Google puts a limit on the space available to store documents and audio, video and photographic material from June 2021
- Stop unlimited archiving from June 2021
- The rates of Google One
- What will happen to the photos stored on Google Photos?
- How to free up space on Google Drive
- How to save photos
- The alternatives to archive
If you are one of those who are used to saving selfies, vacation photos, videos and anything else automatically on Google Drive , without limits (and without costs), know that from June 2021 things will change. Google has in fact decided to impose a limit on the space that can be used for free and precisely 15 GB . In order to continue archiving, you can subscribe, with variable prices, or use other tools. That’s how.
Stop unlimited archiving from June 2021
As iPhone owners already know , there are space limits to move their photos or data from smartphones to iCloud , the “cloud” of Apple. Now Google also introduces new rules: from next year, in fact, it will no longer be possible to exceed the 15 GB of memory available for free on Google Drive. In order to continue using the storage service beyond this limit, you will need to use Google One , that is the special space to be accessed for a monthly fee .
The rates of Google One
“Google One is Google’s paid plan and the natural choice for those who, for example, are already using Google Photos, also thanks to the possibility of sharing the service with other family members” explains engineer and IT expert Emanuele Corsano. From June 1, 2021, Google One will have different rates depending on the options available. The web giant assures that it will make it possible to “make the most of Google’s potential,” by enclosing under a single service what is now available in Google Drive, Google Photos and Gmail . The “lightest” fee, 100 GB, will cost € 1.99 per month (or € 19.99 per year with prepayment). To be able to count on 200 GB, the cost will rise to € 2.99 per month(€ 29.99 per year), while with € 9.99 per month (€ 99.99 per year) you can take advantage of 2 TB of additional memory. According to rumors, there will also be the possibility to take advantage of packages up to 30 TB, of which, however, the details are not known at the moment.
Even though Google estimates that for most users it will take 3/4 years to reach 15 GB, it’s good to start thinking about the future of your “archive”.
What will happen to the photos stored on Google Photos?
“In the coming months, all Google Drive paid consumer plans will be upgraded to Google One,” the company said. Therefore, those who already have subscriptions can rest assured, because the transition will be automatic. But for the others? Google has made it known that, since the entry into force of the 15 GB limit will only take effect from 1 June 2021, the material already present in the drive (presentations, documents and sheets in addition to photos) will not be “counted” in the space free available.
How to free space, then, from the drive so as not to “overstep”?
How to free up space on Google Drive
The first step is to check what is taking up the most space in your account. This is done by accessing the Google Drive storage page (https://one.google.com/storage/management). Here you will be shown duplicate items, deleted or large that possibly can be deleted to free up memory, including e-mail in the Recycle Bin or the folder Spam. The material, in fact, is divided by Email large , large files , photos and video large , etc. Just select the group and delete all contents or those deemed superfluous, thus updating the space still available on the drive. If it is PDF files, alternatively you can save and free memory by converting them to Google Docs . Simply right-click on the PDF file, select Open With and choose Google Docs .
Remember that the files in the Recycle Bin also contribute to running out of space!
How to save photos
Videos and photos represent the materials that often take up the most memory. A simple trick to avoid reaching the allowed storage limit is to change the way you save your shots on Google Photos. Often, in fact, the available “roll” is full because Android smartphones automatically upload the shots to the Google Photos account, thanks to the backup service. To avoid this, you need to hover the mouse over the photos until a small star icon appears at the top left which, once clicked, will allow you to select all the photos. At this point you can proceed with Delete , freeing up space.
However, if you want to avoid repeating this operation periodically, you can always use a simple trick. Go to Settings and select High quality : in this way the photos will be saved with a smaller resolution than the original , lightening the final weight in terms of bite.
The alternatives to archive
“Alternatively there is, for example, Amazon Plus , which offers unlimited space for Prime Amazon customers and allows you to save files in original resolution as well. Otherwise, there are well-established services for managing files and photos, almost all of them with a limited amount of free space, such as Dropbox, iCloud, Microsfot OneDrive , etc. ” Corsano explains. «Instead, I would avoid using services offered by lesser-known companies because there is a serious risk that from one day to the next they could close or radically change conditions. Nobody wants to lose their photos or forcibly and quickly migrate to another service ».
«An option not to be discarded is to make a more or less manual backup of files on home storage systems. The main options are: saving the data on a computer or on an external memory drive , or a backup on NAS, or Network Attached Storage »suggests the expert. These are devices that often ( but not always!) allow you to access and share a so-called “mass memory”, ie one or more hard disks, within your network or abroad. «In practice, you can have the photos” redundant “that is” replicated “on several units, in order to minimize the possibility of data loss. They allow you to access photos from the network, even from the other side of the globe. Obviously there are advantages, such as greater privacy, and limits: the most evident is the concrete possibility of losing data, together with the fact that it is certainly a less practical system. Finally, it is not possible to have all the additional services offered by Google or the like, such as photo history, geolocation, easy access to the service from any device »explains the IT engineer.
A final option could be a hybrid solution: “Use Google’s free 15GB, periodically transferring photos from Google to its own storage system, so you can reuse the free 15GB,” concludes the expert.
