Are you running out of maximum free space on your Google products such as Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos? You can extend this storage from 100 GB to up to 30 TB with a product called Google One. In this hands-on review, you will learn how you can increase your Google storage with Google One, its pros and cons, and if the solution is worth it.
Check Your Existing Google Storage Limits
As soon as you sign in to Google One with your Gmail account, you will notice an option to upgrade your membership. All Google accounts come with 15 GB of all-inclusive storage which includes your Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos applications. The Google One dashboard is definitely a good way to analyze all your current and future storage requirements.
In this example, I had plenty of extra storage space despite having used Gmail from Day 1 of its arrival, along with a ton of original pictures and videos in Google Photos. Remember that “High Quality” images uploaded to Google Photos do not count against your free Google Account storage quota.
Why Even Consider Google One?
Evidently, for my Google account, I was pretty far from exhausting my allocated storage space. Considering that you can have multiple Google accounts, why would you even need to pay for the extra backup? For one, your smartphone can automatically back up only one Google account at a time using the “Backup & Sync” feature. Your remaining accounts cannot help much to manage your photo and video collections.
Most importantly, the free account can easily run out of storage space when you are storing a lot of pictures and videos in original quality. You may also want to move more of your PC data into Google Drive, which has become a multitasking tool for document/image editing and chatting as well as collaboration online.
The lowest pricing tier of Google One covers 100 GB of storage space. Annual plans work out even cheaper at less than $20 per year. The pricing is very reasonable considering you won’t need to do anything else, as every application you use rests with your Google account.
Even a 100 GB subscription can provide much more breathing room for your Google account. You don’t have to think twice about making a backup of as many pictures/videos in original resolution as you desire. You can also upload a lot of content in Google Drive. For personal use, a 100 GB plan is more than sufficient. However, for those with more data-hungry needs, and those who want to share Google One with family members, a 200 GB or 2 TB plan may be more suitable.
Benefits of Google One: Add Family + More
Your Google One account syncs perfectly across all your devices. With at least 100 GB data, you no longer need to worry about running out of space whether you use an iPhone, Windows 10 laptop, or an Android tablet.
The biggest benefit, by far, is the ability to share your Google One extra storage space with family members. You can create a family group with up to six family members from your Google One account.
As a family manager for the family group, there are many perks you will enjoy. Your account will remain separate from your Google account, but you can enjoy the additional storage. You’ll receive an email when a family member accepts your invitation and can send up to five invitations.
Do you need access to customer support for all Google products? Google One is probably the cheapest way to get someone from Google to chat with you.
You can chat on almost any Google issues, like when you can’t upload files to Google Drive, and the response is overwhelmingly fast. This is the first time I was able to quickly reach anyone on Google regarding an issue. It’s definitely a great perk of using Google One!
Cons, If Any
The first thing you notice is that the extra data you purchase is not a top-up over 15 GB free quota. It sounds as if you would get 100 or 200 GB extra storage but includes your existing free storage as well. While there is still enough data to maneuver around, this seems like unnecessary advertising.
Another disadvantage that applies to using Google One Family is that all members of the family need to be registered in the same country. This is not stated anywhere in the help and tutorials and can be a major hassle for those living abroad.
Final Notes
Should you buy Google One? The answer depends on how close you are to your 15 GB quota. If you are about to hit it soon enough, there is really no choice if you do not want to switch to other cloud providers.
The family membership plan is a big deal, but it does come with the rider that all family members have to live in the same country. In the end, you get more storage space and the luxury of talking to Google support chat. Although, it would have been nice to experience a more personal touch! If, on the other hand, you have not been able to utilize your Google storage, here are some useful Google Apps for you to make full use of your Google account.
Sayak Boral is a technology writer with over eleven years of experience working in different industries including semiconductors, IoT, enterprise IT, telecommunications OSS/BSS, and network security. He has been writing for MakeTechEasier on a wide range of technical topics including Windows, Android, Internet, Hardware Guides, Browsers, Software Tools, and Product Reviews.
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