Google is quietly working on a major update to the way Android backups work — and it’s even going to change where they are stored.
These changes were on display in a recent Google Play Services beta, which hints at an upcoming code change that will move device backups from Google’s servers to Drive’s storage list.
Early signals suggest two major changes: the opportunity to include the Downloads folder in device backups, and more fine-grained per-app controls that isolate user apps from system processes.
What’s Changing in Android Backups and Settings
Strings found in Play Services version 25.50.33 beta explicitly refer to Android granting the ability to back up the Downloads directory — a part of the filesystem that’s previously been off-limits to automated device backups.
Next up, Google is working on a per-app backup toggle alongside clearer messaging and clear separation in presentation between “user apps” and “system apps.”
Although none of this is live at the moment, it appears that Google hopes to make it easier for you to back up your data in a more cohesive way while not making the experience something akin to a full file synchronization service. That matters for how files are protected and restored, and for how much account storage gets used.
Downloads Folder Backup: A Snapshot of Behavior
One important clue is that there’s a fresh warning when you first enable Downloads backups: edits to files in Downloads won’t be synced to the cloud copy. In other words, this is a snapshot at backup time — not continuous mirroring. If you ever tweak a PDF or trim a video later, that backed-up version may fall behind until the next time an eligible backup runs.
That makes sense when you consider how Auto Backup for Android currently behaves — most phones and tablets can’t maintain a live cloud connection all the time, and it’s meant to recover a device from a reset or upgrade for these use cases. It also prevents the constant file-watching CPU and battery cost of a sync product. Instead, think of it as a safety net — a backup complement to Google Drive’s real-time syncing.
For instance, save a 700MB video to Downloads and enable the new setting. The backup captures that file. So if you later trim that clip, the version of the video in your Drive backup won’t change immediately. On a device restore, you will get the most recent backed-up version. Users who require version parity should still save active documents in locations formatted for sync, such as Drive’s “My Drive.”
Per-App Controls Get More Transparent and Safe
Google is also introducing a clearer per-app toggle. Disabling backup for an app will now alert you that it will delete the existing cloud copy of that app’s data. That behavior has always been the case, but the explicit notification helps cut down on surprises — especially handy when you flip the switch on data-heavy apps that consume a lot of data, like games or creative tools.
The settings screen is getting reorganized so that user-installed apps can be separated from system processes. That division should reduce accidental changes that disrupt core services and, as a result, can have unpredictable impacts on restore fidelity. Early versions of the categorization system appear in Dianne, Meg, and Starla builds (FAECS Photos), currently getting tuned yet serving up a vision: make it easier to safely manage what you need.
Storage and Privacy Implications for Backups
Backups take up space in your Google account. Adding Downloads might be an enormous use case for people who store a ton of media long-term locally. Device backups live in the same pooled storage as Drive, Gmail, and Photos, but the difference is that they actually consume headroom (but don’t count against it when you’re under). One or two larger archives or videos in Downloads could easily push you over the limit.
On the privacy side, Android backups are encrypted in transit and on Google’s servers, as well as being end-to-end encrypted tied to your screen lock for some categories of information (depending on device and operating system version). Adding Downloads won’t make a difference in that model, but users do need to be aware of files living outside app sandboxes that could contain sensitive data. Per-app switches are still necessary to opt out where desired.
Why This Matters for Restores and User Experience
Restores are only as good as the data classification you’re doing. In the past, many users found out after a reset that items in Downloads never came back. The new option solves that circuitous process and may cut recovery friction, which can lead to support calls and store returns. The improved per-app controls could also help reduce restore-related bug reports that arise from missing state, for developers.
Google’s internal research has long indicated that seamless device setup is one of the top drivers of platform satisfaction. Even small shifts — such as backing up a folder that people may not realize they depend on — can improve the success rate for restores and decrease how long it takes for someone to be “back to normal” after moving to a new phone.
When You Could See It on Your Android Devices
Since these changes live in Play Services, they don’t need a full OS upgrade to get pushed through. There will likely be a slow deployment after the UI and messaging are fine-tuned; it may even be gated by a server-side flag. As with all pre-release features, there are of course caveats in place ahead of wider release.
If you’d like to get a head start on this, take an audit of your Downloads folder, move your active documents to a synced Drive location, and go through which apps really need backups in the cloud. When Google flips the switch, you’ll be able to take full advantage of it — without wasting storage or backing up an excess of stuff you don’t care about.
