Android phones will soon be able to back up Downloads to Google Drive.

Google's February Google Play services update (v26.06) adds a local file backup that can sync the Android Downloads folder with Google Drive; the feature is Android-only and will activate server-side.

Google has added a local file backup feature to Google Drive in its February Google Play services update (v26.06). The change means the Android Downloads folder can be saved to Google Drive and accessed from other devices. This is separate from Android's existing Drive backup for apps, calls and settings. Google's release notes describe automatic saving of downloaded documents to Google Drive. At the moment, some operational details remain unclear. Key details: - Update: Google Play services v26.06, published 2026-02-16, includes a local file backup feature for Google Drive. - Scope: The feature is reported to sync the Android Downloads folder so files are available from other devices. - Relation to existing backups: This complements Google Drive backups that already cover apps, calls and system settings. - Platform: The change applies to Android only and is not available to iPhone users via the Google Drive app; iPhone users can use iCloud Drive for file access. - Activation: The underlying update can be downloaded from System Services in Settings and will go live once Google enables it server-side. - Details: It has not been confirmed whether the feature will provide a continuously synced Downloads folder or act mainly as an emergency backup. Summary: The update makes downloaded files on Android accessible via Google Drive and sits alongside existing device backups. Google will switch the feature on server-side after the update, and detailed behavior is undetermined at this time.