Google is making major changes to how backup on Android devices work. The company has started notifying Android users of an upcoming update that will change how device backups are counted against their Google Account storage.
What is changing for Android users?
Google has started sending an email to Android device users informing them that their backups will be counted against the free storage that is available as a part of Google Account.
For the unversed, Google offers a free cloud storage space of up to 15GB with every Google Account. This storage space is shared across various services including Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. However, the device backup for Android smartphones and tablets, which includes SMS messages, call history, and device and app settings among others, are not counted against the free storage space offers with Google Account. But this is about to change.
The company has started notifying Android device owners that with an upcoming update, Android device backups will be counted against the overall Google Account storage space. This new policy is expected to come into effect in 45 days and it is expected to 'increase the storage space used by the device backup. However, the good news is that the average Android backup is expected to grow by only about 40MB, which is essentially the size of a bunch of low-res photos.
Simply put, all of the backup of Android devices will now be counted against the free Google Account backup. This means in time, users are likely to get a little less space to store their emails and photos. It also means that sooner or later, Android device owners will have to purchase cloud space from Google. Furthermore, the report says that when a user's Google Account exceeds its storage limit, their automatic device backups will pause until they wither free up space or purchase or upgrade their cloud storage plan.
It is worth mentioning that the Google One storage plans start at ₹59 per month for the 30GB Lite tier and they go all the up to ₹650 per month for the Premium tier that offers 2TB space and some premium features. Interested users can also opt for Basic tier that costs ₹130 per month and gives access to 100GB of data, Standard tier that costs ₹210 per month and offers 200GB of storage space.
What else?
Google is also said to be working on expanding Android backup settings that will give them more granular control over things like which types of data and individual apps they want to backup. These new features are expected to reduce the backup load and give users more flexibility in terms of what they want to save and what they want to skip.
{{/usCountry}}Google is also said to be working on expanding Android backup settings that will give them more granular control over things like which types of data and individual apps they want to backup. These new features are expected to reduce the backup load and give users more flexibility in terms of what they want to save and what they want to skip.
{{/usCountry}}