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Google Pixel 6 Full Backup Guide (Including App Data)

Important Reality Check

There is no single tool on a stock, unrooted Pixel 6 that backs up 100% of app data. Android allows app developers to opt out of the standard backup APIs, and many sensitive apps (WhatsApp, Signal, banking apps, password managers, some games) do exactly that.

This guide gives you two paths:

  • Path 1: Unrooted, stock Android. Easiest, covers ~90% of data.
  • Path 2: True full image backup. Requires unlocking the bootloader (which wipes the phone), installing a custom recovery, and making a NANDroid backup.

If you want a true forensic copy of everything, you need Path 2. If you just want a robust, restorable backup, Path 1 is usually enough.

Path 1: Unrooted, Stock Android

Step 1: Google One Cloud Backup

This is your baseline. It backs up:

  • Apps and app data (for apps that allow it)
  • Contacts, SMS, call history
  • Device settings, Wi-Fi passwords
  • Photos and videos (if using Google Photos)

Actions

  1. Open Settings → Google → Backup
  2. Turn on Back up by Google One
  3. Tap Back up now and wait for it to finish

Verify

  • Open the Google One app → Device backup
  • Check that the timestamp is recent
  • Ensure App data shows a substantial size (not 0 bytes)
  • Or check online at one.google.com/storage

Step 2: Back Up Photos and Videos Separately

Google Photos backup may or may not be included depending on your settings. Back it up explicitly.

Actions

  1. Open Google Photos
  2. Tap your profile picture → Photos settings → Back up
  3. Choose Backup quality: Original quality or Storage Saver
  4. Wait for all items to sync

Verify

Step 3: ADB Local Backup to Your Computer

This creates a local .ab file containing apps, their data (if allowed), and shared storage.

What It Captures

  • APK files of installed apps
  • App data for apps that allow backup
  • Shared storage (Downloads, Pictures, DCIM, Documents, etc.)
  • System settings, Wi-Fi networks, wallpaper, some launcher settings

What It Does NOT Capture

Apps that set android:allowBackup="false" are excluded. Common examples:

  • WhatsApp
  • Signal
  • Telegram (partial)
  • Most banking apps
  • Many password managers
  • Some games
  • Apps with device-specific crypto keys

On Android 12+, Google further restricted adb backup, so even more apps may be excluded.

Install ADB

macOS:

brew install android-platform-tools

Linux:

sudo apt install android-tools-adb android-tools-fastboot

Windows:

  1. Download SDK Platform Tools from Google
  2. Extract to a folder such as C:\platform-tools
  3. Add that folder to your system PATH

Enable USB Debugging on the Pixel

  1. Open Settings → About phone
  2. Tap Build number 7 times until Developer options are enabled
  3. Go to Settings → System → Developer options
  4. Turn on USB debugging

Connect and Authorize

Plug the phone into your computer with a USB cable.

adb devices

You should see your phone listed with a device status. On the phone, tap Allow and check Always allow from this computer.

Run the Full Backup

adb backup -apk -shared -all -system -keyvalue -f pixel6_full_backup.ab
Flag Meaning
-apk Include APK files so apps can be reinstalled
-shared Include shared storage (photos, downloads, documents)
-all Include all apps that allow backup
-system Include system apps
-keyvalue Include key/value backups (settings, etc.)
-f path Output file path

Alternative without system apps (smaller, fewer restore conflicts):

adb backup -apk -shared -all -nosystem -f pixel6_user_backup.ab

On the Phone

A full-screen prompt appears:

  1. Optionally set a backup password (recommended for encryption)
  2. Tap Back up my data
  3. Wait. This can take 10 minutes to over an hour depending on storage size.

Do not unplug the phone during the process.

Verify the .ab File

Check the file size:

ls -lh pixel6_full_backup.ab

A valid backup is usually several GB. A 0-byte file means nothing was backed up.

Peek at the header:

head -c 24 pixel6_full_backup.ab | cat -v

It should start with ANDROID BACKUP.

Extract the .ab File

The .ab file is a compressed and possibly encrypted archive. Use Android Backup Extractor (abe) to inspect it.

Download and unpack:

wget https://github.com/nelenkov/android-backup-extractor/releases/download/latest/abe.jar
java -jar abe.jar unpack pixel6_full_backup.ab backup.tar [your_password]
tar -tvf backup.tar

If no password was set and the backup is zlib-compressed:

dd if=pixel6_full_backup.ab bs=1 skip=24 | zlib-flate -uncompress | tar -tvf -

On macOS, install zlib-flate first:

brew install qpdf

Restore from the .ab File

On a fresh or test phone:

adb restore pixel6_full_backup.ab

You will be prompted on the phone. The restore may take a long time.

