What is going to happen to google photos? Google Photos is a free photo storage platform that has been offering free photo storage for the last five years, but unfortunately, that party seems to be coming to an end. It seems that Google might be pulling the plug on free storage, as a result of a government mandate.
As you might have heard, rumors are circulating that Google Photos is to be axed soon. We’ve got the answers to your burning questions on how to protect your most valuable pictures so you can make an informed decision. Should you stay, or should you go?
We want Google Photos to continue meeting your needs over the long haul, not just because it’s a great product, but also because so many of you depend on it to store your memories. We are changing our unlimited High Quality storage policy to welcome even more memories and build Google Photos for the future.Â
Adding new photos and videos to your Google Account will count toward the free 15 GB of storage you’ll get with every Google Account starting June 1, 2021, as well as the additional storage you’ll get as a Google One member. In addition to sharing your Google Account storage across Drive, Gmail and Photos, we are maintaining our commitment to not use information in Google Photos for advertising purposes.
This change also allows us to keep up with the growing demand for storage. Since this is a big change and may come as a surprise, we wanted to inform you well in advance and provide you with resources to help you.
is Google Photos going away?
It is true that Google Photos is changing dramatically, but it could have negative effects on your wallet. Google is discontinuing its free unlimited photo storage plan, which could have a negative effect on your wallet. Users will instead be charged for the amount of storage they use on Google Photos. This is in addition to what they already have in Google Drive and Gmail.
We’ve been enjoying free photo storage for many years, but this is a significant departure. Let’s dive deeper into this significant change.
Approximately 4 trillion photos are stored on Google Photos, according to Google, and 28 billion new images are added every week to the system. As a result of this decision, Google is discontinuing its free unlimited photo storage service as a way to make Google Photos sustainable and useful for the long term, as well as to keep up with the growing demand for storage.
Many users feel betrayed by Google’s decision to change the storage limit in Google Photos.
How Google Photos storage will change?
From June of 2021, Google Photos will operate as follows. You are able to upload up to 16 MB of high-quality photos to the Google Photos platform for free up until June 1, 2021 if you upload them before this date. If you have images that exceed 16 MB, they count toward the 15 GB of storage you have with your Google account or toward any additional storage you have purchased.
The following changes are set to come into effect on June 1, 2021: All photos uploaded to Google Photos after that date will count toward your 15 GB storage allowance or toward the additional storage you purchase through Google. If you are currently using a Google Pixel 5 or earlier device, these changes will not apply to you.
It is fortunately a fact that, until June 1, 2021, most photos uploaded to Google Photos will remain free indefinitely on the platform. The original quality photos do count toward your storage quota, but that has always been the case, regardless of whether they were uploaded in High Quality (up to 16 megapixels) or Express Quality (up to 3 megapixels).
The new Google Photos storage plans from 2021
Despite the fact that users will have a 6 month window to decide on a photo storage strategy, Google seems to be hoping that despite the extra cost, they will remain loyal to Google when the time comes. Every Google account owner receives 15 GB of free storage. Once that allowance is reached, users will be required to choose between deleting their data from their Google One account or upgrading to Google One storage.
The Google One cloud storage platform offers storage for data from Gmail, Google Drive, and Original Quality Photos. However, starting from June 2021, any photos that are synced or uploaded to Google Photos will be counted towards your storage limit whereas previously they were not.
The following plans are currently available through Google One:
- There is a monthly fee of $1.99 or a yearly fee of $19.99 for 100 GB.
- There is a monthly fee of $2.99 for 200 GB, or an annual fee of $29.99 for 200 GB.
- A 2 TB plan costs $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
- A monthly fee of $49.99 applies to 10 TB.
No matter whether the majority of users decide to stay with Google Photos after these changes are introduced or move to a new photo storage platform after the changes are implemented, there’s no doubt that the change will impact millions of people all around the world.
