Today’s existing Google Pixel phones will be the last to come with free unlimited “high-quality” uploads to Google Photos. While the company said yesterday that previous Pixel phones could still upload those photos for free after Google axes unlimited storage on June 1st, 2021, Google confirmed to us that any future Pixels you buy will not come with those free uploads.
No, future Pixel phones aren’t exempt from Google Photos’ money grab
The perk will disappear
The perk will disappear
is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.
It’s not the first time Google’s scaled back the Pixel perk. Originally, one of the selling points of the Pixel was free original-quality photo storage, without the compression that Google Photos applied to most uploads in order to offer free storage to begin with. But in June, users will have to either 1) start paying for Google One storage plans after they hit the company’s 15GB cap for free accounts, or 2) take their photos somewhere else.
While Google is grandfathering in any photos you’ve taken before June 1st, 2021 so they don’t apply to that 15GB cap, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have an additional 15GB of photos come June 1st — because Google also counts your Gmail and your Google Drive toward that number.
Take me, for example:
If I don’t go delete a lot of email, I’m going to run out pretty quick after June 1st.
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