Android can now back up your Downloads folder

Google is finally rolling out a new local file backup feature in Drive for Android devices.

Android will use Google Drive to store backups of your downloaded files, but this process comes with limitations. The latest Play System update was released in February, and its list of changes includes a short but notable item:

“With the new local file backup feature, you can automatically save your downloaded documents to Google Drive so they stay safe and accessible from any of your devices.”

If this explanation sounds familiar to you, there’s a reason. Over the past months, experts have tracked down this feature by dissecting APKs. Now that Google has officially confirmed it, we can clear up the confusion and clarify what this feature is and isn’t.

First, this feature only covers files downloaded on your Android device and will not include the entire internal storage space. Android uses Google Drive to store backup copies of these files; Similar to the way Google Photos manages images and videos.

Additionally, downloaded files will be backed up as static versions and will not be continuously synced between the phone and Drive. This means that any changes made to a file after a backup won’t be reflected in the version saved to Drive, and edits made to Drive won’t revert to the local file.

Until now, backups on Android were mainly done in 2 main categories: images and videos via Google Photos and other device data such as settings, call history, and some app data. Files downloaded from Chrome, email apps, or messaging services were not included in Drive backups. As a result, files such as PDFs, resumes, tickets, invoices, and installation files stored in the Downloads path were practically not backed up unless the user manually uploaded them somewhere. This new feature finally closes this gap.

However, based on the UI strings and warning screens seen in the development builds, it seems that Google is focusing on common document formats; Therefore, not all file formats may be supported.

As with most Play System features, the new local file backup feature will likely be rolled out server-side in phases. So don’t expect it to appear on your phone today or even in the very near future, as Google usually releases Play System updates at a slow pace.