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How to find downloads on your Android phone or tablet
Managing your downloaded files has never been easier
Downloading files on your Android device is straightforward, but locating them can be a hassle. Before you know it, photos, videos, screenshots, and other files clutter your phone. You need to know where those downloads went so that you can delete unnecessary documents that are taking up space on your phone.
Creating and sharing documents has changed a lot in the last few decades. File cabinets are becoming a thing of the past, but document management is more important than ever. It's helpful to use the tools that let you access your records on your phone and computer, especially if you store documents in the cloud.
12 best file managers on Android in 2024
When your default file manager just won't do, you can count on third parties to fill the gaps
Organizing your files and folders on your Android device can be tedious, but it doesn’t have to be. With the help of a top-notch file manager, you can keep your device clutter-free and put all of those unorganized files in check. File managers provide a simple and user-friendly interface to create, copy, move, rename, and delete files and folders. They’re essential for managing the storage of your device and keeping it organized, which is especially important for those who store a large amount of data on their device.
4 hidden Chromebook features to supercharge your productivity on Chrome OS 93
Features that will take your productivity to the next level
Chrome OS 93 arrived for most Chromebooks last week, and it refines the core experience with polish (like adding a stylus battery indicator) to help make your device more enjoyable to use. It's not the most exciting release out-of-the-box, but with a little tweaking on your end, you'll be able to take advantage of some even-more-useful but experimental features that aren't part of the default Chrome OS experience yet. Here are a few of them we've found that will help take your productivity to the next level.
Android 12 is bringing with it the biggest design language shake-up in years — Material You. While we've yet to see all of Google's apps embrace this change, the process has begun and Files by Google is the latest to jump on the bandwagon.
Google Files reaches 1 billion Play Store installs surprisingly quickly
Doubling from 500M in less than a year
Even though Android is the most popular smartphone OS globally — on more than two billion active devices — not many apps join the exclusive 1-billion-downloads club. Among those that make it, Google is unsurprisingly the most popular developer. Its latest app to pass this milestone is Files by Google.
Earlier this year, Google Lens hit 500 million downloads on the Play Store. For an app that isn't pre-installed on many devices, this milestone does point out how helpful it really is, and it's only getting better thanks to a new update that makes it easier to select the images you want to be analyzed.
Google Photos may finally be integrated into the Chrome OS file manager
Managing photos will be a lot more streamlined than before
It's been two years since Google decoupled its Drive and Photos services for a "simplified experience," preventing pictures from syncing to its cloud-based storage. For many, managing images from Google Photos became a lot less streamlined on Chrome OS: you'd have to download your pictures from the Google Photos app to organize them in the file manager. Several users have expressed frustrations about the lacking synergy between Photos and the files app, citing how frustrating it is to import a selection of images to Chrome OS. However, that might be changing soon, as we discovered a pair of work-in-progress commits that hint at deeper Google Photos integration into the file manager.
The Chrome OS file manager will soon get a trash can
Users will get a second chance to restore deleted files
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The unthinkable happened: You just deleted the wrong file by accident, and it happened to be a school essay that you spent days working on. If you didn't save a backup of the document on your Chromebook, unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to get that file back. With Windows, the Recycle Bin gives us a second chance to restore a file or folder you deleted from the file manager, but with a Chromebook, the files are permanently erased from your device. It sure looks like the developers at Google have become sympathetic to us accidental-deleters, and are working on a way to bring back recently deleted files.
Chrome OS is working on a tidier but less efficient file browser navigation pane
Audio, Images, and Videos categories become file-type filters
It's no secret that the file manager on Chrome OS has been a sore point for users ever since Chromebooks were first introduced to the world as cloud-centric computers. It seems like Google hastily threw in a file browser at the last moment and expected only a few people to use it. Although development on the built-in file manager has stagnated over the years, Google recently introduced small quality-of-life features to make it more efficient (like finally adding "Open File Location" to the context menu). It now looks like Google is trying to improve productivity even further by cleaning up clutter from the navigation pane.
Files app on Android 11 now includes storage from other apps
It's now feature-complete with the AOSP file manager it replaced
The second Developer Preview of Android 11 replaced the built-in file manager with Files by Google, the same application that was already present on the Play Store (and pre-installed on Android Go phones). However, the Files app on Android 11 has a slightly different appearance than the same app on Android 10 phones, and there is some added functionality.
Astro File Manager gets modern redesign with dark mode in v8.0 (APK Download)
The fan favorite file app gets a fresh look for 2020 and won't blind you at night anymore
A long-time darling of Android aficionados, Astro File Manager hasn't always had a look befitting its excellent functionality. That changed somewhat through the 7.x version updates, with certain parts of the interface getting refreshed here and there — bottom tabs had been introduced by v7.9, for example. Now version 8 is upon us, and the Astro team has delivered an even more dramatic overhaul. The home page has been completely restyled and the much-requested dark mode has also arrived.
OnePlus publishes its file manager on the Play Store for faster updates
It's still in 'Early Access'
Android manufacturers resort to three strategies when updating the apps they've built into their phones: they can keep them bundled with the system and only update them with new firmware versions, they can install their own store on the phone and issue updates through it, or they simply publish these apps on the Play Store for faster and easier updates for everyone. The latter is obviously the most consumer-friendly solution and OnePlus' File Manager can now count itself in its ranks.
As Android Q makes way for a dark mode, Files by Google has finally joined the dark side and its legion of apps to adopt a dark theme. It looks alright.
Xiaomi has introduced a system-wide dark mode in version 10 of its MIUI software, but the company is still in the process of darkening all its apps, including non-system ones. The latest app to receive that treatment is the Mi File Manager, but that's not the only change in its most recent update.
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The latest OxygenOS Open Betas for the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T bring a new storage-cleaning feature to Indian users. But some of them are concerned about the updated File Manager app as Chinese internet giant Tencent is now involved with it. The app uses an odd permissions scheme and there are concerns about how these changes will affect user data and OnePlus's commitment against bloatware.
Earlier this week, BuzzFeed News reported how apps on the Play Store from Chinese firm DO Global regularly committed click fraud — automatically clicking on ads on behalf of users. Google has already removed apps and suspended accounts owned by DO Global, and it appears ES File Manager may be part of the ongoing crackdown.
In what will surely be a boon to Chromebook-related productivity, you can now make individual folders and files in your Google Drive available offline on Chrome OS, but only on V73 and later. That's Beta Channel and forward, at the time of writing.
Google introduced its smart file manager back in November 2017 as "Files Go," though the Go moniker has since been dropped in favor of a more simple "Files by Google." In a little over 14 months, Files by Google has managed to get over 100 million downloads on the Play Store, which is pretty impressive for a file manager.
About a month ago, Google renamed its Files Go file manager to "Files by Google" and refreshed the UI. Today's update isn't as major, though it might be important to some: USB On-The-Go support.