Which Apps You Should Actually Stop Backing Up on Android (and Why)

 



Google just gave Android users a new setting that's long overdue — the ability to choose exactly which apps back up their data to your Google Account, instead of the old all-or-nothing system.

If you've ever gotten a storage full warning and had no idea which app was to blame, this update is for you. If storage problems have been slowing your phone down in general, it's worth checking our guide on why your Android phone is running slow too.

But here's the real question nobody's answering yet: which apps should you actually turn off? Just flipping toggles at random can backfire — you could lose data you actually needed. Let's fix that.

What's Changing

Until now, Android backed up almost everything automatically. You had zero visibility into what was eating your storage, and only one big switch to turn backups on or off entirely.

The new system breaks this down app-by-app. You can now see how much space each app's backup takes up, and switch off backup for specific apps without touching the rest.

How to Find It on Your Phone

On Pixel devices:

Settings → Google → Manage backup → Other device data → scroll to App data → tap Show more to see every app with a toggle.

On Samsung Galaxy devices:

Settings → Accounts and backup → Back up data (Google Drive) → Other device data → tap Show more.

A heads-up before you go looking: this is still rolling out gradually. If you don't see it yet, that's normal — not a sign anything's broken on your phone. It's currently reaching Pixel devices first, with Samsung and other brands catching up over the coming weeks. This rollout is separate from the recent Android 17 update — so even if your phone hasn't gotten Android 17 yet, you may still see this feature.

Which Apps You Should Turn OFF

These are safe, and often smart, to disable:

  • Games with heavy cache data — most game progress is tied to your account login (Google Play Games, Facebook, etc.), not the local backup. Turning off backup here saves the most space with zero real risk.
  • Apps you rarely open anymore — old apps sitting untouched for months are just dead weight in your backup.
  • Apps that store sensitive but replaceable data — think mood trackers, budgeting apps, or anything where you'd rather not have that data sitting in the cloud, and where losing it wouldn't be a disaster.
  • Streaming or media apps — Netflix, Spotify, YouTube and similar apps rebuild your preferences from your account the moment you log back in. Their local backup is mostly unnecessary.

Which Apps You Should Leave ON

Don't touch backups for these — the risk of losing something important is real:

  • Messaging apps (WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS-based apps) — conversation history is often hard or impossible to recover if lost.
  • Notes and productivity apps — anything with typed content you created yourself and can't easily redo.
  • Apps tied to two-factor authentication — losing this data can lock you out of other accounts entirely.
  • Any app holding data you personally created and haven't backed up anywhere else (like a separate cloud service).

One Thing Worth Knowing Before You Toggle Anything

When you turn off backup for an app, Google doesn't just stop future backups — it deletes the existing backed-up data from the cloud immediately. This isn't like hiding a file; it's gone. So if there's any chance you'll need that app's data on a future device, don't switch it off just to test the setting.

The Bottom Line

This update finally puts real control in your hands instead of leaving backups as a black box. Use it to clear out the apps that are just taking up space — but be deliberate about it. A few minutes of thinking through what's actually worth keeping saves you from an unpleasant surprise down the line.

FREQUENTLY Asked Questions

Q. 1: Do I need to be on Android 17 to get this feature?

No — it's tied to your Google Play services version, not your Android OS version, so it can appear on Android 16 devices too, depending on rollout.

Q. 2: Will turning off backup delete the app itself?

No. It only stops that app's data from being saved to your Google Account — the app stays installed and works normally.

Q. 3: Can I turn backup back on later?

Yes, anytime. But remember: any data deleted when you turned it off won't come back — turning it back on only protects data going forward.

Q. 4: Why don't I see this setting on my Samsung phone yet?

The rollout is gradual and currently favors Pixel devices. It's expected to expand to more brands over the coming weeks.

Final Thoughts

Backups are one of those things most of us never think about until we lose something we needed. This update gives you a rare chance to actually get ahead of that — instead of leaving Google to decide what's worth saving, you get to decide.

The smartest approach isn't to switch everything off the moment you see this new setting. Go through it slowly, app by app, and ask yourself one simple question: if this app's data disappeared today, would I actually miss it? For games and streaming apps, probably not. For your messages, notes, or anything tied to two-factor authentication, the answer is very different.

A few extra minutes spent deciding now can save you a real headache later — especially the day you switch phones and expect everything to just be there.

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