloud-based. What this simply means is that you do not have back them up as they have already been cloud stored. All you need to do is open your email address from a different device to get them back.

The other good thing about these apps is that they usually come preinstalled on Android devices. There is however a little drawback with the Contacts aspect. This is because several carriers and manufacturers make available their interfaces which are meant to help with organizing the contacts. It is worthy of note that such interfaces usually do not sync along with Google’s contacts system.

How Do I Recover My Synced Messages?

If you encounter a situation where you lose your phone or begin using another one, there is always the possibility of losing your text messages. However, if you do not want to lose your precious text messages, the process of backing them up is pretty simple.

The easiest way for you to do backup your text messages is by simply using a messaging application that helps you with the hard part. For instance, if you are using a Google Pixel phone, its free Android messages application would help you backup as much as 25MB of data. It normally comes as the pre-installed messaging app of the device.

If you are however using a phone that is not a Pixel phone, some apps should help you do a great job.

How Do I Backup Files On My Android Devices?

There a lot of easy ways to backup files on your Android devices with the most recent being the use of cloud-based storage services. Most of the available cloud-based services usually provide some free storage and are usually quite easy to access using your device.

How Do I Store My Music And Photographs?

Regardless of why you bought that Android device, chances are high that you would be taking photographs and videos with it. There is also the possibility of storing up good music on it. There are some photos and music that define who you are and you may not want to lose them. In this case, you may want to go for any of the available Photo and music storage apps. You could try Google Photos and Google Play Music app for these purposes.

Tips For Cleaning Up Your Android Address Book

There is a great chance that the Android device in your hand is not the first you will be using. And if that is the case, there is a high possibility that it contains contacts from years before which have been following you from one phone to the other. A number of these contacts have been lost, abandoned and some of the users may even be dead. This situation is usually as a result of years of synced email accounts. This growing list may not seem like much of a challenge on the surface, but if you consider the fact that this list also makes up your Whatsapp contact list, you will understand the need to keep it orderly.

How Then Can You Get Your Address Book Organized And Cleaned Up?

Zap your random email addresses

if you use a Gmail account on your Android device, you must have seen contacts that contain just email addresses. The reason for this is that Google has a unique feature that enables you to add up new people whom you email to “other contacts.” As wonderful as this feature may seem, it does come with its draw-backs because of the numerous random addresses you will find. To stop this situation, all you need to do is go to contacts.google.com and delete the unwanted addresses.

Merge multiple address entries

Some of us have contacts on our address book that appear at least twice. The good news is that your Android device comes with the capacity to merge cloned numbers by either a manual painstaking method or a quicker clone cleaning application.

Go cloud-based

Ideally, you choose the email address you use the most and go cloud on it with all the necessary information. Your primary email address should be where you create your consolidated address book. You will have to export your contacts contained on other services in a vCard file.

Filter and polish

Now that your address book appears duplicate free, you may have to go manual by deleted multiple entries that the software may not have identified. You should also update the existing list.

Ensure your Android device remains clean

Now that you have a centralized storage platform for all your important contacts, you may have to revisit your phone. You should clear it of all numbers without deleting them from the online accounts.

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Conclusion

Syncing on Your Android device as we have explained in this article simply refers to the act of synchronizing or backing up your information. This is very important especially if you have some vital information and files you do not want to lose any time soon. It is however important that you adopt the steps we have outlined towards ensuring that you do not backup junk files and information. Also, if you find any such items on your devices, you should do the needful towards remediating it.