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Isn't Android backup end-to-end encrypted since 2018 or something? Why are so many people commenting like something revolutionary is happening?

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Sometimes news is about market developments, not technical innovation.

Android backups are E2EE but I don't think Google photos is. Photos aren't included in the phone backup, I think. Would welcome correction if that's wrong.

This is more than just the backup, this is all user data--files, photos, etc.

Google Drive and Photos are not E2EE

Except for metadata and file hashing - iCloud is still using those on files and photos.

Google Drive does have E2EE (https://support.google.com/docs/answer/10519333) but it might (?) require a corporate account. It severely affects collaboration and sharing which is probably why it's a bit of a niche feature.

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