Google Photos will end its free unlimited storage on June 1st, 2021

Google Photos storage: Google Photos which allows unlimited free High Quality storage, is set to change its policies starting June 1. Here is everything you need to know.

Google Photos is updating its storage policy starting June 1. The platform currently allows unlimited free storage for photos at High Quality resolution, which will no longer be the case starting next month.

Any new photos and videos you upload on Google Photos starting June 1, 2021 will be counted as part of your free 15 GB storage that comes with all Google Accounts. If you have exhausted your 15 GB free storage across Gmail, Drive and Photos you will have to purchase additional storage in order to continue uploading photos at high-resolution.

EVERYTHING UPLOADED BEFORE JUNE 1ST WON’T COUNT AGAINST YOUR CAP

After five years of offering unlimited free photo backups at “high quality,” Google Photos will start charging for storage once more than 15 gigs on the account have been used. The change will happen on June 1st, 2021, and it comes with other Google Drive policy changes like counting Google Workspace documents and spreadsheets against the same cap. 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.

As a side note, Pixel owners will still be able to upload high-quality (not original) photos for free after June 1st without those images counting against their cap. It’s not as good as the Pixel’s original deal of getting unlimited original quality, but it’s a small bonus for the few people who buy Google’s devices.

What happens to existing photos and videos uploaded in High Quality?

Photos and videos that have been uploaded in High Quality before June 1, 2021 will not count towards your 15GB free storage. It will be considered free and exempt from the storage limit set by Google. If you want to cross check your current backup quality you can do so by visiting the back up & sync option in Settings.

Google Photos: Additional Storage.

If you have exhausted your 15 GB free storage, you can purchase additional storage to continue backing up content.

In India: users can choose from monthly and yearly plans. Google offers 100 GB storage space for ₹130 / month. If you want more space, Google also has a plan that will offer 1TB of storage space for ₹650 per month.

Users looking to opt for yearly plans can either get 100 GB per month for one year at RS 1,300. There is also an offer to get 1TB per month for a year at RS 6,500. Google has said that it will notify users in the app and subsequently via an email once their 15 GB of free storage is about to get over.

For United States: Google One pricing is not changing. It starts at $1.99 / month for 100GB and has tiers going through 200GB ($2.99 / month), 2TB ($9.99 / month), and all the way up to 30TB ($149.99 / month).

If you’re inactive in one or more of these services for two years (24 months), Google may delete the content in the product(s) in which you’re inactive. [...] Similarly, if you’re 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.