Not all data is equal. For example, when you use Google to create a backup for your Android device, you are throwing in all of the data in the backup, even data you don't want or need. Some data comes from your device such as your call history, messages, settings, and more. Then there is app data. Android Authority, digging through beta version 25.44.32 of Google Play Services, discovered that Google is working to add individual toggles for each app leading to a more customized experience for backups.
While the individual toggles do not show up in the current version of Google Play Services, the report shows how Google could add more granular controls. Follow these directions: Tap on Settings > tap on your name > Manage backup > Other device data and you'll see your current backup detailing the amount of data you've stored grouped together in sections like this:
SMS & MMS messages
Call history
Device settings
Apps & app data
What Google is supposedly working on is a page that shows the device details on top with an individual listing for each app that shows the amount of data stored on each one. With each app listed there is a toggle allowing you to decide whether to exclude the data for certain apps when you create the backup. So if you're backing up the data on your Android phone, but don't want to include data from certain apps, you can toggle those apps off before creating the backup.
Current UI for managing backups on Android. | Image credit-PhoneArena
Any app with a huge amount of data will probably stick out like a sore thumb. For example, on my Pixel 6 Pro, a phone I purchased in 2021, the 114 apps that support data backups have saved 153MB of data or an average of 1.3MB for each app. You should be able to quickly find any app that hoards data that you might not particularly want to include in a backup of your operating system.
The possible look of the future UI for individual app backups. | Image credit-Android Authority
This would be a useful feature if Google decides to implement it. Right now, the new feature is in the process of being developed by the Alphabet subsidiary and changes can be made before the new individual app data toggles see the light of day, if they ever do.
Is this a feature you would like to see implemented by Google?
Yes. I'd love to customize my backup.
100%
No. This does nothing for me.
0%
I really don't know.
0%
Obviously, this is an idea that should have been thought of years ago. Not all app data carries the same importance and as a result, you should be able to decide which data you want to include in your backup.
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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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