Google is playing with the introduction of a trash can in Android 12, giving smartphones a feature that Windows and Mac devices have had for a long time.
A universal folder for deleted files has been part of desktop computers for decades. Mac fans will be familiar with the Dump Trash logo, while Windows users have a Recycle Bin icon on their Windows 95 desktop. These folders provide a kind of “waiting room” for deleted files to make sure that they really don’t need them before they leave forever. Now researching the latest developer preview code for Android 12, XDA Developers’ Zachary Wander has managed to enable a feature that allows Android users to manage a list of pre-deleted files.
As you can see from the image below, the Trash on Android gives you a summary of the number of gigabytes of data in this limbo state and will then give you the option to empty it, deleting the contents forever.
Currently, the ability to restore these deleted files does not seem to be present, but something like this may follow.
Last year, the site found a similar feature that allows you to restore hidden files in the Google Files application. The Trash Files has not yet been activated in the app, but the fact that there is a “Restore” button shows that Google understands that accidental deletion of files is happening.
An in-app trash is possible because Google first introduced an app trash can in Android 11, but it’s both underused and much more limited than what we’re talking about here. Android’s storage limitations mean that apps are given direct access to the files they create without additional permissions (because the Files app would receive it out of necessity), which means there’s simply no single universal trash can. Until, possibly, now.
Honestly, it’s a bit scratchy, because the way people have come to use smartphones is quite different from the desktop experience, where a garbage system has been present since the transition to graphical interfaces. While file management apps certainly have a niche for advanced users, Android phones have been around for 13 years without requiring the same type of file management that PC and Mac owners are used to.
However, for those who like to play games and want full control over their operating system, this could be an interesting development. We hope to hear more about this feature and other upcoming features at Google I / O 2021, which begins Tuesday, May 18th.