What you need to know
- Google may reduce free account storage from 15GB to 5GB for users who don’t link a phone number.
- Users who connect a phone number during signup can reportedly still unlock the full 15GB storage.
- Google has updated its support page wording from ’15GB free’ to ‘up to 15GB’ of free storage.
For years, Google has extended a generous 15GB of free storage to every new account, a notable advantage over competitors like Apple’s iCloud, which offers just 5GB. This storage is shared across various services, including Drive, Photos, and Gmail. However, recent reports suggest that Google may be contemplating a shift in this policy for new users, potentially reducing the free storage limit to a mere 5GB unless they link a phone number during the signup process.
A Reddit user recently highlighted this change while creating a new Google account, revealing that the option for 5GB of free storage appeared unless a phone number was provided to unlock the full 15GB. This aligns with updates made to Google’s support page, which now states that users can receive “up to 15GB” of free storage, a subtle yet significant alteration from the previous clear-cut offer of 15GB.
It is worth noting that Google has typically required a phone number for account creation, and during our own attempt to set up a new account, we found that the signup process insisted on a phone number, thus granting us access to the full 15GB. However, for those who might bypass this step, it appears that only 5GB will be available moving forward.
The rationale behind this potential change remains somewhat elusive. Interestingly, while Google seems to be tightening the reins on free storage for new users, it has simultaneously expanded storage options for paying Google AI Pro users, allowing them up to 5TB. This juxtaposition raises questions about the company’s strategic direction regarding storage offerings.
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Android Central’s Take
This shift appears to be a calculated move by Google, potentially nudging users toward paid storage plans. While it may stem from a need to curb the abuse of free storage and the proliferation of bot accounts, it also reflects a broader trend in the tech industry towards monetizing cloud services more aggressively.
