How to Restore Contacts and Data on Android Using Google

Google’s Android has a pretty decent backup utility that holds on to your information, very well. It updates the information seconds after you have altered it, and while this is its biggest advantage, it’s also its biggest downfall because it allows for unintended loss of data from their servers.
If you accidentally delete a contact from your entire contact list, in seconds, the loss of data is “updated” onto your Google account. This could be a huge problem and also, this is true for apps and other synchronized accounts. Even if your phone is lost and you wipe it using a security program, such as Carbonite mobile or Lookout, the wiping of data on your device goes to Google’s servers and it’s deleted.

How to restore lost Android data

Because of the system that Google has in place for its devices, many are going to third party apps to backup their information. Apps like Titanium backup are perfect for backing up apps and app information, but the downside is that the backup itself takes up a lot of space, and new information is not added immediately, so it might be forgotten.

Also, because the backup is on the device itself, in the case of a total wipe, all the information is permanently deleted.

But Google has thought of this also, and with a bit of ingenuity, you can restore your contacts just as they were before anything happened to them. This is possible because Google keeps multiple records of your information in more states, and if something has happened, you can revert to an earlier state. Although complete restore of data is not guaranteed, this method should provide you with some of the information that was deleted.

Google has got you covered

For restoring Google contacts, all you have to do is go to your Gmail account, enter your Contacts and under “More”, you will find an option that allows you to restore your contacts to a previous state. By clicking on “Restore Contacts” a window will open asking you from when do you want your contacts to be restored and you can go as back as 30 days. Once you have selected your restoration point, you can click “Restore” and your contacts from that time will load on your Gmail account, from where they will be synced to your Android device in a few seconds.

For restoring settings and other information, you will need to have activated the backup features from your Android device. Go to “Settings” -> “Backup and Restore” and check “Back up my data” and “Automatic Restore”. This will ensure that if you delete an app or multiple apps, their information is deleted, but a copy of it is baked up to your Google account.
When you reinstall the deleted apps, the information stored on Google’s server will be downloaded and added to the apps, this will occur if you check “Automatic Restore”, but again, the integrity of the data is not guaranteed, and some information might be lost in the process, but it’s still better than nothing.
Although not perfect, these methods will allows you to back up data on your Android device. Because Google makes regular copies of your data, you can rest assured that you will not lose anything. This system will definitely get better with time, and if the quality of Google’s present services has tought us anything, it’s that they want to perfect their services and make them the best.