Google is finally going to allow you to download a local file backup of your Android device, and the feature is now starting to roll out. This is part of the February Google Play System update, and will allow you to store a local backup of your device in Google Drive.
So, how will this new feature work? Well, Google will be adding a new dedicated backup option for your Downloads folder, which is something that Android has never properly supported before. The local backup file will only cover downloaded files on your Android device and not your entire internal storage.
Essentially, think of this as the same as Google Photos backing up your photos, but this is for documents and other downloads on your Android device(s).
These files will be backed up as static copies, and not synced continuously between your phone and your Google Drive account. Which means that any changes you make will not be synced to Drive, or back to the original file on your device.
Android Authority also reports that this is likely not going to work for every document-style file type. As they’ve been looking at the UI strings for months, seeing this feature being built. Though, that’s not to say that it couldn’t be added in the future.
No real offline backup for your entire Android device, yet
As many have been wanting and hoping for, Google is not providing a way to store a local file of your phone’s backup. Which could make switching devices easier. Especially if you’re in an area with slow or no internet.
Of course, there are other ways to get a local file of a backup of your device, but it would be nice ot have it fully baked in. Though copying files over on Android is pretty easy, yet time consuming when setting up a new device.
The post Google Is Rolling Out Android File Backups, But Don’t Get Too Excited Just Yet appeared first on Android Headlines.
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