Your Google account's free cloud storage may get reduced soon, here's why

Google may soon restrict the standard 15GB free cloud storage benefit to phone number verified accounts, potentially affecting users with multiple accounts

Google may be changing how it allocates free cloud storage to users. Until now, each Google account has typically come with 15GB of free cloud storage, shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. However, a report by 9To5Google suggests that the company may now be restricting this benefit to accounts that are verified with a phone number, while unverified accounts will only get 5GB cloud storage.

 

According to the report, a user received a notice from Google stating that a linked phone number will be used to ensure that storage is “added only once per person.” This marks a shift from the earlier system, where users could associate the same phone number with multiple accounts and receive 15GB of storage on each.

 

The wording of the notice raises the possibility that Google may be moving towards limiting storage benefits on a per-user basis, rather than per account. It is not yet clear whether this will also result in restrictions on linking a single phone number to multiple accounts.

Google updates support page

Google has also updated its support page, which appears to align with this change.

 

The page now states that each account includes “up to” 15GB of storage, rather than a fixed allocation. This storage continues to be shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos.

 

According to the 9To5Google report, this wording change was introduced around mid-March.

How users can get more storage

For users who require additional storage, Google continues to offer Google One subscription plans. These provide expanded cloud storage along with additional features, including access to premium Gemini AI tools.

 

At the same time, Google has not explicitly confirmed whether a single phone number can only be linked to one account. As a result, users may still be able to link multiple accounts to the same number, depending on how the policy is implemented.