If you have a Samsung phone, you've probably seen the Samsung Cloud service on your device at some point. It can backup all of your files including system settings and third-party application data for you. With 15GBs of free storage, you can also upload your own files such as photos or documents if you want. When your Samsung Galaxy phone is damaged, lost, or just simply replaced, you'll still be able to access all of your files on your new device, as long as you can login to your account. The goal is to make switching Samsung devices as seamless as possible, however, Samsung has begun sending out emails to users stating that they will be ceasing support for backing up third-party app data, starting from February 6th.

It is unknown why the change is being made, and what's more, app data already stored in the cloud will also be deleted on the 6th of February. Users who have paid for extra storage on the service will also not be able to back up application data, meaning this move will be universally applied by Samsung. It is unknown at this point in time if the feature will return at a later date.

Users looking for an alternative should consider the Samsung Smart Switch Mobile app which was recently updated to support backing up and restoring of application data to the microSD card, which includes third-party apps. Support for microSD card backup of app data was likely added due to Samsung removing the feature from the Samsung Cloud, or so we think. You can update the app on the Google Play Store, and Samsung Cloud's other features are unaffected, and you can continue to back up your own files and photos along with any of your contacts, system settings, calendar and even your home screen layout. You can read the email sent out to users of the service below.


Source: Samsung Community

Via: Android Police