App settings

[thehotcops]

Does Google save your application settings if you swap out phones, or just the applications themselves?

[extorian]

It saves neither.

You will have to re-download all of your apps.

Any that you have purchased will still be downloadable without needing to pay for them again though.

All settings will need to be reset.

All high scores, etc, will need lost.

Some information does sync with Google. But these are essentially just your Contacts, GMail, and Calendar.

[agentaaron]

I believe some apps actually do backup information on the SD card.

...i know Steel does for sure, I had the program when I was running stock and when I rooted and went to Cyan's build...once i reinstalled steel, it still had all my history/bookmarks/etc. Of course it was reading from the /steel directory it created on my SD card when I first installed it.

I would be safe in saying that if an app creates a directory on your card, its pretty safe to say that its backing up something for you.

...if you lost your phone with the SD card in it...well, then your SOL. But as Extorian said...all your purchases are linked to your email address, so you can redownload them for free once you log in to the new phone.

[extorian]

To add to that, apps and (in some cases) their settings can be backed up with the likes of My Backup Pro to either the web or SD Card.

[Student]

There's An App For That

[extorian]

And on that note... the Apple's app store does have that reputation (although, to be fair, the phrase originated from Apple's brainwashing), after only 3 years. Just imagine the potential for the Android Market, given that Android does support open development, can run simultaneous apps, and has completely open APIs.