A Reddit user of a Nexus 6P device wrote about the deletion, a feature which is not new.

The user, writing under the pseudonym Tanglebrook, wrote:

"I was completely blindsided by this, and now all of my Android settings, Wi-Fi passwords, and the data for at least 50 apps are gone.

"Last week I randomly glanced at my Google Drive Backup folder, and the Android backup for my 6P was missing. After freaking out a little, I found this. Contacting Drive support confirms that there's no recovery.

"There was no warning from Google. They just deleted my data. There's apparently an expiration date that shows up under the back-up if I had checked the back-up folder sooner, but there was no notification, no email, no proactive notice at all, and most importantly, no option to use the 100gb of my Drive storage to keep my f***ing back-up."

Google's support page says: "What happens when your back-up expires. Your back-up will remain as long as you use your device. If you don't use your device for two weeks, you may see an expiration date below your back-up: Example: 'Expires in 54 days'."

Google has been contacted for comment.