Google Drive for desktop aims to simplify file sync for business and individual users

[Humza]

Drive up the wall: Google wants to clear up confusion around its Drive file sync and storage service. Although there’s just one Google Drive app on mobile, on the desktop there's 'Drive File Stream' for Workspace/G Suite customers and 'Backup and Sync' for regular users. Following an update (version 45.0) to Drive File Stream last week, Google renamed this service to 'Google Drive for desktop'. The company is now pushing to make it a unified client for all users by incorporating features from Backup and Drive, including the ability to upload media to Google Photos.

Google’s file sync offerings under its Drive service can get a bit complicated, especially if you’re a regular customer who relies on Backup and Sync for personal use and then has to manage Drive File Stream at work. It could also get messy if an organization used both solutions at the same time.

Thankfully, the company is streamlining things with Drive for desktop, a recent relabelling of the enterprise-focused Drive File Stream, in an effort to reduce confusion for all Google Drive users around which app to use on desktop. Google notes that IT admins and business end users won't be impacted by this change and that it's launched a beta for the new unified client that will combine the 'best and most used features' of Drive File Stream and Backup and Sync.

Later this year, Drive for desktop will allow backing up media to Google Photos, local folder sync, and multi-account access.
Click here for the full list of features that'll come to Drive for desktop.

Google Drive for desktop will also be rolling out to regular users on PC later this year as a replacement for Backup and Sync. Consequently, they'd need to manually transition to the new unified client as Google retires its current consumer offering.

The company says it will give IT admins and end users three months' notice before the deadline to transition to Drive for desktop. It will share more details on consumer timelines closer to availability.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/88533-google-drive-desktop-aims-simplify-file-sync-business.html

 

[punctualturn]

One thing that I dont understand, Google uses Linux on their work desktops, same for their own Chrome OS and of course, Android, yet they dont have an official Linux client for Drive.

 

[Uncle Al]

Certainly won't be long ......

 

[ziffel66]

Backup & Sync is straight garbage. I got 3 free months of Google One (100 GB storage) and tried B&S on my PC. Within 30 minutes I uninstalled it. Endless popups you can't disable, and horrible UI. Hope this fixes that.

 

[Ludak021]

Backup & Sync is straight garbage. I got 3 free months of Google One (100 GB storage) and tried B&S on my PC. Within 30 minutes I uninstalled it. Endless popups you can't disable, and horrible UI. Hope this fixes that.

RMB on tray icon >EXIT.

 

[lgsystems]

Perhaps I wasn't the only one whom reached a conclusion that this was the year I would address my online storage mess by consolidating into Dropbox (the only company I've seen improving and adding features and simplicity to their sync client...and offering more platforms to sync), reducing my Google expense (Google What? All this hype just to share my Drive storage with family and friends? Really? Google One? Right...), and reducing my Microsoft subscription (as OneNote has made it into my inner circle). The primary catalyst for this: The Google sync client which has proven itself incapable of being understood, and upon any idea of understanding, totally flips the table of your files. Keep a backup! Right?

I get it: Online file storage is not a substitute for a backup; Google Drive BS makes sure you understand that concept.

In the end, this sync client consolidation on Google's part is so long overdue, it should be referred to as something else... "Long overdue" inplies we're still even in the same time frame wherein an update would be relevant. How in the world did Microsoft's OneDrive client surpass Google's when Google had the absolute clear head start, user base, and technological advantage? Additionally, is either of these companies looking at what Dropbox is doing? LAN-sync? Beautiful...save bandwidth while making your file available wherever you may be.

Let's go Google. Microsoft has their Office product shoring up the horrid 1TB OneDrive offering which is begging me to ditch it as it isn't for my type of use, apparently. However, when my OneDrive went haywire, I was easily able to recover. When my Google Drive did the same thing, I went scrambling for a backup, as the Google representative told me there was nothing they could do.

Something's gotta give...I guess this sync client simplification is a step in the right direction... Kudos...maybe...ok, kudos, for now...

 

[Danny101]

I just don't do cloud storage at this point. Too much insecurity.