Google finally adds 'Automatic Downloads Backup' to Android: Here’s how it works

Google has finally confirmed a new local file backup system for Android users. The Play System release notes of February mentioned the update. The feature will enable users to automatically back up Google Drive with files saved in the Downloads folder. It will enhance interoperability of data and accessibility between devices.

How the Android Downloads Backup Feature Works

The new feature is only centered on the files that are stored in the Downloads folder. It fails to support the whole internal storage of the phone. Documents like PDFs, invoices, tickets, and other files that get downloaded on browsers or applications can automatically be stored to Google drive.

Android will create backup copies of these files in Drive. The system will however not update changes between the phone and Drive. In case a user makes changes on a file that has been backed up, the changes will not be reflected in the Drive copy. Likewise, changes in drive will not be shown in the original file in the phone.

This implies that the feature is an auxiliary one and not a live syncing service.

Why This Feature Matters for Android Users

So far, there were two types of Android backups. The backup of photos and videos take place via Google Photos. System backups also contained other device information such as settings, call history and part of the app data. Nevertheless, the files in the Downloads folder were not automatically backed up.

Earlier, users were required to upload essential documents in the cloud storage manually. This posed a danger of files being lost in case the device was lost, damaged, or reset. New Downloads backup feature fills this gap and offers an added protection.

Google is expected to focus mainly on common document file types. The file formats might not be compatible in the initial rollout.

Availability

Downloads backup functionality will be rolled out in a Play System update. It is probably a gradual release similar to most Google updates. This implies that it will not be distributed to all the users at the same time.

It has not had an accurate release date yet. The feature can be turned on automatically on compatibles currently on Android since it is a server-side rollout, though once authorized by Google.

This upgrade demonstrates that Google has not stopped trying to augment Android data backup and cloud integration to the common users.

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