Google further details Android Marshmallow’s best new feature: Auto Backup for Apps [VIDEO]
While Android M (officially launching later this on Nexus devices) is said to bring some pretty big changes to the OS, one of the biggest, but more low-key, features is an actual app data backup system. Like on iOS, apps can potentially restore all their data therein, whether it’s after a factory reset, or transitioning to a new device. Games will pick up exactly where you left off and apps will already remember all your sign-in info and settings.
To help shed some light on this new feature arriving in Android M, Google is taking to their Android Developers Blog to explain things further. They call it “Auto Backup for Apps” and according to them, developers come implement this with “zero lines of application code.” Awesome. They do mention that developers will first need to update the targetSdkVersion to 23 in order to enable it and test in the latest Android M Developer Preview. Of course, opting out is also possible and developers can exclude specific app data.
Google says they provide this service to developers and users at no charge and even though backups are stored in a users’ Google Drive storage, don’t actually count against their total quota (although keep in mind that backups will still eat up carrier data allotments). Another interesting tidbit is that restores will still take place for apps even when sideloaded or downloaded from other app stores outside of Google Play. For more, hit up the video down below or check out the post on the Android Developers Blog right here.