Warning: Only restore to the same or very similar Android version. Cross-version restores often fail or cause crashes.

Step 4: Back Up Apps That Opt Out Individually

These apps usually exclude themselves from Google and ADB backups. Export from each one.

App How to Export
WhatsApp Settings → Chats → Chat backup → Back up to Google Drive
Signal Settings → Chats → Backups → enable and save passphrase
Telegram Settings → Advanced → Export Telegram data (or rely on cloud chats)
Google Authenticator Use transfer/export codes; consider migrating to Aegis for better backups
Password managers Bitwarden, 1Password, etc.: export encrypted vault
Banking apps Usually no export; note balances and transactions separately
Games Check Play Games cloud save or in-game account

Step 5: SMS and Call Logs Local Backup

Use SMS Backup & Restore from the Play Store:

  1. Back up SMS and call logs to Google Drive, Dropbox, or local storage
  2. Verify the backup file exists and has a recent timestamp

Step 6: Google Takeout

For all Google service data:

  1. Go to takeout.google.com
  2. Select services: Drive, Gmail, Photos, Calendar, Contacts, YouTube, etc.
  3. Create export and download the archive

Path 2: True Full Image Backup

This is the only way to get a bit-for-bit copy of everything.

Critical: Unlocking the bootloader erases all data on the phone. You must complete Path 1 first.

Step 1: Complete Path 1 First

Make sure your Google One, ADB, app-specific, and Google Takeout backups are done and verified before proceeding.

Step 2: Unlock the Bootloader

adb reboot bootloader
fastboot flashing unlock

Confirm the unlock on the phone screen. This wipes the device.

Step 3: Install a Custom Recovery

Flash TWRP or a LineageOS recovery that supports Pixel 6. Check twrp.me for current Pixel 6 support.

Example with TWRP image:

fastboot boot twrp-pixel6.img

Or flash it permanently:

fastboot flash recovery twrp-pixel6.img

Step 4: Create a NANDroid Full Backup

  1. Boot into recovery
  2. Select Backup
  3. Select all partitions: Boot, System, Data, Vendor, etc.
  4. Store to an external USB drive, SD card, or push to your computer via ADB

This creates a complete image of your phone.

Alternative: Root with Magisk and Pull Partitions

After unlocking the bootloader and rooting:

adb shell
su
tar -cvpzf /sdcard/data_backup.tar.gz /data/data /data/app /data/system

Then pull it to your computer:

adb pull /sdcard/data_backup.tar.gz

Verify Path 2

  • Boot the phone from recovery successfully after the backup
  • Check the backup archive size matches expected used storage
  • Restore the backup to confirm it works (test on the same device only after you have a working backup)

Recommended Workflow Summary

Priority Method What It Covers
1 Google One backup System, most app data, settings, call logs, SMS
2 Google Photos sync Photos and videos
3 ADB local backup Local copy of apps, allowed app data, shared storage
4 App-specific exports WhatsApp, Signal, auth apps, password managers, games
5 SMS Backup & Restore Local SMS and call log archive
6 Google Takeout All Google service data
7 Custom recovery NANDroid True full image backup (requires root/unlocked bootloader)

Final Checklist

  • Google One backup completed and timestamp verified
  • Google Photos fully synced
  • ADB backup created and file size is non-zero
  • WhatsApp, Signal, and other excluded apps exported
  • Authenticator codes transferred or backed up
  • Password manager vault exported
  • SMS/call logs backed up
  • Google Takeout archive downloaded
  • Backup files copied to at least two locations (cloud + local drive)
  • If going the root route: bootloader unlocked and NANDroid backup created

Common ADB Backup Issues

Problem Fix
adb: unable to connect Check USB cable, re-authorize debugging, try adb kill-server && adb start-server
Backup file is 0 bytes Some apps or the system refused. Try -nosystem or exclude problem apps
Backup fails partway through Reboot phone, reconnect, retry
Restore fails Ensure target phone runs the same Android version
Encrypted backup won't extract Use the exact password with abe.jar

Notes

  • Use a wired connection, not wireless ADB, for large backups.
  • Set a backup password on the phone prompt to encrypt the .ab file.
  • Store backups in at least two places to protect against data loss.
  • Test restores on a spare device when possible.
  • ADB backup on a Pixel 6 running Android 12+ is useful but not a true full image. For that, use custom recovery.