Google Photos to end unlimited storage from June 1, 2021; Pixel users need not worry

Many Android users backup their camera galleries in Google Photos, which was launched by Google five years ago. But now, Google may make changes regarding that for its users. In a recent blog, the tech giant announced that Google Photos users will not get unlimited free uploads starting June 1, 2021, and the file size uploaded will be counted toward your Google Drive storage limit.

In its blog, Google said that starting June 1, 2021, any new photos and videos you upload will count toward the free 15 GB of storage that comes with every Google account or the additional storage you’ve purchased as a Google One member.

"Your Google Account storage is shared across Drive, Gmail, and Photos. This change also allows us to keep pace with the growing demand for storage. And, as always, we uphold our commitment to not use information in Google Photos for advertising purposes. We know this is a big shift and may come as a surprise, so we wanted to let you know well in advance and give you resources to make this easier," said Shimrit Ben-Yair, Vice President, Google Photos.

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Google shared that more than four trillion photos are stored in Google Photos, and every week 28 billion new photos and videos are uploaded as of today. Google said it will help its users to get through this with new tools and features, such after June, 2021, users will be able to access a new free tool in the Photos app to easily manage backed up photos and videos. This tool will help them review the media and will let weed out dark or blurry photos or large videos.

Currently, Google Photo allows storage of unlimited photos and videos. However, the pictures are automatically compressed to 16MP and videos to high definition. There is also an Express option, which gives free unlimited storage, but compresses photos by 3MP and videos to standard definition. Google also clarified that if you have a Pixel 1-5, photos uploaded from that device won’t be impacted, and you still get the free storage.