If you have a lot of files saved in Google’s cloud storage platform, then you might want to check your email for an update regarding the company’s storage policy. Google recently confirmed that all Android device backup data will count toward users’ Google Account storage limits, a change which takes place in 45 days.
While Google Photos, videos, and MMS data already apply to these limits, the policy expansion means that SMS messages, call history, device settings, and app data will now also take up users’ available storage quota—as a result, users may see an increase in the total storage used by their devices. If an account exceeds its storage limit after the policy takes effect, automatic device backups will pause until the user frees up space or upgrades to a paid Google plan. Part of the company’s official email reads:
Photos and videos in Google Photos and MMS data already count toward your Google Account storage today. With this change all other backed-up data such as SMS messages, call history, device settings, and app settings will also count toward your Google Account storage. The storage used by your device backup may increase once this policy takes effect.
To help users manage this transition, Google says that it’s introducing new, granular app backup toggles within Android backup settings. The options will be available for devices on Android 9 or higher, and will allow users to manually select which data types and specific apps to back up, offering more direct control over how their cloud storage is allocated. Google adds:
With this change, we are also introducing granular app backup toggles in your Android backup settings. If you are on Android 9 or higher, you can now select exactly which data types and individual apps you want to back up, ensuring you only use storage for what matters most to you.
