# Are my notes included in my Android phone backup?

No. The Android app keeps its data out of the phone's cloud backup, so none of it reaches Google Drive. The reason is the key, not the notes: where you chose **Trust this device**, your 12 words are held on that device to keep you signed in, and a cloud backup is no place for the key to an end-to-end encrypted account.

A new phone therefore starts empty: install the app, sign in with your 12 words, and everything that synced arrives. What never synced lives only on the old phone, so check the footer reads "Synced" first, or carry a "PrivacyNotes backup (.zip)" from Settings > Import & Export > Export ([which backup to make](https://privacynotes.app/help/backup-strategy/)).

A direct phone-to-phone transfer at setup is different: some phones move app data across, and Android gives an app no dependable way to refuse. That copy never leaves your two devices, so wipe the old phone afterwards.

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Source: https://privacynotes.app/help/android-backup