You’re going to have to use more of your free Google storage whenever you back up your Android going forward.
As of July 7, Google now counts all forms of users’ data toward their 15GB free storage limit, not just images and photos uploaded to Google Photos and what is called ‘MMS data,’ which are photos and videos sent via text message. Now, additional data like your SMS messages, call history, and device settings will all be counted towards the limit. Luckily, Google estimates that the change to its rules should only bump up the average user’s storage needs by 40MB.
According to Google’s updated FAQ page, first spotted by 9to5Google, the change will first roll out to new Android users, followed by all users over the coming months.
Users are also set to receive new granular controls about what data they want to be backed up, toggling on and off whatever data types they want stored. These controls are set to roll out in the coming weeks.
If you’d like to limit what type of data gets stored, and you’re using a Pixel device, head to Settings, then Accounts and backup, then Google Backup, and head to Other device data. You can also try searching “backup” in your Settings app.
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If you are concerned about running out of storage space and you’d be interested in upgrading, Google One (Basic) gets you 100GB of total data storage, for $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year. If you’re hungry for even more data, you can get 200GB for $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year as part of the Standard subscription. Meanwhile, Google One’s Premium Subscription will get you 2TB of data for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year.
It’s important to note that even if Google is tightening up its free storage limits, it’s still giving more away than Apple. Apple’s iCloud gives users just 5GB free.
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