February 20, 2026, 3:20 pm | Read time: 2 minutes
It’s now common to store smartphone backups in the cloud. iPhone users have iCloud, while Android users store backups in Google Drive. Until now, users had to manually upload files to Google Drive to make them accessible across devices. Google’s new local file backup changes that.
Automatic Backup of the Download Folder
The new feature is part of the update for Google Play Services, version 26.06 from February 16. The release notes under “Utilities” on the Google Help page state: “With the new local file backup feature, you can automatically save your downloaded documents to Google Drive. This protects the files and makes them accessible from all your devices.”
According to “Android Authority,” this likely refers to files in the local download folder on Android devices. These files are expected to be uploaded to Google Drive in the background.
The feature differs from the existing Android backup, which secures app data, call logs, settings, and messages in encrypted form on Google Drive. However, users cannot individually access the data in the backup. Uploading files from the download folder offers this capability.
Microsoft Discontinues App for iOS and Android Without Replacement
Never Run Out of Storage Again With Planned Android Feature
Exact Functionality Still Unclear
Google has not yet provided details on the specific implementation. A simple approach would be to transfer all files from the download folder to a corresponding folder with the same name in Google Drive. Accessing the folder would proceed as usual: via the browser at drive.google.com or through the Google Drive app.
However, it’s unclear how Google Drive will handle multiple download folders from different devices. One possibility is that the folders remain separate in the cloud and receive device-specific names. Another is to consolidate and synchronize the files from all devices into a single folder, making all stored files equally accessible on all devices.
Which Files Are Backed Up?
In the release notes for the Google Play Services update, Google mentions only downloaded documents. This likely includes text files, PDFs, and possibly scans. With automatic backup, such files would no longer be lost—for example, if a device is lost or accidentally deleted.
For photos and videos, Google Photos already exists, which is the default photo gallery on most Android devices. The app automatically backs up all photos and videos from the DCIM folder (camera roll) to the cloud. Users can also synchronize any other folders containing images or videos through Google Photos, regardless of where they are stored on the device.