Earlier this year Google rolled out a new feature called Drive File Stream to beta testers, that allowed users on devices like MacBooks and PCs to easily gain access to files stored in the cloud without the need for lengthy sync processes. Today in its latest blog post, the company announced that this feature - which was initially an enterprise focused project - would roll out to all customers, and its Google Drive and Photos Backup apps for macOS and PC desktop will be discontinued in 2018.
This follows the launch of Google Backup and Sync for Mac and PCs that replaced its traditional applications on computers. The new program allows the user to select which file types and folders they want to have backed up in the cloud, and Google will do the rest, instead of the traditional method of transferring files to a specific folder on the said PC, among several other features.
Google Drive and Photos Backup apps for macOS and PC will be deprecated on December 11 later this year, meaning that it will not be supported from that point on. Then, on March 12 next year the company will officially shut down the project. However, it is unclear if the legacy applications would still be able to connect to your Google drive after that point, or if the company will sever ties completely.
Google, however, does suggest users of the older application migrate to the new Backup and Sync, and it is recommended to avoid any downtime resulting from this new update.
Source: G Suite Updates
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