Google Changes Android Backup Rules: SMS and Call History Now Count

Starting from July 7, 2026, Android backup rules are changing: all data saved in the corresponding settings, from SMS to call history to device settings, now count towards the storage limit of the Google account. Until yesterday, the exception was broad: only media uploaded to Google Photos and photos or videos attached to MMS messages were included in the count. Starting today, that exception is gone.

The new rule applies immediately to new Android accounts created after July 7; for existing account holders, the change will roll out progressively in the coming months. According to Google, the practical impact will still be marginal: "We expect this to add on average only 40 MB," said a company spokesperson, adding that the goal of the change is to provide "greater transparency and control" over what is actually included in the backup.

New Granular Controls

Alongside the new counting method, Google is introducing more granular controls in the backup menu: it will be possible to individually exclude device settings, call history, and SMS/MMS data from automatic backups. On Pixel devices, the path is:
Settings → Accounts and backup → Google Backup → Other device data; searching for "backup" in the Settings app leads to the same screen. However, the rollout of these controls, reported by 9to5Google, is not immediate: the arrival for all users is expected in the coming weeks.

We had already discussed this in relation to the introduction of app-by-app controls in Android backup, a step that is now completed with the ability to manage data not linked to individual applications.

Google Storage Gets Tighter

This change is part of a broader context in which Google is progressively revising the conditions of free storage. In May 2026, the company began testing a reduction of the free limit from 15 GB to 5 GB for new accounts, unless linked to a phone number. The extended counting of Android backup data should therefore be seen as another piece of the same puzzle, although Google insists that the average impact per user will remain contained.

For those managing a storage space that is already at its limit, the new granular controls remain a practical tool to mitigate the effect: excluding call history and SMS from the backup, when not needed, prevents them from weighing on the count.