Backup Encrypted KitKat / Android Data Offload

The phone is [unusably] full. The requirement is to copy all data off the phone locally, then factory reset it and start again.
The complication is the phone is encrypted (including bootloader).
OS KitKat 4.4.4
Target OS - Windows or Linux, am OK with either.


My Attempts So Far [trying numerous times each attempt]:

  • USB Copy/Drag’nDrop. When the files are copied across, Windows does not understand the files due to their encryption (the phone does not automatically decrypt the files it seems. IMO a desirable trait.)
  • Samsung ‘Smart Switch’. The app begins transferring data between the device and PC. The process fails at 30% every time. The files transferred during this process are immediately deleted when I cancel the process (as it remains stuck at 30%) - I cannot tell if these files are even “good” files because during transfer operation of the app my whole computer is locked up by the app and windows explorer will crash if I use it during…

Pospective [hope is abundant] Ideas

  • Android DevTools; Full Desktop Backup
  • Some type of USB thing through the DevTools

This one should work. How else would you get music onto the phone or photos off it? Besides, I don’t think android’s encryption is per-file anyway.

Other than that try ADB or install an FTP server on the phone and copy data that way.

It’s not. It’s FDE. So having the device powered on and unlocked, anything should be able to be copied over USB normally. Why your computer doesn’t recognize the files is beyond me, (corrupted data maybe?)

But you can use something like dropbox If usb really isn’t working.

adb pull /sdcard/* ./

this should pull everything off of the “sdcard” or default usable storage in most cases

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