Victory for Longtime G Suite Users: Google Cancels Storage Fees and Keeps Extra Space Free

 

Photo: Google

According to recent developments, Google has made an interesting move regarding legacy Google Workspace accounts. Users with decade-old G Suite (now Google Workspace) accounts were initially informed that they would need to transition to new subscription plans with pooled storage allocations. However, after facing objections from users who had been holding onto their legacy free accounts, Google reversed its decision and allowed them to maintain their accounts free of charge, but only for personal use.

Now, there is even more favorable news for these legacy account holders. Until June 2022, Google had been allowing users to add additional individual storage to their accounts through a separate subscription. However, in recent weeks, account owners who had opted for this extra storage received emails from Google stating that their storage subscriptions had been canceled. While they received a refund for their last payment, the key information came at the end of the message: "While the subscription was canceled, your storage limit has not changed, and you don’t need to take any action."

It has been confirmed by Google spokesperson Jenny Thomson that these users will be able to retain the extra storage space and continue using their legacy accounts. Thomson clarified that the change also applies to individuals who had already migrated to Workspace accounts but still kept user-managed storage through Google Play. The support page further states that individual storage will not be added to pooled storage totals.

As it stands, users holding onto their free G Suite accounts for over a decade can continue doing so, now with the added benefit of free storage in some cases. Although there is no guarantee that Google will not alter its stance in the future, for the time being, this appears to be a favorable outcome for users.

It remains to be seen how users will react to this unexpected development, and whether Google will introduce any further changes to its storage subscription policies in the future.