Google Announces Cap On Free Cloud Storage Starting in 2021
During the pandemic, our reliance on technology has only increased. While organizations once had very limited options to ensure compliance when using Microsoft Teams as their phone system, Teams and other teleconferencing platforms have had to ramp up their operations in order to keep up with demand. Of course, Microsoft and Zoom aren’t the only ones providing necessary tech services for professional and personal use. Google has helped us find everything from restaurants offering curbside service to staying connected through emails, chats, and video calls.
But now, it seems like Google wants to put an end to its generosity. The company just announced that, starting in June 2021, free online cloud storage for users will be capped at just 15 gigabytes.
Around 94% of business enterprises rely on cloud services to streamline their business, but they may have to rely on platforms other than Google to store their images, videos, and files before the changes take effect. Any new files created in Drive or media uploaded to Google Photos will be counted toward the allotted 15GB of free storage included with Google accounts starting on June 1, 2021. Exceeding those limits will put customers at risk of having their extra content deleted from the cloud.
When Google launched its Google Photos program in 2015, the company pledged to allow unlimited uploads and storage for free. But it looks as if Google has since changed its tune — potentially because the company wants to capitalize on a previously untapped opportunity. Anyone who wants to extend their free 15GB to 100GB can do so by opting for a Google One account, which will cost at least $1.99 per month. Existing photos, videos, documents, and other Google files already uploaded before the June 1 start date won’t count toward the limit unless they’re modified after the fact.
While Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has done pretty well for itself during the pandemic, its stocks have experienced a lot of ups and downs. Still, stocks typically begin to rise three to six months before economic recovery — and Google hasn’t exactly lost a lot during this time. That said, lost ad revenue at the beginning of this health crisis could have caused the company to re-examine opportunities for revenue.
Some users are concerned that Google might be trying to corner the market on cloud storage — which may not be advised, considering that the company admitted to breaching customer privacy. Earlier this year, the company inadvertently shared user videos from Google Photo storage with other customers. Other users expressed disappointment and frustration on social media, even accusing the company of engaging in a “bait and switch.”
That said, you might not need to do much of anything yet. Google’s own estimates show that it’ll take 80% of its users at least three years to hit that 15GB cap — and the company has noted it will notify users when they start to approach their limit. The company will also offer customized estimates to help users identify when they might reach their storage cap based on how readily they make use of Google’s cloud storage services. That said, if you readily create Google Docs, Sheets, and other files for work, you may want to start budgeting for a nominal increase in your expenditures if you don’t wish to find other alternatives for file sharing and cloud storage.
