There is some good news and bad news for Google Drive users. Starting with the bad news, Google Drive for both PC and Mac will begin to vanish from December 11. But, the good news is that if you are a consistent user of Google Drive, then this feature will appear in the form of two new apps, namely Backup and Sync, for consumers, or Drive File Stream, for businesses. The Backup and Sync app will be able to handle both photos and data at once.
How and When is Google Drive getting vanished?
One notable thing here is that Google is just bringing the new apps instead of making changes to Google Drive. At present, Google offers 15 GB of online storage with Drive, and these files can be accessed by any device (Android devices, iPhones, and iPads) that has the Drive app.
Google will stop providing support to the Drive app for Macs and PCs from December 11, and the Drive app service will end on March 12, 2018. This is the time when Backup and Sync will come into the picture.
Use of Backup and Sync app:
Backup and Sync allow the user to backup and sync photos and files from PC, USB keys, and SD cards to the cloud. This is something that Google Drive lacks i.e., the original Google Drive required two separate apps to store files and photos. This consumed more storage space while uploading images to Drive. But in contrast, if a user uploads them to photos, less space is consumed.
Use of Drive File Stream:
Another app is Google Drive File Stream, which provides the same functionality as Backup and Sync but only for enterprise and business users. This app consists of team-oriented features like on-demand file streaming and access to Team Drives.
The primary difference between Backup and Sync and Drive File Stream is that Drive File Stream has the ability to stream files from the cloud- the popular “placeholder”. It can display all cloud-based files without actually storing them on your PC.
Another news is that Mac/PC users may get notifications regarding the changes. This new app won’t affect much to the Drive users much as it seems that only the name of the app has changed for them. But however, it is a major change for business users as they will have to forcefully choose between the two new apps. And if you want to shrink the size of disk space using a placeholder then it is beneficial to choose either a G Suite subscription or swap to OneDrive.
