Android has really missed the boat on one thing that iTunes and iCloud do really well. That is the Android eco-system doesn’t have a built-in, seamless solution for restoring a device from scratch.
There is no universal way to backup and restore Android’s home screen and your phone’s application organization, your application data and settings, photos, videos, messages, ringtones, miscellaneous phone settings, etc.
What this means is it’s a pain and potentially time consuming to rebuild your phone or tablet every time you buy a new Android, your current phone dies because you dropped it, or if you have to switch over to a replacement. The issue is further compounded by the fact that some apps prevent you from saving them to an SDCard. I’m not sure if this is intentional or simply an oversight by the developer when they configured the application for uploading to Google Play.
Third party apps have jumped in to try and fill the void. Many take a really good stab at addressing the issue, but the solutions and their features can be a hodge-podge. Some, such as Titanium Backup, require you root your phone which many people are wary of because it voids any warranties. Others, such as App Backup & Restore, aren’t able to back up the application data and that means all your settings are lost.
I would trade a well-done backup and restore functionality from Android for any new gimmicky feature or pseudo-incremental improvement. Universal back up and restore would be a huge bonus for the entire Android community.