Android Download Manager bug removes your downloaded files if moved to a different folder

We are coming across multiple reports of an Android Download Manager bug that removes downloaded files if a user moves them to a different folder on the same device.

The Google support forums have hundreds of reports dating back to 2017/8 where users of various Android smartphones – not just Google Pixels – have been complaining about what was seen as a Google Photos bug.

At the time, it was reported that photos would mysteriously disappear from the device as long as one moved them from the Downloads folder to any other folder on the same device.

The issue still persists years down the line, with a Nexus 6P, Galaxy S10, and other device users reporting the same problem not long ago.

I just had the same issue on a Nexus 6P. Moved over 100 files, irreplaceable photos and videos and all are gone. This is the first time Google has let me down that I’m aware of, but it’s a pretty big hit.
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Same issue here, Galaxy S10; Moved photos & videos from Internal Storage to SD Card, roughly 75% of the files are now either corrupt (a small amount of them) or missing entirely (the important ones).
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This also just happened to me! Lost 4000 pictures.
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According to a recent discovery, this issue is reportedly linked to the Android Download Manager and not the Google Photos app as earlier thought. This claim has been put forward by a Redditor who has also filed a bug report with Google issue tracker.

Apparently, the Android Download Manager app has a function known as cleanOrphans. Any file saved in the Downloads folder and then later moved to a different folder on the same handset is marked by the Download Manager as orphaned.

These orphaned files get deleted when the device automatically enters the doze mode idle maintenance window. This, essentially, is how you keep losing the files you move from the Downloads folder to a different folder.

Although a bug report has been submitted to Google, this isn’t the first time. Matter of fact, a patch was submitted back in 2018 and despite later closing automatically, it was never merged.

Hopefully, Google will follow this issue closely this time around and fix it once and for all. We will let you know when the bug-fixing update arrives.

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