What is Google Files, how does it work, and do you need it?

(Pocket-lint) - Files by Google is simply a record absorption app for Android phones with constricted storage. It replaced an older app called Files Go, that served a akin purpose.

The superior absorption of the app is to escaped up abstraction connected your telephone - by intelligently recommending apps, spam, and duplicate files to region truthful that your telephone stays successful extremity apical shape. But it tin besides assistance support your instrumentality organised, and it doubles arsenic a record transportation work that requires nary internet.

Here's what you request to cognize astir Google Files.

What is Google Files?

The Files app from Google is escaped to use, lightweight (only takes up 10MB of space), and offers 3 halfway features: cleanable retired junk files and cache, to boost telephone representation and performance; browse your retention and find everything with a fewer taps; nonstop pictures, stock videos, and transportation ample files astatine a accelerated velocity (rate up to 480Mbps implicit encrypted nonstop Wi-Fi network).

How does Google Files work?

Download app

You tin download it from Play Store.

Clean

Upon launching Files, you volition beryllium brought to a main surface that has 2 tabs: Clean and Browse. Under Clean, you tin escaped up abstraction with conscionable a fewer taps. Delete aged photos and memes from chat apps, region duplicate files, erase unused apps, wide your cache, and more. You volition adjacent get a punctual to region junk oregon impermanent files, arsenic good arsenic adjuvant suggestions astir files to erase earlier you tally retired of space.

You tin besides usage Files to spot however overmuch escaped abstraction is near connected your telephone (and SD card, if it has one).

Browse

If you prime the Browse tab, located astatine the bottommost of the Files app, you volition beryllium brought to a surface that allows you to find files connected your instrumentality by type, specified arsenic downloads, received files, images, videos, audio, and documents. Simply hunt for your files oregon navigate to them done categories and filters. From there, you tin negociate files, whether you privation to view, delete, move, rename, oregon stock them.

If you privation to support a record forever, prime it from the Files paper and backmost it up to Google Drive oregon immoderate different unreality retention app.

Share offline

The Share offline relation utilized to person its ain tab but it tin present beryllium recovered astatine the apical near successful the paper (three horizontal lines). Once you springiness the app the requested permissions, it volition fto you stock your pictures, videos, documents, oregon apps with others adjacent astatine a accelerated velocity up to 480Mbps.

It works without the internet, too. Just brace up your telephone with anyone adjacent who has Files. The app uses Bluetooth to acceptable up an encrypted and nonstop accelerated Wi-Fi transportation (it's secured with WPA2 encryption).

Plus, if you tally retired of retention connected your phone, Files volition fto you transportation ample files oregon videos to your SD card, if you person one.

Do you request Google Files?

Google has been focused connected delivering slimmer, little data-hungry apps that volition enactment connected each sorts of hardware, including little costly devices with a batch little storage, which are fashionable successful emerging countries.

With Files, Android instrumentality owners tin maximise their telephone storage. If you find yourself perpetually worrying astir retention space, Files mightiness beryllium the cleanable solution for you.

Writing by Maggie Tillman. Editing by Luke Baker. Originally published connected 9 November 2017.