Google is rolling out automatic photo and video backups from Android phones to Windows PCs through Quick Share, a wireless file-sharing feature in Google Play services v26.43. The backups happen locally over a wireless connection and require no cloud storage subscription.
To use the feature, your Android phone and Windows computer must be nearby and signed into the same Google Account. You control the backups through the Quick Share for Windows app, where you can toggle automatic backups on and choose what files get transferred and where they go to. Transfers occur wirelessly in the background.
This approach lets Android users preserve photos and videos without consuming Google Account storage space. Google Photos backups count toward your storage cap as of earlier this year unless you exclude specific file types. Local backups to your PC avoid that limit entirely and cost nothing.
Android Authority reports that early hints suggested Samsung phones and PCs might be excluded from the feature, though the release notes do not specify further details. The rollout is expected to happen gradually.