Google tests Android app-by-app backups in beta: turn apps off individually

Google seems to be trying out per-app cloud backup controls in an Android beta in mid-2026. If it ships, Android users would be able to turn cloud backups on or off for individual apps, rather than relying on the current device-wide switch that covers everything or nothing.

That would be the biggest change to Android backups since Auto Backup for Apps arrived in Android 6.0. Right now, Android usually saves app data quietly to a private folder in Google Drive. When you move to a new phone, the app itself may come back, but not always all of its data. Apple’s iCloud backups are a lot more upfront about how that process works.

Per-app toggles would give people a way to leave out apps that are data-heavy, easy to regenerate, or just too sensitive to back up. Android backup data still doesn’t count against your Google Drive quota, but there’s still a 25 MB cap per app. And while Android 9 and newer can end-to-end encrypt backups using your screen lock, older Android setups may still mean Google holds the keys.

If privacy matters to you, or you’re trying to save storage, or you just want phone restores to go more smoothly, this one is worth keeping an eye on. Reports have also mentioned Downloads-folder backups, which makes it more interesting.

The feature first showed up in late 2025, and by mid-2026 it’s reaching at least some Android beta users. What isn’t clear yet is how broad the rollout is, how much storage or bandwidth people would actually save, or how developers will deal with restores when certain apps are excluded, especially in places where mobile data is expensive.