In a sad news for millions of people around the world, Google Photos on Wednesday announced that it will no longer offer unlimited free storage for your “high quality” photos from next year. Starting on June 1, 2021, new photo and video uploads will count towards the 15GB of free storage included with every Google Account.
Meanwhile, Google is also introducing a new policy of deleting data from inactive accounts that haven’t been logged in to for at least two years.
Simply put, if you are inactive on the service for over two years or over your storage limit for over two years, then Google may delete your content across multiple services. The company explained that it would notify users “multiple times” before it attempts to remove any content.
Here’s what Google has to say about it:
”If you are inactive in one or more of these services for two years, Google may delete the content in the product in which you’re inactive. Similarly, if you are over your storage limit for two years, Google may delete your content across Gmail, Drive and Photos.
We will notify you multiple times before we attempt to remove any content so you have ample opportunities to take action. The simplest way to keep your account active is to periodically visit Gmail, Drive or Photos on the web or mobile, while signed in and connected to the internet.”
So what do you need to do to avoid this?
Well, at present, Google has no plans to start deleting your stuff but after June 1, 2021, you need to be careful.
“The simplest way to keep your data active is to periodically visit Gmail, Google Photos, and Google Drive (and/or collaborative content creation apps like Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, Jamboard and Sites) on the web or through an official Google app,” explains the support page. “Make sure you’re signed in and connected to the internet.”
So, make sure you check in on your files, occasionally.