Google admits testing 5GB free storage for new accounts: What happened

Google has responded to reports around its free cloud storage policy, confirming limited testing of 5GB storage allocation for select newly created accounts

Google has addressed rumours claiming that the company is now offering only 5GB of free cloud storage to each Google account. Google has reportedly confirmed to Android Authority that it is indeed testing this new storage policy for new accounts created in select regions. The technology giant said that it is doing so to continue providing high-quality storage service to users, while encouraging them to improve their account security and data recovery.

 

Google, in a statement to Android Authority, said, “We’re testing a new storage policy for new accounts created in select regions that will help us continue to provide a high-quality storage service to our users, while encouraging users to improve their account security and data recovery.”

 

What went down

The clarification from Google comes after reports surfaced suggesting that the company was quietly changing how free cloud storage is allocated to Google accounts. Earlier reports, including one by 9To5Google, claimed that some users were seeing notices indicating that the Google accounts that are not linked to any phone numbers will receive only 5GB of free cloud storage instead of the standard 15GB.

 

Further speculation emerged after Google updated the wording on its support page. Instead of stating that every account receives 15GB of free storage, the page now says users get “up to” 15GB. The wording change led to concerns that Google was preparing to reduce storage limits for some accounts, particularly those without phone number verification.

Furthermore, the basis of those reports was the updated support page, and a notice allegedly sent by Google to a user stating that a linked phone number would be used to ensure that storage is added only once per person. This sparked speculation that Google may be shifting from a per-account storage allocation model to a more verification- or identity-based system. As of now, users receive 15GB of free cloud storage with every Google account, shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos.