As Android games become more robust and in-depth, you may want to move game progress between phones. This guide shows how to seamlessly transfer your game progress between Android phones using the cloud and a manual method, should a given game not support cloud saves.
Move Game Progress via the Cloud
The first thing to note is that there is no universally implemented cloud-save system for Android games. Google Play Games has its own cloud-save method, but not all games utilize it. To confirm, open a game’s page, tap About this game, scroll down to the More info section, and look for the Uses Google Play Games indicator.
You’ll also need to have the Google Play Games app installed on both phones, as it’s actively used by the supported apps to provide syncing and achievement tracking features. Furthermore, you’ll need to log in using the same Google account on both devices.
When you open a game, and it prompts you to sign in to Google Play Games, do so. Some games won’t prompt on launch, but you can go to the settings and look for a Sign-in option. It will ask for the Google Play Games account you want to use to log in. After the initial sign-in, the game will automatically log in and sync all the progress, as long as an Internet connection is available.
Manually Transfer Game Progress Without a Google Account
For games that don’t support cloud backup/transfer or that weren’t downloaded from the Google Play Store, try moving the save-data file manually. Unfortunately, the process has become much more complicated after Android 11, as it introduced the scoped storage feature that prevents apps from accessing each other’s data.
Thankfully, you can use debugging mode to gain required permissions and access the game progress data to move manually.
Prerequisites
Before we move on, there are a few things you need to set up first:
2. Download iAdb Android app.
3. Download ESuper File Manager.
It’s not necessary to use ESuper File Manager, as you can use any file manager that can get permissions using wireless debugging. However, I didn’t have success with my phone’s built-in file manager or even Files by Google. You’ll have to get a third-party file manager.
Get Access Permissions via Wireless Debugging
The game progress data is in the Data folder, which has restrictions. You’ll have to use the iAdb app to get access to it first.
Open the iAdb app, and go to Enable “Wireless debugging” -> Developer options.
Tap on Wireless debugging, and enable the toggle next to Wireless debugging. Tap on Pair device with pairing code for a one-time code. You will also see a notification from the iAdb app asking you to enter the code. Add this code in the pop-up to enable pairing.
Go back to the iAdb app, and enable the toggle next to Start iAdb. Tap on the main menu in the top-left corner, tap Permissions, then enable the permission for ESuper File.
Move Game Data to Another Phone
Before moving the data, make sure you have the latest version of the game, as a mismatch in the game version can cause problems.
Open ESuper File Manager, and go to Internal Storage -> Android -> Data.
Look for the game’s data. It will have the game’s name or the game developer’s name. Copy this folder somewhere outside the Android folder it’s in.
Move this game data folder to the other phone. There are many ways to transfer files on Android, such as Bluetooth, Quick Share (Nearby Share), or you can even move the folder to an SD card, then insert it into the other phone.
On the other device, follow the above process again to access the restricted Data folder, and move the game’s save-data to it. Install the game from the Google Play Store or the APK file, if you downloaded it from an APK website.
Note: make sure you disable Wireless Debugging on both phones when you are done, as it can make your phone vulnerable on the network.
Alternative Methods
The above two methods are the most reliable when using cloud sync or manual transfer. However, there are other methods that will achieve the same goal. For example, Google Play Games isn’t the only cloud-syncing method. Many games have their own accounts for cloud syncing, like Supercell ID for Clash of Clans.
Thankfully, many of these games will let you use your Google account to register the account, so you only need to provide some permissions to get started.
Furthermore, if you have a rooted phone, you can use a backup app like Swift Backup to create an exact copy of a game with the same settings and progress. This method is also more reliable than manually moving the data folder.
If you want to keep exploring Android possibilities, peruse our list of Android emulators for PC, as well as these top GBA emulators. If you’re spending a lot of time on your phone, you should protect your eyes.
Image credit: Flickr
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