- Google drive cost for android#
- Google drive cost Offline#
- Google drive cost download#
- Google drive cost windows#
Basically, if someone wants to get at your files, they're going to have to work very hard to get them.įiles and folder sharing tools are quite specific and difficult to get confused, as you can see at all times who has access to what. Generally, Google has a decent record with security, and offers various levels of two-factor authentication ( 2FA) (opens in new tab), with numerous checks to catch unauthorized account access should it occur. (Image credit: Google) Google Drive securityĭrive stores files and transfers them using encryption, but take note that it's not end-to-end encryption, which means that Google can see your files, if it wants to. It’s likely that your own broadband connection will pose the biggest limiting factor here.
Google drive cost download#
In our testing, upload and download speeds were as expected across the board including desktop and smartphone apps and browser access. While this is fairly common for other cloud backup services, iCloud Drive (one of Google’s key competitors) doesn’t allow for this level of control. Google Drive’s desktop client offers bandwidth throttling, which is especially useful for houses with poor connections. We like the extra granularity when it comes to control. There are better cloud backup tools out there, but for a basic consumer-facing tool, Google does quite well. For those with a reasonable amount of storage space, this can add reassurance that, should something go wrong with your computer’s hard drive, copies are saved in the cloud. Hidden away in the settings of the Google Drive client is the option to backup files from your computer. Previous versions of the desktop client were clumsy and lacking in features, but the latest version is just as easy to navigate as a browser version.
Google drive cost windows#
For Windows and macOS, along with accessing Google Drive through a browser and uploading files there, you can also download the Backup and Sync tool which lets you sync your Google Drive locally, analogous to Dropbox, as well as upload files to the web from other commonly used folders.īecause apps like Docs, Sheets and Slides are accessed online, it makes sense to use the browser version of Google Drive, however some users will still like to sync files to their computer’s file management system to keep things in check.
Google drive cost for android#
In the mobile apps for Android and iOS, files can be instantly accessed with an interface design that very closely mirrors that on the web, with no need to swap between different mindsets as you change devices. The view we particularly like is ‘Recent,’ which is essentially just a list of files in reverse chronological order, and works well enough in most cases. Google indicates that Drive has AI processing that brings documents and shares you're likely to want next up to the top of the file list, but we found this somewhat hit and miss overall, but it's easy enough to sort through the folders you've created or search more specifically. Users working off a computer or laptop will be disappointed when they find out that an Internet connection is needed to access all their information.
Google drive cost Offline#
On the go, there are smartphone and tablet apps for Docs, Sheets, and Slides, as well as offline access tools in the Google Drive app. On that note, there aren’t many drawbacks to the Google Suite as a whole, but those wanting to have dedicated offline access will be disappointed. We find it very straightforward, once you get past that everything is working inside a browser instead of a more conventional file system. You can make use of a thumbnail view, or a more conventional list view on the main web interface, and files can be shifted around via drag-and-drop just as if you were using a regular desktop app. Google Drive applies its Optical Character Recognition (OCR) automatically to PDFs and images, which allows you to search through the text they contain as if they were any other document.įiles can be easily copied, moved, starred, and arranged as you like. What the Google Drive interface lacks in sophistication it more than makes up for with intuitiveness and speed as finding files is quick and simple, whether you're searching for keywords and file types from the top search bar, or browsing through folders and shares from the navigation bar on the left. (Image credit: Google) Google Drive interfaceĮvery Google app has a familiar interface with lots of white space, a dash of color, and bold graphics.