What actually gets backed up, how many times?

Question

Say I have a photo A taken by the phone camera. It is stored somewhere, but can be seen in the stock Gallery app as well as the Google Photos app. Q1:Are both apps using the same physical copy or are there two copies?



Then, say, my WhatsApp has a photo B I received in a conversation. It is I presumed stored in /WhatsApp/Media/whatsApp Images. It can also be seen in the Gallery and Photos apps.



My WhatsApp has backup set to Back up to Google Drive Daily using Google Account X. Q2:Is this a special arrangement between Google and WhatsApp, because I cannot see anything regarding this in https://drive.google.com.



In the Photos app, Settings, Back up & Sync, the BACKUP ACCOUNT is Y, my other Google Account I have configured on the same phone. In the Back Up device folders details, WhatsApp Images is enabled. Q3:Does this mean that my WhatsApp photo B is backed up to my Google Drive in account Y as well as the special WhatsApp backup in Google Drive in account X?


— Old Geezer | Sources

Answer


Q1:Are both apps using the same physical copy or are there two copies?




They are both the same copy. Both apps scan the location the photo is stored, and the location contains only 1 copy of the file. If you have 5 copies of the same file, in the same folder, both apps will show you 5 photos, not 10.




Q2:Is this a special arrangement between Google and WhatsApp, because I cannot see anything regarding this in https://drive.google.com.




I presume yes. On Android, WhatsApp uses Drive for backups, while on iOS, it uses iCloud.




Q3:Does this mean that my WhatsApp photo B is backed up to my Google Drive in account Y as well as the special WhatsApp backup in Google Drive in account X?




Yes. Although the accounts are differents, both apps have been configured to access the same folder (in this case, WhatsApp Images). Thus, when backing up files, they both backup the same files in both accounts.


— Reddy Lutonadio | Sources

Q & A

How can I use (parts of) a managed account without submitting my device to the Device Policy?
Building CyanogenMod 14.1 for Nexus 6
Missing notification sounds in android 5
Unlocked Nexus 6p stuck in boot loop
How do I know that TowelRoot worked
How to make Android WIFI connection static and use always mobile internet?
How to connect to WIFI but use phone mobile internet?
Is it possible to disable vibration for the notifications only (Android 6.0)?
Blocking advertising in Nougat 7.0
Cyanogenmod Unofficial and custom kernel
Why isn't ~/.profile sourced when I start the terminal app?
Fastboot doesn't recognize OnePlus3 although adb does
Save shared content to local filesystem
Are all the 2 amp Chargers are "Quick Chargers"?
OnePlus One (CM 13.1.2) persisting boot loop
Prevent app from knowing about root access (sandbox)
access xperia z1 compact with broken screen?
Lollipop plays call notification ringtone instead of notification ringtone when a text is received
Kedacom USB Device doesnt work with fastboot Nexus 5x
Can an app with root permission access another app data?

Topics

2D Engines   3D Engines   9-Patch   Action Bars   Activities   ADB   Advertisements   Analytics   Animations   ANR   AOP   API   APK   APT   Architecture   Audio   Autocomplete   Background Processing   Backward Compatibility   Badges   Bar Codes   Benchmarking   Bitmaps   Bluetooth   Blur Effects   Bread Crumbs   BRMS   Browser Extensions   Build Systems   Bundles   Buttons   Caching   Camera   Canvas   Cards   Carousels   Changelog   Checkboxes   Cloud Storages   Color Analysis   Color Pickers   Colors   Comet/Push   Compass Sensors   Conferences   Content Providers   Continuous Integration   Crash Reports   Credit Cards   Credits   CSV   Curl/Flip   Data Binding   Data Generators   Data Structures   Database   Database Browsers   Date &   Debugging   Decompilers   Deep Links   Dependency Injections   Design   Design Patterns   Dex   Dialogs   Distributed Computing   Distribution Platforms   Download Managers   Drawables   Emoji   Emulators   EPUB   Equalizers &   Event Buses   Exception Handling   Face Recognition   Feedback &   File System   File/Directory   Fingerprint   Floating Action   Fonts   Forms   Fragments   FRP   FSM   Functional Programming   Gamepads   Games   Geocaching   Gestures   GIF   Glow Pad   Gradle Plugins   Graphics   Grid Views   Highlighting   HTML   HTTP Mocking   Icons   IDE   IDE Plugins   Image Croppers   Image Loaders   Image Pickers   Image Processing   Image Views   Instrumentation   Intents   Job Schedulers   JSON   Keyboard   Kotlin   Layouts   Library Demos   List View   List Views   Localization   Location   Lock Patterns   Logcat   Logging   Mails   Maps   Markdown   Mathematics   Maven Plugins   MBaaS   Media   Menus   Messaging   MIME   Mobile Web   Native Image   Navigation   NDK   Networking   NFC   NoSQL   Number Pickers   OAuth   Object Mocking   OCR Engines   OpenGL   ORM   Other Pickers   Parallax List   Parcelables   Particle Systems   Password Inputs   PDF   Permissions   Physics Engines   Platforms   Plugin Frameworks   Preferences   Progress Indicators   ProGuard   Properties   Protocol Buffer   Pull To   Purchases   Push/Pull   QR Codes   Quick Return   Radio Buttons   Range Bars   Ratings   Recycler Views   Resources   REST   Ripple Effects   RSS   Screenshots   Scripting   Scroll Views   SDK   Search Inputs   Security   Sensors   Services   Showcase Views   Signatures   Sliding Panels   Snackbars   SOAP   Social Networks   Spannable   Spinners   Splash Screens   SSH   Static Analysis   Status Bars   Styling   SVG   System   Tags   Task Managers   TDD &   Template Engines   Testing   Testing Tools   Text Formatting   Text Views   Text Watchers   Text-to   Toasts   Toolkits For   Tools   Tooltips   Trainings   TV   Twitter   Updaters   USB   User Stories   Utils   Validation   Video   View Adapters   View Pagers   Views   Watch Face   Wearable Data   Wearables   Weather   Web Tools   Web Views   WebRTC   WebSockets   Wheel Widgets   Wi-Fi   Widgets   Windows   Wizards   XML   XMPP   YAML   ZIP Codes