Google rolled out that hare-brained "improvement" in an update to Google Authenticator a few months ago, with the nice extra that for some users, when you dared unselecting the new cloud backup checkbox, the secrets stored in the app were instantly corrupted in some way, so you were locked out of your Google accounts immediately as a bonus <chef's kiss>. Happened to a family member, luckily they had a working emergency access method.
We will never use Google Authenticator again.
Recommended alternative: 2FAS (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.twofasapp) which allows you to import the secrets from Google Authenticator via QR codes, and has a local backup feature (e.g. to a USB drive).