How can I save my PlantsvsZombies 2 progress?

I may need to reset my Android phone or replace it.

How can I save/backup my PlantsvsZombies 2 progress so I can reuse it on the new install?

Phone is NOT rooted and won't be.

But if the answer calls for it, I'm very comfortable using file managers to copy files around as long as root isn't required.

Solution 1:

AFAIK activating the Google backup functions should be enough. If you activate your new smartphone with the same Google account as the old one, it will sync the preferences of the apps that you've backed up with Google.

EDIT: Apparently I was not completely right. According to this post http://forums.popcap.com/showthread.php?6175-Progress-over-Multiple-Devices-on-Android you have to sync your progress with Google+ instead of the Google backup thing. But it's Google nonetheless ;-)