Schedule File Downloads in Chrome for Android (Soon)

No more managing your own downloads

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Published on July 20, 2020 02:45PM EDT

Keeping track of all the files you need to download on Android can be a hassle, so just let Chrome do the work instead.

You may soon be able to control when Google Chrome downloads important files on Android, thanks to a new beta feature spotted by Techdows.

Beta feature? The feature only exists in Chrome Canary, the mobile beta version of Google Chrome that often has new features in development. Presumably, it’ll work much like a file download manager, relieving you of the need to keep track of downloads yourself.

How to use: If you have Chrome Canary, you can enable it by launching the browser on your phone, then going to chrome://flags. From there, search for “enable download later,” tap Enable from the dropdown menu, then restart Canary.

Once restarted, whenever you try to download a file, you’ll be prompted to decide when the download occurs, and can tap Now, Over Wi-Fi, or Pick date & time. When you choose the new date and time option, then tap Download, you can set a time.

Chrome for Android schedule download feature — Techdows

Coming soon? The feature is still in the experimental stages, and 9to5Google notes it will often fail and may only work occasionally. Beyond that, there’s no guarantee the feature will even make it to the public version of Chrome for Android, so don’t get too attached to it.

Bottom line: If you often have to keep track of which files you need to download, word of a beta feature such as this can be exciting. However, it is a beta, so maybe don’t forgo your current downloading process just yet. It may be all you have for a while.

Via: Android Authority