Late last year, Google announced that it would be ending unlimited free storage for “high quality” photos on Google Photos from 1 June 2021.
That date is now fast approaching and from June a cap of 15 GB of free storage space will apply. Any new photos or videos uploaded will count towards this.
Crucially, any “high quality” photos or videos uploaded before 1 June will not count towards your 15 GB cap. They will be considered free and exempt from the storage limit.
So, if you have photos and videos you haven’t yet backed up, now is a good time to upload them and get them in free before the new limit kicks in.
The change only affects “high quality” photos and videos (which are compressed and actually “slightly reduced” quality). Anyone using “original quality” won’t be affected by the change, with uploads continuing to count towards an existing 15 GB free storage cap.
Over 4 trillion photos are stored on Google Photos, with 28 billion new photos and videos uploaded weekly. Google says the change is needed to allow it to keep pace with the growing demand for storage, adding that over 80 percent of users should still be able to store “roughly three more years worth of memories” within the free 15 GB storage allowance.
Google will offer paid options for accounts needing more storage, starting at $1.99 monthly for an additional 100 GB.
