Overview
- Google confirmed it is testing a new policy in select regions that gives new accounts 5GB of free storage and raises it to 15GB after a phone number is verified.
- Existing Google accounts keep their current 15GB allocation, and the change applies only to new sign-ups in the test areas.
- Google quietly revised support pages in March to say accounts get up to 15GB of free storage, a shift verified through Internet Archive snapshots.
- Reports point to trials in parts of Africa such as Kenya and Nigeria, and some sign-up flows force phone checks while certain Android setups without a SIM can bypass them.
- Google cites anti-abuse and easier account recovery as reasons, and analysts note the move could nudge new users toward paid Google One plans and give Google more verified identity data.