Google is merging its Drive sync applications for business and consumers, giving all users access to the full range of features.
The tech giant will combine its consumer app, Backup and Sync, with its enterprise app, Drive File Stream, into the new Google Drive for Desktop app. This will give all users access to a unified experience, with features such as uploading and syncing photos and videos to Google Photos and Google Drive; syncing external storage devices to the cloud; and mirroring Drive files on the desktop.
In a blog post, Scott Limberd, Product Management Lead, Google Drive, said the new app will provide a simplified and streamlined experience with faster sync across both MacOS and Windows PC devices.
“With Drive for desktop, you can access files directly from the cloud on your Mac or PC, which frees up your disk space and saves your network bandwidth.
“Because Drive files are stored in the cloud, any changes you or your collaborators make are automatically updated everywhere, and you’ll always have access to the latest version,” he said.
Current Backup and Sync users will be notified to transition to the new Drive for Desktop app by September in order to continue syncing their files.
