Android devices store lots of sensitive data through the use of apps. Although we have earlier categorized apps as system and user-installed apps, here is a more detailed split:
- Apps that come along with Android
- Apps installed by the manufacturer
- Apps installed by the wireless carrier
- Apps installed by the user
All of these store different types of data on the device. Application data often contains a wealth of information that is relevant to the investigation. Here is a sample list of possible data that can be found on an Android device:
- SMS
- MMS
- Chat messages
- Backups
- Emails
- Call logs
- Contacts
- Pictures
- Videos
- Browser history
- GPS data
- Files or documents downloaded
- Data that belongs to installed apps (Facebook, Twitter, and other social media apps)
- Calendar appointments
Data belonging to different applications can be stored either internally...