Once you start modding the Redmi Note 5 Pro, you will definitely want a backup on hand ahead of time and this guide shows you how it’s done.
Apple has some great backup solutions for iOS but that’s something that simply isn’t available on Android at the time of writing this guide. An OEM could go through the trouble of creating their own solution but it would only work on smartphones they sold and supported.
For now, Google has an automatic way of creating backup data that is tied to your Google account and stored in Google Drive. It can be a lifesaver at times but it is in no way a complete backup of what is on your smartphone.
This is where a custom recovery comes into play as this gives us complete access to the storage partitions that make up our Android smartphones and tablets. The downside for this is that we need to have an unlocked bootloader so that we can install a custom recovery. Not all smartphone companies and/or carriers offer this but thankfully Xiaomi doesn’t have a problem in this regard. So once you have unlocked the bootloader of the Redmi Note 5 you can then proceed with installing TWRP as your custom recovery.
It’s then when you can create your first Nandroid backup and I’ll be showing you how to do that right here.
Creating the Redmi Note 5 Nandroid Backup
- Boot the Redmi Note 5 into Recovery Mode (which should be TWRP)
- Tap the Backup button on the left side of the main menu
- Tap the Name field and generate a custom name for your backup (optional)
- I also recommend that you append the date to the name of the backup as well (optional)
- Then go through the list of partitions and make sure all of them are selected
- Enable compression from the Options tab (optional)
- Choose a password from the encryption tab (optional)
- Then swipe the white arrows to the right in the Backup tab
- Wait for the full backup to be completed
- Then tap the Reboot System button that appears once the backup is complete
Explanation
There are a lot of reasons why Android needs a complete and full backup system in place. The few that we’ve had are generally half baked and do not capture all of the application’s data, all of Android’s settings, and a complete snapshot of the state our smartphone or tablet is in. Google Play’s backup system can backup application data but only up to a certain amount for each application and only if the developer specifically allows it. ADB has a backup feature as well but again, it doesn’t create a complete snapshot of our device.
The Nandroid backup feature of TWRP (and other custom recoveries) is a big reason why so many people choose to unlock their bootloader and install these community mods. A backup can save us a lot of time and grief since there’s just some data that you forget about and get mad if it gets deleted. So once you have the bootloader of the Redmi Note 5 Pro unlocked it is recommended that you install TWRP as your custom recovery.
As soon as you install TWRP you should boot into Recovery Mode to make sure it installed properly and then I recommend that you create your first complete backup. You do this by tapping the Backup button in the TWRP main menu and then making sure all of the partitions that are listed have been selected to be included in the backup. I also recommend that you choose a name that conveys what you’re backing up (I generally name my backups the software I’m running), which in this case is MIUI-Stock.
And it’s also a good idea to append the date onto the filename as well just so you know when you have created it. You may think that it’s easy to remember these things but in 1-2 months when you need the backup you may have forgotten it all. With all of that done, make sure you are in the Backup tab and swipe the white arrows to the right. This will start the backup process and you’ll see how much has completed and how much is left by looking at the progress bar at the bottom.
The backup I did for my Redmi Note 5 Pro took 4 minutes or so to complete but yours could take longer or less time depending on what you have installed and what you are choosing to backup.
