Some new Google accounts may now default to 5GB of free storage, with the full 15GB available after phone-number verification, as part of a test Google says it is running for new accounts in select regions. The change was first documented by 9to5Google through account-creation tests and Wayback Machine analysis, and Google later confirmed the test to Android Authority.
That gap matters, but the story no longer rests only on one outlet's testing. In a statement to Android Authority, Google said it is testing "a new storage policy for new accounts created in select regions" to support storage quality while encouraging better account security and data recovery. Google has not named the regions, said whether the test will expand, or clarified whether the lower default will become permanent.
Google Account free storage 5GB: what the new signup flow shows
The notice users now encounter during account setup reads: "Your account includes 5 GB of storage. Now get even more storage space with your phone number for Google Photos, Drive, and Gmail," per 9to5Google. From there, two options appear: "Unlock 15 GB storage at no cost by using your phone number" or "Keep 5 GB storage." In that documented flow, no middle option appears.
In testing on both desktop and mobile, phone verification was required to complete signup in most cases, 9to5Google reported. One documented exception: setting up a new Android device without a SIM card bypassed the requirement. That suggests enforcement isn't uniform across every signup path.
Google's stated rationale, visible within the signup flow itself, is that the phone number ensures the 15GB allocation is granted "only once per person," according to 9to5Google. The framing positions the change as an anti-duplication measure. Whether that fully explains the change is a separate question.
The shift also shows up in Google's support documentation. A page that previously stated "Your Google Account comes with 15 GB of cloud storage at no charge" now reads "up to 15 GB." Using the Wayback Machine, 9to5Google traced that language change to around March 18, 2026. It remains live as of publication. For years, signing up for a Google Account automatically granted 15GB of free shared storage, 9to5Google noted; the new flow treats that same allocation as something to unlock rather than something you receive.
One additional detail from the reporting: 9to5Google pointed to rising costs and scarcity around memory and storage hardware as broader context for the shift. Google's stated explanation, however, centers on storage quality, account security, data recovery, and limiting duplicate 15GB allocations.
When a storage cap stops being theoretical
When a Google Account hits its storage limit, the consequences are immediate and concrete. New file uploads to Drive are blocked, photo and video backups to Google Photos stop, and Gmail becomes unable to send or receive messages, with incoming mail returned to the sender, according to Google Help. These aren't distant warnings. They're what happens the day the meter runs out.
Understanding why 5GB gets there faster than it might seem requires knowing how Google storage actually works. The pool is shared across Gmail, Google Drive, Google Photos, and, on Android, WhatsApp backups, per Google Drive Help. WhatsApp backups on Android count toward the Google Account storage limit and can become one of the largest single items consuming that space, Google notes. Videos and large photos consume storage fastest among typical file types, according to Google's account help.
Put those together: an Android user who sets up a new phone, enables automatic photo backup, and has an active WhatsApp history could approach the 5GB ceiling well before other storage-heavy activity takes hold. The cap isn't a hypothetical constraint for heavy users. It's a realistic limit for ordinary ones.
The longer-term consequences are worth knowing, too. An account that remains over its storage quota for two years or longer may have content deleted across Gmail, Drive, and Google Photos, Gmail Help documents. Google says it will attempt to provide at least three months' notice before deletion becomes a possibility, per Gmail Help. But the sequence starts at the moment the account runs full, not two years later.
A 15GB allowance gives users three times as much room as a 5GB allowance before storage management becomes urgent. The practical stakes are straightforward: users who skip phone verification in the test may hit Gmail, Drive, Photos, or WhatsApp backup limits much sooner than they would under the long-standing 15GB free tier.
What to check and what remains unknown
If you're creating a new Google Account, a few things are worth knowing before you click through the setup screens.
Watch for the storage prompt during signup. If it appears, note whether the "keep 5 GB" option is framed as a genuine alternative or whether phone verification is pushed before you can proceed. The experience appears to vary by signup path, per 9to5Google's testing.
After setup, check your actual storage allocation in Google Account settings. If it reads 5GB rather than 15GB, the account was likely created without the phone-number step that unlocks the higher free-storage allocation in Google's test. Android users who back up WhatsApp should treat that backup as a significant storage consumer from the start, per Google Drive Help, particularly under a 5GB ceiling. And note that Google's support pages currently say "up to 15 GB," a phrase traced by 9to5Google to around March 18, 2026. Those pages are the reasonable first stop if something doesn't match expectations after setup.
Quite a bit remains genuinely open. Google has confirmed the test applies to new accounts in select regions, but it has not named those regions or said whether the policy will expand. Whether it covers supervised accounts, family-linked accounts, or Workspace-adjacent setups has not been addressed. Whether an existing account holder who later links a phone number would automatically receive 15GB is unconfirmed. Google has also not clarified how the phone number collected during verification is stored or used beyond the one-time duplication check it describes in the signup flow.
A free tier with new conditions
The storage change fits a broader pattern of cloud-storage perks becoming more conditional. T-Mobile stopped offering new Google One enrollments as of September 30, 2025, cutting off new access to its carrier-bundled Google One plans, while Google also raised some Google One plan prices in select countries and regions in February 2025.
The specific shift first documented by 9to5Google is narrower than a sweeping policy overhaul: some new accounts in the test may start at 5GB, with 15GB available after linking a phone number. The full scope, who it affects and in which contexts, isn't confirmed yet. But the direction is clear enough.
Some new users setting up accounts in affected regions are navigating that shift without a broad public announcement from Google. Check your storage allocation in account settings after signup. That number is the most reliable indicator of which tier you're actually on.
Comments
Be the first, drop a comment!