Google users may notice a change in their accounts, especially those who had access to unlimited storage for photos and videos. The company has stopped offering unlimited storage, starting 1 June. The move was announced in November last year.
Starting today, any new photos and videos that will be uploaded on Google Photos will count toward the free 15 GB of storage that comes with every Google Account or the additional storage that user has purchased as a Google One subscription. The free 15GB or the additional amount of data purchased is shared between Google Drive, Gmail and Photos.
What happens to photos in existing storage?
Google has ensured that existing high-quality photos and videos are exempt from this change: Any photos or videos backed up in High quality before 1 June, 2021, will not count toward the user’s Google Account storage. These photos and videos will remain free and exempt from the storage limit.
Additionally, Google has released some tools to help users manage their storage better. Users will be given a personalized estimate of how long their storage may last: The estimate takes into account how frequently the user backs up photos, videos and other content to their Google Account. According to Google’s generalized estimate, more than 80% of users should still be able to store roughly three more years of memories in High quality with free 15GB of storage. Once the storage nears 15GB, Google will notify the user in the app and follow up by email.
Pixel phone users, however, still get some additional benefits. Owners of any of the Pixel devices can still upload pictures from that device and it won’t impact the storage. Photos and videos uploaded in High quality from that device will continue to be exempt from this change, even after June 1, 2021.
What can users do if their Google Cloud storage is exhausted?
Users invested in Google’s ecosystem have the option to purchase the Google One subscription which offers extended storage for a specified amount of time.
Google One plans start at a price of ₹130 per month for 100GB of storage. The user can also go for an annual plan with the same storage at ₹1300.
The second plan with 200GB storage can be availed at a price of ₹2,100 per year or ₹210 per month.
The highest storage available is 2TB and it is available at ₹6,500 per year or ₹650 per month.
Additionally, users have the choice of other platforms such as Microsoft OneDrive, Amazon Photos, Dropbox and even Apple Photos.
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