How to re-install old apps after factory reset / phone reset?

How to re-install old apps after factory reset / phone reset?

Uninstalling and re-installing is mostly a part of maintenance of our phones and we are bound to fall in one of the three categories:

1. Discarding an old phone and buying a new one.
2. Upgrading to a custom ROM in your smartphone.
3. Doing a factory reset due to some unforeseen circumstances.

In any of the three circumstances, you get a fresh device ( sort of ) without the contacts, messages, reminders and of course, applications. You can restore all except the applications very easily via a backup using an Android Manager. But what about the applications? Equally easy or no-way out? Fortunately, there are two ways to restore all previous apps.

1. For Unrooted devices.

There is no direct way to get a backup of all your applications. The only way is to re-install them one by one by pushing applications from the Play Store. 

• Open the "My apps and games" section in the Play Store menu.
• Then open the library section.
• Install all your applications from here.

Here, you will see all the previously installed apps which you can install one by one. Not as good as a backup but better than scraping the whole Play Store again.

2. For Rooted Devices.

Fortunately, it is very easy to get back your applications. Use Titanium Backup and you can restore all the installed applications directly.

1. In the Titanium app, select "Schedules" and press "Run" under "Backup all new apps & newer versions". This will create your backup file in a few seconds.
2. Copy the "TitatniumBackup" folder to your PC. This folder contains all the backup data.
3. After resetting or on a new phone, copy this folder back to the phone or storage device.
4. Install Titanium Backup again. 
5. Open Titanium Backup and select menu button, "Batch" and scroll down to the "Restore" section.

This will restore the apps and the apps data along with it for you.

Which one should you prefer?

If you have an unrooted device, you don't have an option here otherwise for rooted device users, you can opt any choice according to your wish. There is always a chance that backup may not work properly. The first option always works successfully despite being a hassle many a times.