Android: Most browsers will allow you to download a million copies of the same file, simply appending a “(1)” or “(2)” to the file name to distinguish between them. If you’re running Chrome Beta on Android, the newest version will offer to replace the existing file or create a new one before downloading.
The feature is a small change, but a welcome one on a platform where storage space comes at a premium. For reasons unknown, most browsers don’t perform a check on the Downloads folder to see if a particular file already exists before acquiring a second (or tenth) copy. No word yet on whether this functionality will come to other versions of Chrome, but it’s most needed where it is.
Chrome Beta Now Asks If You Want To Replace Downloads Rather Than Clutter Your Device With Dupes [Android Police]
Comments
2 responses to “Chrome Beta On Android Helps Prevent Downloading Duplicate Files”
There’s a reason that a number is appended in many cases — same name != same file.
And most platforms already ask if you want to replace existing files in most situations.
This would be such a useful feature – I often download the same file twice or even three times without realising. I would like to be prompted when this could happen. I hope this feature comes to the desktop chrome too.