Enhancement Request : automatic settings backup OR if change settings, then auto export settings in the known export directory

[johnny94813yeah]

Hello,

I am a regular user of Thunderbird Android, and I really appreciate the feature to export settings.

This export is currently manual, which means users have to remember to trigger it themselves on a regular basis - with the risk of forgetting and thus losing their settings in the event of a device change or technical issue.

Here are my 2 suggestions for improvement :

1. Add an option for automatic, periodic backup of settings (with a frequency configurable by the user), in addition to the existing manual export feature. Allow users to freely choose the destination folder for the backup file, to facilitate its integration into a personal backup workflow (local storage, cloud, …).

If you want some ideas, I find really convenient the automatic settings backup of the app Signal, called “back up on this device” !

1. I received this answer regarding another Android app, where I suggested adding a feature to automatically back up app settings and/or data :

"I’m afraid that with this feature, we’ll be bringing in even more complexity than we already have in our features.

For me, the favorite remains: the user changes something in their settings and the app automatically creates an export file in a folder defined by the user, and that’s it. What the user does with the exported settings afterwards is entirely up to them (like saving them somewhere other than the device, e.g.).

I created a new issue with this description : it would be great if we can have an export of settings if the user changed something inside the UX, so the user do not always be the trigger for this action. Change settings then do auto export in the known export directory"

Here is my answer :

"That's a great idea too ! I'm not a developper, my aim is to have fewer things to do (saving settings for 10 apps is very long), fewer things to think about, avoid google, and to save time on the sort of tasks that, quite frankly, are of no interest to anyone ! This enhancement would safeguard data, save time, prevent forgetfulness, and greatly simplify the process of switching to a new smartphone."

Thanks !