Google Photos removed unlimited storage for free and this is how the change affects you

June 2, 2021 4 min read

As announced months ago, as of June 1, 2021, the new Google Photos policy came into effect, which puts an end to unlimited free storage . Many users are confused about the issue, so here we explain how the change affects you, what is going to happen and what you can do.

In simple terms, Google Photos is the cloud storage service for images and videos . This allows you to create an automatic backup of all the material you have on a computer and you can access it from another device through its app or website. It is very useful, for example, when you change your smartphone, tablet or laptop, since you do not lose your photos and videos.

Before this update, Google Photos allowed free content to be stored in ‘high quality’ (up to 16 megapixels). It also offered full resolution storage, but using the 15GB of free storage that Google offers to all of its accounts, which is shared with Gmail and Drive .

What changes with the setting is that users will only be able to occupy the included 15 GB , either with images, videos, files in Drive and emails from Gmail. The good news is that All the content that you have uploaded to the platform before June 1 will remain as is and does not count to take away space from free storage.

Will Google Photos be paid?

Not as such. The platform will remain free , only it will limit the space to 15 GB . Only if you exceed that limit you will have to buy extra space or switch to another cloud storage service.

That is, if a user is constantly backing up their gallery or the content is very heavy, the space will soon run out. On the contrary, if you are few images and clips, or you frequently purge your folders, those 15 GB could go a long way.

^{Image: Google.}

How do I know how much space I have left in Google Photos?

To help you better manage your space, Google Photos enabled two very useful tools:

• Storage manager. Based on an analysis of the frequency and volume of your backups, this function tells you how long the free 15GB will last.
• Review and erase. This tool automatically analyzes all your material and suggests what you could delete, such as very large files, screenshots, memes or blurry photos.

As we said, the 15 GB of free storage is for all the material you have in Photos, Drive and Gmail. Therefore, it is important to clean all three to maximize the performance of the space.

How much will the extra storage cost in Google Photos?

When you use up your free gigabytes, you can expand your cloud storage capacity with a Google One subscription. This plan gives you extra space to save information from all Google platforms and includes the advanced options of the Google Photos editor.

These are the Google One prices for Mexico:

• 100 GB – 34 pesos per month or 340 pesos per year
• 200 GB – 49 pesos per month or 490 pesos per year
• 2 TB – 169 pesos per month or 1,699 pesos per year

As you will see, it is convenient to make the annual payment, since they ‘give you’ two months of subscription. In addition, you can pay with Google Opinion Rewards balance, the platform pays you to answer Google surveys. That is, if you play your cards well, the extra storage would be free .

In conclusion, you can continue to enjoy your free storage for as long as you want, but it all depends on how you manage your space and your digital hygiene habits.