Here’s your first look at Google Photos’ upcoming Overnight backups feature

Countless people rely on Google Photos to ensure their memories stay handy and accessible, irrespective of which device they use or how often they switch devices. But backing up Google Photos is time-consuming and can often stop midway unless you ensure you keep the app running actively. This can be a hassle if you have hundreds or thousands of photos or videos. Google knows that and is working on an option to keep the phone active so the backup continues without issues.

Earlier this year, we discovered that Google was developing an option to back up media from Google Photos to the cloud while you sleep. The feature can work around Android’s restrictions on background processes and allow large batches of media to upload when the phone isn’t being used actively. At the time, we couldn’t show you how the feature could work, but we have visuals to share now.

We’ve tweaked our way into unlocking the feature in version 8.0 of the Google Photos app. The first bit appears under Backup settings inside Google Photos, where the new option to Keep your device awake overnight for faster backups appears. The feature isn’t automatic or something that happens routinely. Instead, users would be required to turn it on.

We already knew it would work by keeping the phone unlocked and its screen active, albeit with a dim background, and the next screen describes that process. This screen reminds you to keep the phone unlocked, charged or plugged in, and with Google Photos running in the foreground.

Tapping the Start overnight backup button initiates the process, with a squiggly circle telling you about the progress or the degree of completion. Over the next few seconds, the screen turns completely black to limit the display’s power consumption. Despite that, it remains active, and you can bring up the previous screen by tapping it.

When the backup is complete, you see a notice mentioning the number of media items uploaded to the cloud. We’ve also discovered another screen that warns users when Wi-Fi is unavailable, giving them the option to continue backup on mobile data.

Needless to say, this feature isn’t available for users just yet. We’ll share an update when we know more. Google has also been testing an option to schedule media backups so they run only at a specific time.