A storage limit of 15 gigabytes will be implemented on all Google photos accounts. A limit that can quickly be reached.
Unlimited free storage of everyday images, holidays or other memories in the Google photos app is almost over. As announced by the American firm, from June 1st, a storage limit of 15 gigabytes (gigs) will be implemented.
And for those who would like more space, it will then be necessary to take out the wallet and subscribe to one of the offers of Google One.
The end of infinite storage space
Google photos is used by more than a billion users around the world, according to the specialized American site The Verge. He was very popular with users for his almost infinite storage space for his photos.
But that time is over and we have to prepare for the transition. The first thing to do is find out if its storage space is already full. In addition to Google photos, this space also takes into account the data of your Google Drive and your Gmail online messaging. To check if you are already in the red, just connect to this tool set up by the Internet giant.
The little gauge that goes up, that goes up …
Should you push a sigh of relief, if there are still many gigas left in your storage space? Be careful not to claim victory too quickly.
Because until June 1, if you chose the “high-quality storage” option (which actually compresses the quality of your image), your photos will not appear in your current storage bar. They, therefore, do not count in your storage capacity, practical.
Except that from June 1st, this solution will no longer exist. And the counter can go up very quickly. According to a calculation made by our colleagues from Le Monde, “a gigabyte (GB) of space accommodates on average 300 photos or ten minutes of video”. What to see quickly increase your storage gauge, which remembers, will be limited to 15 gigs.
Do a big cleaning before June 1st
One solution to delaying as much as possible when your storage space will be full is to do a big cleaning. First reflex to have, make sure that for all your photos the option “storage in high quality” is indeed activated. If not, activate this solution at this address, which remains available until May 31st. It will allow you to save precious space since the photos will not be deducted from your 15 gigabytes.
“Photos and videos saved in high quality or express quality before June 1st, 2021 will not be deducted from your Google Account storage space.”
Another possibility, the big sweep. Eliminate excessively heavy photos or videos, which you can store elsewhere. Likewise, do a big sorting in your Drive or in your Gmail account to delete obsolete files. Again, you can see more clearly thanks to a free service from Google that identifies large items.
A bit scary but essential to have a clear idea of its storage capacity, Google also provides a tool to know, according to their estimates, how long you can hold with 15 gigabytes of storage.
A first offer at 20 euros per year
Another solution is to subscribe directly to one of the offers offered by the American giant. The first allows for 20 euros to recover 100 gigabytes of storage against 20 per year. You might as well switch to a competitor. To recover your photos, you just have to click on “Export your data”.
You can also try a manual backup, that is, directly by plugging your device into your computer and then copying the data to one or more hard drives. But the process may take a lot of time and above all it will have to be repeated quite often. Last risk, and not the least, that of seeing his memories go up in smoke with the loss of a hard drive or the theft of a computer.
