Files from Google: important data soon to be deleted

Google is planning to switch off the "Important" tab of its data management app. Everything stored in it will be permanently deleted at this point. Users will only have a few weeks to recover their data.

Google is known for frequently tweaking its own apps and making changes in the process. In addition to changes or adjustments to the UX and UI, apps are often provided with new, experimental features. Traditionally, however, these new features are not rolled out to all users at the same time, but rather in waves and with a time delay in different regions. 

This is what has now happened with the file management programme from Google ("Files from Google"), which is pre-installed on many Android smartphones and is therefore used by many users. Google has integrated a new registration card, "Important", into its app, in which central documents such as IDs, tickets or digital (bank) cards can be stored and saved separately from all other data, so that they can be accessed quickly and easily. So far, this feature has only been rolled out in India.

However, according to a statement from Google, this function will be removed from the app on 15 February 2024, just a few weeks after its introduction. The "Important" tab will no longer be available from then on. It is not clear exactly why Google is taking this step. With this announcement, Google is giving affected users very little time to react.

The removal of the feature is particularly annoying, as saved documents on the 'Important' tab will be permanently deleted from the app after this date. The problem is that the app regards the "Important" tab as a separate storage location instead of labelling documents with a flag/tag and thus displaying them separately as a link in the tab. If the storage location is gone, so is the data in it. To back up the data, users of the "Important" tab should use the "Share" option in the app to create copies of their documents before 15 February 2024.

The drastic cut to the app's functionality, which could lead to the loss of sensitive and important data, naturally raises questions about the reliability of Google's apps. Users who do not take action will soon be faced with a fait accompli and without data. Particularly worthy of criticism is the very short notice given by Google and the narrow window of opportunity for users to take action.

In the current case, only users in India are affected by the removal of the feature in "Files from Google", but this example shows that app development is a constant process and (drastic) changes must be expected at any time. Functions and operating methods that are familiar to us today could soon be changed or cancelled without users having any influence over them.

As annoying as the removal of the function may seem, Google's decision is not an isolated case and it is not surprising that the developer is changing the scope of its app. Some developers, as in the current example of "Files from Google", remove functions from the software without replacement, while others outsource them elsewhere or change the business model so that they disappear behind a paywall or a subscription.

As an app expert, AppPlusMobile is familiar with this problem, monitors current app developments and supports customers in all steps that need to be taken in such cases. By providing professional advice and possible alternatives, AppPlusMobile helps to develop reliable and consistent software solutions for customers and companies.