Android’s built-in backup system has always been useful for automatically saving your settings, apps, photos and some app data. However, it has one glaring flaw. Files stored in the Downloads folder are not included in Android’s regular backup. This means that if you change phones or lose your device, these files are lost unless you remembered to manually upload them to a cloud storage service or copy them to another location.
This situation is finally changing with the February 2026 Google Play System Update, as Google has added a new local file backup system that can automatically back up the contents of your Downloads folder to Google Drive. This feature comes with the latest Play System update and should be available on your device in the coming weeks.
While Google’s patch notes don’t explain how the feature works, Android Authority reports that the system creates static copies of files stored in the Downloads folder and uploads them to your Drive backup. In other words, this is not a live sync feature. So if you edit a file after it’s been backed up, those changes won’t automatically be reflected in the Drive version, and changes made in Drive won’t sync back to the local copy on your device.
Despite this limitation, the feature brings Android closer to providing a complete safety net for your data. Previously, users had to manually manage important files if they wanted to protect them in the event of a device change, loss or reset. The new feature helps close that gap by doing it for you automatically, although it still only covers the Downloads folder and not all of your local storage.
The rollout is gradual and server-side, so you may not see the option right away. When it arrives, you should find the setting among other backup options in the Backup menu.
