Android phones are getting a way to back up photos and videos to a Windows PC without paying for cloud storage. Google lists it in the release notes for its November 2026 system updates as automatic backup from an Android phone to Windows using the Quick Share feature, for both phones and PCs.
Google’s note is one line long and gives no rollout schedule, so details of how it behaves come from earlier digging into the feature rather than from Google.
Once activated the feature automatically starts backing up with the Quick Share app on the PC. Both devices need the same Google account, although the files never pass through Google’s servers. Android Authority used Google Play Services version 26.26.33 of July to replicate the feature.
You choose which photos and videos to include. They are then copied once a day when the phone and PC are both on, close to each other and on the same Wi-Fi network. You can also trigger a backup yourself at any time.
The same info page said the feature would not support Samsung Galaxy phones. Android Authority guessed the reason was Samsung’s own Smart Switch app, which already backs up phones to a PC but cannot do it automatically. Google’s November note does not mention Samsung, so it is not clear whether that limit survived into the release.
The note appears in Google’s system release notes alongside other Play services changes, including Google Password Manager letting you pick which credentials to keep when imported passwords and passkeys clash. Google has not said when each phone will see the Quick Share backup, since Play services updates reach devices in stages.
