Overview
- Google began emailing Android users on Monday to give a 45-day notice before all Android backup data starts counting against Google Account storage.
- The new accounting will add SMS messages, call history, device settings, app settings and other backup data to the storage total that already includes Google Photos items and MMS.
- Google is rolling out granular backup controls that let users pick which apps and data types are saved on devices running Android 9 or later so they can reduce what is backed up.
- If an account exceeds its storage limit after the change, automatic device backups will pause and users must free space, buy more Google One storage, or turn off Android backups to resume.
- Google’s emails and reporting by multiple outlets show the average per-account backup increase is small (about 30–40MB in examples) but the change affects the global Android user base and can change how people manage cloud space.