Google free storage cut: New Gmail accounts now get only 5GB, but if you do this right, users can get 15GB

With such tighter restrictions, people will be more judicious and use cloud storage only to store important stuff.

Google has reportedly reduced the 15GB free cloud storage allocation to just 5GB for new Gmail account users.

While opening a new account, a Reddit user received a pop-up message stating that he was eligible for 5GB of storage. However, he will be eligible to get the 15GB provided he links his phone number.

Google has not officially made any announcement, unlike when it took away free storage for WhatsApp messages and Google Photos app users.

DH has reached out to Google for the logic behind the move to reduce storage allocation to just 5GB. But it makes total sense that some people, instead of getting a Google One plan for more storage, open dummy Gmail accounts to get 15GB.

Google reduces storage space for new Gmail users.

It was the same logic for ceasing the free cloud storage offer for Google Photos app users, as the company noted that people had stored a whopping four trillion photos and videos, with 28 billion new files added weekly, so it made the 'free' model unsustainable for Google.

By linking the phone number, Google will be able to curb such practices. Also, with tighter restrictions, people will be more judicious and use cloud storage only to store important stuff.

Running a cloud storage business is expensive, more so now than before, as there is a severe shortage of storage chips for both data centres and consumer electronics goods.

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