Google accidentally replaces Google Drive on desktop with unannounced service

Google seems to have revealed the arrival of a new version of backup service Drive with a faulty update. Users reported seeing software called Backup and Sync appearing on their computers, though it doesn’t seem to work yet.

Notifications of Backup and Sync appeared on Google’s support forums, among others. Several users said that they had automatically received the software on their PC. However, an error message is displayed after which the software closes. That’s probably because Google hasn’t activated the software on its servers yet.

Probably a faulty update is behind the sudden appearance of Backup and Sync. By mistake, the existing Google Drive application on the desktop was overwritten by a non-working version of Backup and Sync. Reports that the software gives also indicate that the software is not intended for a release to the general public.

Google has acknowledged in a response that it is a bug, and that the Drive software will be fixed with an update. The backup service should have been restored for some users by now. However, nothing was said about the new Backup and Sync service; it looks like this should be the successor to Drive, but details will likely only come after Google makes the software officially available.