eWallet for Android and Local Backups

eWallet^® for Android version 8.6 and later changes the way local wallet backup files are stored due to required changes by Google and Android OS.

Before version 8.6, if the Local Backups setting was turned on, eWallet would periodically make an internal backup of the wallet, and place it in shared storage on the device (typically in eWallet/backups). The nice thing about this was that the backup wallets would not typically be deleted if the app was uninstalled (unlike the main files that Android OS deletes as part of uninstalling an app).

With the recent changes from Google for Android OS (called Scoped Storage), apps are no longer allowed to automatically create files and folders just anywhere in shared storage, now they can only automatically create files and folders in their own reserved part of shared storage. Why do we care? By default, Android OS will delete these backups files even in this reserved part of shared storage when the app (eWallet in this case) is uninstalled. 

What does all this mean? If you want a backup to survive Android’s uninstall process, use one of eWallet’s other methods to save your wallet and get it off your device. Two options for this are the Share/Back Up Wallet menu item as well as the option to sync to the cloud or eWallet on a desktop/laptop computer.