New features coming to Files by Google: Compress files and pin collections (APK Teardown)

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

The Files by Google app is set to introduce several new features, bringing its file management capabilities closer to the best file explorer apps. We could access these features through flags in the Files by Google app version 1.4237.652465286.1-release beta.

An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.

Probably the most notable addition is the “Compress” option, which would allow users to create zip files directly from within the app. While the current version already supports extracting files from zip archives, the ability to compress files or folders into zips would streamline tasks like sharing multiple files or archiving data on the go.

Another new feature is the “Add to collection” option. This will enable users to pin any folder to the “Collection” tab on the app’s home page. As it stands, the Collection tab houses only a safe folder and a folder for starred files. With this update, users will gain more flexibility in organizing their important folders for quick and easy access. However, it’s worth noting that this feature is limited to folders, as individual files cannot be pinned to the Collection tab.

We also noticed that Google has interchanged the positions of the “Collection” and “Categories” tabs in the new beta, placing the Collections tab above Categories.

As of now, neither the “Compress” nor the “Add to collection” features are functional in the beta version. We can expect that these functionalities will be activated in an upcoming version of the app, pending further development and testing.

Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at [email protected]. You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.