Helium - App Sync and Backup (Android, No Root)

Backups with Android can be deceiving. When you see 'Backup' what actually gets backed up is just the app file that you download and install from the Google Play Store or just saves a link to the download page in the Google Play Store. That doesn't do much good for all of the hard work you have put into advancing to high levels in Angry Birds, Fragger, Greedy Spiders or whatever your favorite games are. Not to mention the painful process (for me) in getting Firefox Sync set up.

Titanium is a very good option and backs up app data but it requires root access and I don't care to root my device just to get a backup if I can avoid it.

A little searching and I soon found a few different non-root app backups that include backing up the data within the apps but most are not free and I didn't really like them anyway. I eventually found Helium - App Sync and Backup (formerly called Carbon). Helium is free and allows you to backup your non-default apps and the app data to a cloud service or to your SD card. You can also choose to save some space and time by backing up only the app data. Just read through the instructions and you should have a backup started in no time at all. You do have to install a desktop app if you are not rooted and it takes a few more steps without root access but it's simple and you are walked through the process with on-screen prompts.

Helium has a free version and premium version. The premium version costs $4.99 and it includes a few more useful features like restoring from Google Drive and other cloud services. You can back up your apps and app data to a cloud service with the free version but not restore from a cloud service unless you buy the Helium (Premium) license key. The $4.99 to me was well worth it.