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Manual Google Drive backups aren't in Android Pie, but when will they be returning?
- Google has removed the option to manually backup phones to Drive with the release of Android Pie.
- The search giant has updated an issue tracker ticket and states that manual device backups “will be available in a future release.”
- It’s unclear if this means manual device backups will return in Android 9.1 or Android Q.
Google has allowed users to backup their phones to Google Drive since Android Marshmallow. Although the process typically happens in the background, sometimes users need to start a backup manually for whatever reason. Unfortunately, this is no longer an option in Android 9.0 Pie, but it will be added in a future version of the operating system.
A user on Reddit (via 9to5Google) first spotted a Google issue tracker thread in which an Android user requested that manual backups be added to Android Pie.
The user’s ticket was quickly passed along to the development team for consideration. A Googler then responded to the thread after several days, saying the item has been deferred and would be considered for a future release. But then almost a week later, that same Googler marked the request as “fixed” and wrote that “the requested feature will be available in a future release.”
While it’s great to see Google will be returning manual backups to Android, it’s not clear when we should expect it. As the Googler post only states the feature will be added in a “future release,” this could mean it will be available in Android 9.1 or even Android Q.
In other words, you might want to wait before updating to Android Pie if you are heavily dependent on manual backups to Drive. Then again, there are several other Android backup solutions out there, so check them out here.