Google Files to add DigiLocker integration, will automatically find official documents: Here’s how it will work

Google Files will soon be adding DigiLocker integration and document detection to the app. Here's how the feature will work.

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Here's how Google Files' new features will help you find your documents easier. (Image Source: Google)

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The Files by Google is getting some important new features, aimed at Indian users, as the company announced at its annual Google for India event yesterday. The Files app is already present on over a billion Android devices and while it started out as a very bare-bones files manager, Google has slowly been adding more features to the app. And this latest feature will come as a relief to many users in India. That’s because the app will soon be able to identify your official documents and organise them for you in a secure folder. Google confirmed that it is working with the National eGovernance Division (NeGD) to “enable people with easy access to their authentic digital documents.”

The collaboration will also allow Google Files users to integrate their DigiLocker account and source important documents like their Aadhaar Card or Driver’s License directly from the file manager. Google also states that the documents will be stored locally in a secure environment, and will require a lock screen authentication to pass by.

Also Read | ExpressBasics: How to setup and use DigiLocker

But more importantly, the Files app will get the ability to detect important documents from pictures that are stored in your phone’s internal storage. Documents such as Aadhaar and PAN Cards will be identifiable from pictures. These will then be stored in a secure folder. This will allow users to quickly find crucial documents’ pictures, skipping over the hassle of scrolling past hundreds of other pictures and other media.

Why could this be useful?

Google Files is a very commonly used file manager, often being pre-installed on many phones, especially ones that come with stock Android pre-installed. Direct integration to DigiLocker would make the process of obtaining a digital copy of your important documents easier.

Meanwhile, the ability to see all your document pictures in one place will also make finding previous scans easy, while avoiding the exercise of taking a snap of your Aadhaar Card or another document multiple times, only for the images to keep adding to your storage. The feature will show up as a separate tab on the Google Files main page, where you will see more sub-folders like ‘Verified’, ID Cards’ and others. The feature will also be able to distinguish your documents from those of your family members.

How will this work?

Google states that it will be using a custom AI model to scan for and identify key documents from your phone, and this will be used in tandem with Google’s OCR technology (which also powers its other apps like Google Lens and Translate) to recognise text.

Also Read | Google for India event: What's new?

The machine learning algorithm that will power the feature will run on the smartphone locally for privacy, meaning no data is sent back outside the phone. These features are India-specific similar to previous Google Files features, including the ability to automatically detect and delete ‘good morning’ media messages which were reportedly filling up Indian smartphones rapidly.

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While the new feature has not been rolled out yet, users could expect to see the feature soon on the Files app with the next update.

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