Google One now offers automatic backup for Android phones

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Google One app
Google One app (Image credit: Joe Maring / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • Google One memberships now include automatic phone backup for Android phones.
  • The Google One app will now automatically back up all your texts, contacts, apps, photos, videos, and multimedia messages.
  • Google One subscriptions start at $2/month for 100GB cloud storage.

Google is rolling out a new automatic phone backup feature for Google One subscribers. As long as you have an Android device, the Google One app will now prompt you to "back up your device's media with your extra storage."

With Google One, you already get more storage for your photos, videos and documents—giving you the peace of mind that your memories and important files are stored in the cloud. Now with automatic phone backup, we're taking another step in helping you keep the stuff you care about safe.

If you have a Google One membership, you will no longer have to worry about losing your important data in case you lose or switch your phone. In addition to backing up your texts, contacts, and apps, Google One's new automatic phone backup will also let you back up original quality photos, videos, and multimedia messages (MMS).

All of your backups can be managed from the Google One app. The feature also makes it easier to restore all your important data when you are setting up a new Android phone.

Google's cloud storage service, which made its debut last year, costs as little as $2 per month or $20 per year for 100GB. While Google One was initially available only in the U.S., the service is now available in over 140 countries.

Should I pay for additional Google One storage?

Babu Mohan
Babu Mohan
5 Comments
  • Horrible battery and utilization hog when backing up. Uninstalled.
  • So.... They are going to take away the ability to back up your phone and sell it back to you. Even if you already pay for storage. Shady AF. https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/37130390#comment29
  • I only wish that I didn't have to have the app installed to get this. Until now, the app served no purpose but to adjust your plan, which shouldn't happen often, especially when Google Drive is installed. If have preferred this feature ended up in the System Settings so I didn't have to have an extra app just for backup.
  • I don't understand the appeal of this. I already have Google Photos which provides free backup at "High Quality" and original resolution if you own a recent Pixel phone. Everything else is backed up for free in Android or by Gmail, except for MMS apparently. Personally, I could care less about MMS backup, but I suppose that is worth $2 a month to some people, just not many I imagine. As someone else speculates, is this the first move towards making everyone pay for what we have been getting for free?
  • To further your point, SMS/MMS backups I think can be made with a number of 3rd party apps for free. It's how I preserve some of my SMS chains when I switch phones.