

What AOKP Backup Does

It can be very time-consuming to redo each of the options you had set in ROM Control prior to your last data wipe, or upon discovering that your device is not running as well as it should, but you can’t remember which changes you made in ROM Control that might be responsible. It is for situations like this that Roman Birg has developed AOKP Backup, which is currently available in the Play Store.

The primary purpose of this app is to backup your ROM Control settings and restore them after a data wipe when flashing a newer AOKP build. You can choose to backup all of your ROM Control settings, or just those in a particular category (such as navbar settings, status bar settings, or lockscreen settings). You can also make multiple backups, in case you want to experiment with some settings with full confidence that if they don’t have the desired effect, you can go back to your previous setup with just a few taps of the screen.

I put the app through its paces over the weekend, backing up my ROM Control settings, wiping data, reinstalling the ROM and gapps, and restoring after I had the phone set up via the activation wizard. I must say the restore function worked relatively seamlessly, bringing back all the settings I had used before. It’s a very simple process that only takes a few taps of the screen to accomplish.







The attached screenshots should be self-explanatory, but basically, you open the app (it opens to the backup tab by default), choose which settings to back up, tap the “BACKUP” button on the top right, name your backup in the popup dialogue, and tap “Save.” When you want to restore, switch to the restore tab, and follow the same procedure (only this time, you can choose which backup to restore from if you had saved more than one backup before).

Q&A With Roman Birg

I have the privilege of providing you with an exclusive interview with Roman Birg, the mastermind behind AOKP and the developer of the AOKP Backup app. He has provided some interesting insight into the development of this new feature. You might find the answers to questions you have about this useful app.

Will you have a basic version along with the premium version available now?

Only paid for the time being. Possibly a free version later. If the free version comes, I will open source it.

How did you first get the idea to do an app like this?

People requesting it, pretty much.

When did you decide to develop this app?

We’ve all been talking about it for some time now. I finally started working on it a few days ago.

What will the app do if a feature is removed from ROM Control from one build to the next?

If the features are removed (and not used in the system) the app won’t do any harm, but I can put in safeguards for things like that, and i’ll be updating the app with each new build, as required.

If it were integrated into the ROM, would complications arise from one build to the next that a standalone app would be better equipped to handle?

It’s about the same, the app will have root, so it’s not too limited. only real difference is that it’s easier to develop an app outside of a ROM.

Will this app work with the various AOKP-derived ROMs such as Black Ice Kangorade?

It should, to what extent, i have no idea, depends on how much they changed. It might break their stuff, might work.

What features do you think you might add in future builds?

I’m not sure yet – custom boot animations, init.d scripts, build prop tweaks, things like that maybe. I guess eventually I can add things like exporting setups, so people can easily share those, maybe, maybe.

Well Worth the Convenience

I highly recommend this app for all AOKP users who find it tedious to restore their ROM Control settings one by one after a data wipe, or simply want to try various setups with the ability to revert to any configuration that was saved before. By getting this app, you not only get a very useful “aftermarket” addon to your favorite ROM, but you also help the developer to “justify spending an obnoxious amount of hours working on AOKP.”

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