Google is revamping its cloud storage offerings to better reflect the rise in high-res images and 4K video, especially due to Photos, while also integrating family plans. “Google One” features simplified plans that are cheaper and also give subscribers other benefits, like deals and better customer support.
All Google accounts receive 15GB of free storage, with the first paid tier starting at $1.99 per month for 100GB. Under “Google One” this is not changing, but there is a new 200GB tier for $2.99. Meanwhile, instead of getting only a terabyte, $9.99 a month now provides 2TB of storage.
Existing 1TB Drive plans will be upgraded to 2TB at no extra cost, while pricing for plans larger than 2TB will remain the same. Google notes that “the way you use Drive to store and share files doesn’t change.”
These storage plans can now also be shared with family members. Up to five can be added to a Google One plan for easier billing, with every user gaining their own private storage space and other extras.
- 15GB = free
- 100GB = $1.99 per month
- 200GB = $2.99 per month
- 2TB = $9.99 per month
- 10TB = $99.99 per month
- 20TB = $199.99 per month
- 30TB = $299.99 per month
Subscribers will also get a number of new advantages like fast access to support for the company’s consumer products and services. Other benefits include credits on Google Play, deals on select hotels found in Google Search, and other “extras” over time.
Google One is first launching in the US, with existing Drive storage subscriber automatically being upgraded over the coming months. In fact, these will likely be the first users to gain access to the new plans, with Google noting that “initially, One will only be available on a limited basis.”
Those users should expect to see an email confirmation about the handover, while the program is soon expanding globally. Others can sign-up here to get updates on the launch.
9to5Google’s Take
Google One — with its new icon that we spotted just before I/O — is not launching for a few more months with a slow transition process. The most interesting aspect of this revamp has noting to do with the storage offerings, but rather the customer support.
Titled “Access to Google experts,” the company notes that this feature is born out of how “People who use a lot of storage tend to use a lot of other Google products.” As such, it makes sense to provide “one-tap access to experts.”
Many details about this tier of support are not yet clear. Namely, whether this access involves actual telephone support, like G Suite, or just additional online support that compliments Google’s existing user communities and forums staffed by mostly volunteers.
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