Learning Android Forensics - Second Edition

Helium backup extractions

According to its developers, Helium is the missing app sync and backup solution for Android. It doesn't require root access and can be used to extract some data that ADB backup can't; for example, SMS messages and call logs.

Actually, there are two apps that an examiner will need: an Android app and a PC app. The Android app can be downloaded from Google Play:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.backup.

The desktop version is available here:

http://www.clockworkmod.com/carbon.

Let's follow these steps for extracting the data:

1. Once you open the Android app, you'll see the following screen:

2. Open the desktop app and enable Helium. You will see a message that says Helium has been enabled ...