Hello. My main question is covered in the title of this post.
I have experience with installing LineageOS, and currently have it on a Fairphone 2. However, this question is pertaining to a friend who has a Google Pixel 3 that is not working properly. It frequently shuts shuts off and reboots after being turned on. She often needs to hold the power button to be able to read texts without it going blank and rebooting. I suggested she may need to free up some space, so she deleted some video files from it, and there is sufficient space now, but this made no difference.
So, as outlined in the title, I’m wondering if a LineageOS can be installed while preserving her user files – similar to installing a different Linux distribution on a computer that has a separate /home partition (IE, preserving the home partition). Is this possible on an Android phone such as the Pixel 3?
From what I recall, you can really only export “some” files and settings if apps allow it. Also, adb backup is deprecated, and not complete.
Otherwise, if your friend isn’t opposed to Google backups, you might be able to use that and then restore once lineage starts up. Though that also means installing gapps.
Feel free to correct my assumptions there, anyone else 🙃
Edit Just realized “user files”, which you can adb pull /sdcard ./localfolder and then adb push ./local folder /sdcard once lineage boots up. That’ll copy all downloads, pictures, etc off and then on the phone.
Thanks! That’s great.
Possibly if the bootloader is already unlocked.
However it is quiet unlikely to work and you would be better just starting from scratch
I’m wondering… If I made a backup via TWRP (see image), and I then installed LineageOS on the phone, could I later do a restore operation of strictly Data to restore the user files on the now upgraded phone?
