Android phones currently have an inbuilt backup that can be used to save photos, videos, contacts, messages, call history, and even app data. However, there is a gap that has always been there, users still have to back up their files and documents saved on their device or computer, transfer them to an external storage, or copy them to Google Drive.
Now, according to a report from Android Authority, Google is currently testing a new “Downloads” backup option that will automatically back up documents to the cloud.
The feature has been found in Google Play Services beta 25.32.31 and is turned off by default. When activated, tapping Downloads will open a screen that has a title Back up downloads which reads:
“Automatically back up documents to your Google Drive, so you can view them anywhere.”
While this sounds good, there are still questions. It is not clear whether Google will back up any type of files in the Downloads folder or only file formats that are supported by Google Docs and Google Drive.
As screenshots shared by Android Authority reveal, the new option can be found within the Backup menu, but it does not mention what specific files it supports. It is also not clear whether the feature will be limited to only the files inside the Downloads folder or will be available to other local files as well.
What is known is that the new Downloads backup feature will work similarly to photos and videos, relying on Google Drive storage to upload.
Currently, the Backups available to Downloads feature is not widely available. On the latest Play Services beta, we could not find it on Pixel phones.
Users can check for themselves by navigating to Settings > System > Backup.
If rolled out widely, this update would make Android backups more complete, removing one of the last few major gaps in Google Cloud Storage.
