Updated

Updated · korben.info · Jun 30

Google Rolls Out Per-App Android Backups on Pixel Phones With Play Services 26.24

Updated

Updated · korben.info · Jun 30

Google Rolls Out Per-App Android Backups on Pixel Phones With Play Services 26.24

Q: Android's new tool deletes app backups forever. Is this a gift of control or a new risk for your personal data?

It is more a gift of control than a new risk — but only for users who understand that the delete action is irreversible. Google’s update fixes a long-standing weakness in Android backup: users can now turn app-data backups on or off one app at a time instead of accepting an all-or-nothing system. On Pixel phones running Android 16 or 17 with recent Google Play Services, the new “App data” section shows which apps consume backup space and lets users stop backing up unused apps. That is a practical storage and privacy gain, especially because Google’s free 15GB is shared across Drive, Gmail and Photos. The risk is in the design of the toggle. Disabling backup for an app does not just stop future copies; it also deletes the app’s existing cloud backup from the Google account. If a user later loses the phone, resets it, or reinstalls the app, that data may be gone for good. That makes the feature a cleanup tool, not just a settings change. The safeguard is that Android shows a warning before deletion, and the change applies only to app data. Device data such as SMS, call history and phone settings remains managed separately. Still, experts generally advise keeping more than one backup, ideally a cloud copy and a local one, and testing restores before relying on them. So the feature improves user control and reduces backup bloat, but it also raises the cost of mistakes. For careful users, it is a welcome fix. For casual users, it creates a real chance of permanent data loss.

Q: As Google rolls out per-app backups, how does its permanent deletion policy compare to Apple's iCloud system?

Google’s new Android system is broadly similar to Apple’s iCloud in one key respect: deleting an app from the phone does not automatically erase that app’s data from cloud backups. In both ecosystems, users must take a separate action to remove backed-up app data. The main difference is how explicit and immediate Google’s new control appears to be. On Android, turning off backup for a specific app now also deletes that app’s existing backup data from the user’s Google account, according to the rollout details. That makes the toggle both a future-backup switch and a cleanup tool for reclaiming storage. Apple’s iCloud also lets users manage backup data on an app-by-app basis inside a device backup, or delete an entire device backup. But the process is framed more as backup management within iCloud storage settings, rather than a single per-app toggle that also serves as an instant deletion command. As with Google, uninstalling the app alone does not purge its cloud backup data. So the practical comparison is that both Google and Apple require deliberate user action for permanent removal of app data from backups, but Google’s new Android feature makes that action more direct by tying “disable backup” to deletion of the existing stored app data. Apple offers similar control, but typically through iCloud backup management screens or by deleting whole backups.

3 articles · Updated · korben.info · Jun 30

Pixel phones on Android 16 and 17 are getting a new Google backup menu that lets users turn app backups on or off individually instead of using one device-wide switch.
The new App data section shows the three biggest backup users first, lists how much space each app stores, and expands to a full app list through a Show more option.
Disabling a toggle does more than stop future uploads — it also deletes that app’s backup data already stored in the user’s Google account.
Device data such as SMS, call history and phone settings is unchanged and still remains under a single backup control rather than per-app management.