- Android offers convenient built-in backup tools, but these don’t automatically save every file on your phone.
- Google appears to be working on a new option to explicitly back up downloaded files.
- At the moment it’s not clear if this would support any and all files types, or be limited to documents.
Backing up your data is easily one of the most important thing you can do if you’re looking to avoid a smartphone accident causing you a lot of heartache, but backups aren’t always created equally. It’s easy to see why someone might assume that enabling Android backup would allow them to restore a 1:1 copy of their entire phone, but Google’s tools don’t treat all data the same.
Right now, Google’s backup offers two main options: photos & videos, and other device data. The former is straightforward enough, and protects all your Google Photos content. The latter, though, can be a little confusing, and covers everything from device settings to text message history to app data.