Google Photos No Longer Free For Users From June 2021

Google Photos Is No Longer Free For You—Anyone who uses the free upload function of Google Photos for their smartphone recordings will have to reschedule from June 1, 2021. The group is canceling its previously unlimited free storage for the summer and recommends an upgrade subscription to the Google One cloud.

Millions of smartphone users are currently using the free options from Google Photos to save storage space and save images in the cloud. Images with a resolution of up to 16 megapixels in high quality and videos can currently be stored on the search engine group’s servers without booking a cloud storage quota. The only requirement is a Google account and the appropriate app including upload approval. But that will end on June 1, 2021, as the company announced in a blog post.

Back up all your photos for free in the spring

Photos uploaded from the deadline onwards will then be counted towards the 15 GB quota, which Google is already granting all users free of charge. If the free storage is full, you have to resort to a Google One subscription or look for alternatives. All photos and videos saved in the cloud before June 1, 2021, will not be affected by the changeover. They are retained and do not require any additional storage space. 

In terms of price, Google is similar to Apple iCloud, Dropbox, and, to some extent, Microsoft OneDrive. Google One currently offers six storage options with capacities between 100 GB and 30 TB and monthly prices between 1.99 euros and 149.99 euros. The tariff with a 2 TB cloud storage for just under 10 euros per month is in the middle of the field. The Apple iCloud, on the other hand, has options with 50 GB (0.99 euros), 200 GB (2.99 euros), and 2 TB (9.99 euros). As an alternative, Microsoft combines its OneDrive storage with an Office subscription, which includes not only 6 TB of cloud storage, but also Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Co. for 10 euros per month or 100 euros per year.