Our yesterday’s coverage about Drive and Photos’ common client Backup and Sync accentuated some of the issues that the application’s latest update (which is currently rolling out) resolved. And now, Google has released official release notes for the update highlighting other major bug fixes that are included, with most being for the Mac version of the application.

Fix for HEIF and HEIC files not showing in Google Photos

Google Photos added compatibility for the highly demanded ‘new’ iOS camera formats back in September last year. However, users have been complaining about the pictures – HEIF or HEIC – not showing in Google Photos. The good news is the company has now taken care of the matter.

Fixed an issue where HEIF and HEIC files (High Efficiency Image Format files) were not visible in Google Photos. Users who previously synced all file types, however, still won’t see their existing HEIF and HEIC files in Google Photos. A workaround is to delete the HEIF and HEIC files from Drive, and then manually upload them.

No more screenshot lags on MacOS High Sierra

Remember the MacOS High Sierra-related issue we highlighted in the beginning of last month, wherein Google initially blameshifted Apple for the delay/lag in the screenshot capture process (as can be seen in the following clip)

backup-and-syc-gif

Well, the latest client update appears to have fixed whatever caused the mess. The apps official release notes page reads

Fixed an issue on macOS High Sierra where users experienced a delay in seeing recently taken screenshots on their desktop

Sync sub folders

A sub folder-related change has also been pushed out. Specifically, MacOS users can now sync sub folders of ~/Library, while Windows users can do the same for %UserProfile%\AppData. However, keep in mind you still can’t sync sub folders of ~/Library/Application Support/Google and %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Google.

Users can now choose to sync subfolders of ~/Library on macOS and %UserProfile%\AppData on Windows. An exception is that subfolders of ~/Library/Application Support/Google and %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Google can’t be selected.

Native applications

The updated version has also terminated an issue related to accessibility of native applications while browsing the app’s Web client.

Fixed an issue where some native applications did not appear in the list of available applications to open files with when browsing Drive on the web.

Apart from the problems discussed in the article above, another highlight is

Increased responsiveness when deleting photos that could not be converted to High Quality

To sum it up, that’s good bunch of fixes included in a single update. In case you are among the ones facing any of the above discussed problems, you can either manually upgrade to the client’s latest version or wait for it to auto update (which may take a few days).

Finally, for those of you who wish to take a look at the exact Backup and Sync (v3.41) release notes, here’s a screenshot:

backup-and-sync-3.41

Stay connected with us on Twitter (@PiunikaWeb) to hear about all related developments as and when they occur

Dr. Aparajita Sharma
1227 Posts

Currently, I am pursuing Ph.D (Psychology), and have been teaching the same for past four years. Coming to PiunikaWeb, I know it was a complete switch over, but the idea was appealing enough to put in all the effort it called for. My work primarily involves research. Oh, and yes, some of the photographs you see here are clicked by me. Overall, I am enjoying whatever I am doing, and hoping you’ll also feel the same reading all my articles. You can find me on LinkedIN.

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