Google adds automatic Android Documents backup to Google Drive
Google has begun rolling out an automatic “Documents” backup for Android devices. The feature, available on devices running Google Play services version 26, creates an “Android backups” folder inside the user’s My Drive and adds sub‑folders named for each device. It uploads files such as downloads, Chrome PDFs and other document types (.DOC, .PPT, .XLS, .PDF) from the phone or tablet to Google Drive. All transferred files are encrypted in transit and at rest. The backed‑up data counts toward the user’s 15 GB of free Google Account storage. Users can enable the backup via Settings → Accounts and backup → Google Backup, and may manually trigger an upload or rely on the nightly automated schedule. Disabling the feature does not delete previously stored backups.
The rollout is presently reaching stable releases of Google Play services version 26 on multiple Android devices, including Pixel phones. Google notes that the backup only stores the current version of each document; changes made on one device are not synced to others. The new option joins existing backup categories for photos, videos and other device data.
Entities: Android · Google · Google Drive · Google Play Services · Pixel
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Documents are encrypted during transfer and while stored in Google’s data centers. (a85d95a4-10c9-4ee7-8c05-d2a93c8cc97f, f146fa3f-65ca-4bc5-a87b-f69a4bba9c9e)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Google is rolling out an automatic “Documents” backup feature for Android devices. (a85d95a4-10c9-4ee7-8c05-d2a93c8cc97f, 0e775510-5c41-40fa-898d-12f69fd8966e, f146fa3f-65ca-4bc5-a87b-f69a4bba9c9e)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The backup automatically uploads files and downloads from Android devices to Google Drive. (a85d95a4-10c9-4ee7-8c05-d2a93c8cc97f, f146fa3f-65ca-4bc5-a87b-f69a4bba9c9e)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Backed‑up files count toward the user's 15 GB of free Google Account storage. (a85d95a4-10c9-4ee7-8c05-d2a93c8cc97f)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Supported file types include .DOC, .PPT, .XLS, .PDF and other documents saved to the device. (a85d95a4-10c9-4ee7-8c05-d2a93c8cc97f, f146fa3f-65ca-4bc5-a87b-f69a4bba9c9e)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The feature creates an “Android backups” folder in My Drive with device‑named subfolders. (a85d95a4-10c9-4ee7-8c05-d2a93c8cc97f, f146fa3f-65ca-4bc5-a87b-f69a4bba9c9e, 0e775510-5c41-40fa-898d-12f69fd8966e)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Disabling the feature does not delete previously backed‑up files from Google Drive. (a85d95a4-10c9-4ee7-8c05-d2a93c8cc97f, f146fa3f-65ca-4bc5-a87b-f69a4bba9c9e)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The rollout is available on devices with stable Google Play services version 26. (a85d95a4-10c9-4ee7-8c05-d2a93c8cc97f, f146fa3f-65ca-4bc5-a87b-f69a4bba9c9e, 0e775510-5c41-40fa-898d-12f69fd8966e)