Encrypted cloud backup on Android
Encrypted cloud backup on Android
Hello,
Like many people, I have many files (text, pictures, ...) on my Android smartphone; Files I don't want to lose. I could use Google Drive or similar software to have a copy of files in the cloud in case my smartphone is destroyed/lost/stolen, but files would be stored unencrypted server-side, so we don't want that. I'm looking for an E2EE solution to have a copy of the files in my phone on some cloud.
A common situation : you are on holidays, you only have your phone with you (no computer…). Near the end of the holidays, you break/lose your phone (or your backpack with your computer and phone is stolen). If your files are not synced/backed up in some cloud, you lose all your more recent files (including holidays pictures).
I searched for solutions, but found nothing good so far.
- I considered Cryptomator for Android, but after 5,5 years the Document Provider API is still not implemented, despite the promises of the developers (they didn't bother with a roadmap for 2023 for Cryptomator, it's half abandoned with only cosmetic/bug fixes updates). There is no support for automation tools neither. So it does not seem appropriate.
- Maybe a local encryption app, combined with a standard cloud sync app, could do the trick, but I have not found an efficient solution yet.
I'd like to know how you solved this problem for yourselves, or if you have any advice. It seems to be a common use case, I think it can be useful to many people.
note: I use Syncthing on a day-to-day basis to sync my files between my devices, but it won't help in these situations.
(I hope my English is not too bad, it's not my mother tongue, sorry)
I had the same problem, I have switched over to ProtonDrive and Iike it so much. If you want give ProtonDrive a try.
Also going to add that Proton makes my favorites VPN. They offer a completely free version with no data cap (but limited locations) if you wish to try it before buying the full product.
I use SyncThing to get the backups I want over to my main computer, then rclone to encrypt them onto remote cloud storage. In my case, I use S3, but rclone supports heaps of cloud remotes.
+1 for SyncThing. The most cloud-less cloud one could wish to have.
OP could setup remotes in a way that they can be synced via VPN which could probably fit the "holiday" usecase. It wouldn't be a "everything is up in the cloud in realtime" kind of situation, but syncing up in the evening when you are out of home for a couple of days should be painless enough.
Yeah, absolutely. I forgot to mention that I use Wireguard and Tasker so that, when I'm travelling, only the backups I want to sync over 5G/remotely are sync'd over. The rest can usually wait until I get back home.
- Syncthing syncs a parent backups folder on my phone
- Wireguard keeps me permanently tethered to the home network (for Pi-hole and searxng private search engine, which goes out via Mullvad VPN @ home)
- Tasker keeps the large and/or unnecessary backup files out of Syncthing's view when I'm not on the home network
Ente for photos, Skiff Drive for files.
Both E2EE.
If price isn’t a issue, Tresorit would be my recommendation. Automatic photo upload, integration with native file explorer, pretty good speed, E2EE, audited and fantastic reputation.
I use Filen. It's end to end encrypted and works pretty well: https://filen.io/
I use ente.io for my photos and videos, then I use Proton Drive to manually back up what I need for my files and documents
What about cryptomator for encryption and syncthing for syncing files to another place? Not exactly a backup per se but it works reliably.
I'd like to use Cryptomator (I have it on my phone), however it does not support the DocumentProvider API.
Because of this, using files inside a Cryptomator vault is very problematic with some apps. It is only possible to select a file in Cryptomator, and open it in an app. It is not possible to open a folder (unless I missed something).
For example, as far as I know it is impossible to open an Obsidian vault (a folder with markdown files linked between them) in Obsidian, if files are in a Cryptomator vault (and Android). It's only possible to select one file in Cryptomator, and open it in some app. Same problem with some other apps.
Instead of using files inside the Cryptomator vault, an alternative could be to send a copy of local files in the Cryptomator vault. But because of the lack of the DocumentProvider or automation app support, it does not seems possible to automate this copy..
I use FolderSync to automate everything about files or backup. Even moving files locally on phone. Most rarely used files and simple backups are synced with Mega, its E2EE for all accounts. For frequently used files I sync them with nextcloud webdav, so I have easy and quick access on my PC too.
skiff.com might be worth a look. Its services are E2EE. Its a lot like Proton in spirit but with better pricing and less nickle-and-diming. 10G of storage on the free plan. It's not a Swiss company though, if that should happen to be important to you.
With syncthing, you can share securely your pictures (etc.) folder on your phone with your computer, and cut cloud storage out of the picture entirely.
Cryptomator