Google has released the February Google Play Services update, and with it comes a new feature that will make Android backups more robust: the ability to automatically back up your device’s Downloads folder. That might not seem like much, but it fills a major hole in Android’s backup scheme by allowing local files to be backed up.

Why this is a big deal

Fewer files will fall through the cracks

Until now, there were essentially two backups happening on your Android device: one for photos and videos, and one for “other device data.” Photos and videos are pretty self-explanatory — your camera roll would be backed up via Google Photos (even though Google Photos isn’t really a backup tool). “Other device data” refers to things like Wi-Fi networks, wallpapers, certain system settings, your call and text history, and occasionally app settings. These are backed up using Google Drive.

This new update marks the first time files are included in Android’s automated backup system. Previously, if you wanted to back up PDFs, documents, and other files on your device, you needed to do so manually or risk losing a key file in an emergency. That’s no longer necessary (you’re probably still backing up your data the wrong way, though).

How local backup works on Android

Targeted, automated backups

The local backup feature is simple enough. Once enabled, it’ll take snapshots of the Downloads folder on your device and upload those to Google Drive.

It’s important to keep in mind that this is just a backup, not a live sync. This means the backups only happen occasionally — with Android, typically when your phone is idle, charging, and connected to Wi-Fi. In practice, this means that if you change a file on your device, it may take a bit before it gets backed up.

Unfortunately, it’s currently only the Downloads folder that is included in this backup. This makes sense — on a phone, this is probably the most likely location for files you could lose. In the future, it would be nice to see additional folders added, or even the ability to specify which folders are backed up, but for now, this’ll do.

How to enable local backups

The local backup feature is not enabled by default — even if you’ve received the update, you’ll need to go into settings and toggle it on. This is to prevent a large downloads folder from suddenly filling up your Google Drive storage. To activate the feature, head to the Settings app and go to Google > Backup. If the feature has rolled out to you, you’ll see a Downloads option in the list.

If you don’t see the option yet, be patient — Google is, as usual, rolling the feature out gradually.