On cloud nine with Proloquo2Go 5.1: Automatic and manual backups to Dropbox, Google Drive & iCloud

As members of the AssistiveWare Support Team we are always saying “Don't lose your Proloquo2Go vocabulary - make backups!”, “Save your Proloquo2Go customizations!” and “It may take you five minutes to save a backup, but it is a lot easier than starting from scratch!”

Sure, you know it is easy to save a backup of your Proloquo2Go vocabulary and you know you should be doing it. However, between getting the kids ready for school, putting in a hard day at work, swim lessons, trying to figure out what’s for dinner, homework, and trying to implement AAC best practices in your family life, backing up can easily get lost in the flurry of day-to-day activities. If only life was a little easier.

Fortunately, with Proloquo2Go 5.1’s automatic and manual backups to Dropbox, Google Drive, and iCloud, saving a backup is one less thing you have to worry about! When any of these features are enabled, Proloquo2Go will automatically upload a backup whenever an internal backup is made, all with a nice little progress bar. In addition, power users who do not want all backups to be automatically uploaded to Dropbox or Google Drive can now manually select individual backups to export to these services. Note that you do need an internet connection. You can also have all three options selected for triple security.

Automatic backups with Dropbox

Proloquo2Go has offered support for Dropbox for a long time. With Proloquo2Go 5, Dropbox support has gotten even easier as now backups automatically upload to it once the feature is turned on. If you are not using Dropbox in Proloquo2Go, please:

1. Go to Options (the gear) > Backup.
2. Under the “Automatically Backup to…” section, toggle the Dropbox switch to ON/ green.
3. Follow the onscreen prompts to log into your Dropbox account or to create a new Dropbox account and you are good to go!

You can have Proloquo2Go upload an automatic backup or you can tap Backup All Users Now to upload backups of all your users’ vocabulary or tap Backup (Username) Now to upload a backup of your current user. Note that the interface for logging into your Dropbox account may be a little different if you are using the Dropbox app or the Dropbox website. However, the process is basically the same.

Automatic backups with Google Drive

Next up is Google Drive: the darling of schools around the world. While Dropbox is often blocked by schools, often educational institutions allow access to Google Drive. To use Google Drive in Proloquo2Go, please:

1. Go to Options (the gear) > Backup.
2. Under the “Automatically Backup to…” section, toggle the Google Drive switch to ON/ green.
3. Follow the onscreen prompts to log into your Google Drive or to create a new Google account and access Google Drive.

Again, you can have Proloquo2Go upload an automatic backup or you can tap Backup All Users Now to upload backups of all your users’ vocabulary or tap Backup (Username) Now to upload a backup of your current user. Have a look at our Support article for instructions.

Automatic backups with iCloud

Last but not least is iCloud. iCloud is probably the easiest option for users as for many people this feature will be on by default when they update to Proloquo2Go 5.1. If you open the Settings app, tap your name at the top of the left sidebar, tap iCloud, and see the Proloquo2Go switch is ON/ green, Proloquo2Go is all set to automatically upload backups to iCloud. If you do not see your name at the top of the left sidebar, please:

1. Log in with your Apple ID.
2. Tap iCloud, and make sure the Proloquo2Go switch is ON/ green to have backups automatically sent to iCloud.

Just like the above, you can have Proloquo2Go upload an automatic backup or you can go to Options > Backup and tap Backup All Users Now to upload backups of all your users’ vocabulary or tap Backup (Username) Now to upload a backup of your current user. Currently iCloud only saves one backup per user. Despite this, iCloud is easy peasy and basically works right out of the box behind the scenes.

Power to the People

Proloquo2Go 5.1 also covers power users who do not want all backups sent to Dropbox or Google Drive automatically:

1. Go to Options (the gear) > Services.
2. Toggle the Dropbox and/ or the Google Drive switch(es) to ON/ green.
3. Follow the onscreen prompts to log into your Dropbox or Google Drive account or create a new Dropbox or Google Drive account.
4. Go back to the main Options menu and tap Backup.
5. Under the “Automatically Backup to…” section, make sure the Dropbox and Google Drive switches are OFF/ white.

You can have Proloquo2Go create an automatic internal backup or you can tap Backup All Users Nowto create manual internal backups of all your users’ vocabulary or you can tap Backup (Username) Now to create a manual internal backup of your current user. Now tap Export Backup, tap the Exportbutton next to the backup you want to upload, and then select Export to Dropbox or Export to Google Drive. A progress bar shows the upload. When finished, a confirmation popup appears. Note that for people who like to save their backups old school, you can also select Export to iTunes.

Share backups with Dropbox and Google Drive

Besides providing a behind the scenes safety net for all of your customizations, cloud-based services offer other benefits. Dropbox and Google Drive makes it easy to share files with anyone with an email address, making sharing Proloquo2Go files a breeze. So you can toss a family vacation folder to your child’s school using Dropbox or dropkick an entire Proloquo2Go vocabulary to your best friend in Illinois using Google Drive. Sometimes technology can make your life more complicated, but in this case Proloquo2Go 5.1 makes your life easier. Saving regular backups is critical for any AAC user, but now that stress is reduced. With the addition of automatic and manual backups to Dropbox, Google Drive, and iCloud, Proloquo2Go 5.1 gives you one less thing to worry about!