Google Photos will no longer offer free unlimited storage

While there exists many competing online cloud storage solutions, one of the most consumer friendly was Google’s which offered free unlimited photo and video storage with only a few caveats. It would seem this is no longer the case however, as come June 2021, all free users will be limited to just 15GB.

When Google Photos first launched in 2015, it offered unlimited photo and video storage. The only catch was that any photos above 16MP in size would be compressed somewhat by the service – though in reality this was a non-issue thanks to Google’s impressive compression techniques.

Making the announcement on its blog, Google explained that “Starting June 1, 2021, any new photos and videos you upload will count toward the free 15 GB of storage that comes with every Google Account or the additional storage you’ve purchased as a Google One member.”

While undoubtedly disappointing, the company clarified that “Any photos or videos you’ve uploaded in High quality before June 1, 2021 will not count toward your 15GB of free storage. This means that photos and videos backed up before June 1, 2021 will still be considered free and exempt from the storage limit,” meaning that you shouldn't suddenly lose all your photos due to this change.

As people begin to rely more and more on cloud storage, the upkeep costs increase for the providers, and so it makes sense that Google would eventually remove this free tier. Regardless, the move by Google will likely disappoint many.

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KitGuru says: Do you use Google Photos? Are you disappointed by the news? How much online storage do you use? Let us know down below.

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