Google is reportedly testing a change to its free storage policy that could reduce the default storage for new accounts from 15GB to 5GB. The storage applies across Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos, which share a single combined quota.
Under the test, some new users creating Google accounts are shown a reduced 5GB storage limit during sign-up. This is a significant drop from the long-standing 15GB free tier that Google has offered for more than a decade.
However, the full 15GB allocation is still available in these cases, but only after users complete additional verification steps, such as confirming a phone number. This effectively introduces a two-step access system, where unverified accounts receive less storage and verified users retain the standard benefit.
Google has not made a formal global announcement about the change. Instead, the company has described it as a limited experiment aimed at testing improvements in account security and reducing spam or fake account creation. Phone verification is already used in several parts of Google’s sign-up and security processes, but this test appears to connect it more directly with storage entitlement.
The 15GB free storage limit has long been one of Google’s most attractive features, especially compared with other email and cloud storage providers. It allows users to store emails, documents, and photos across services without immediately paying for extra space.
If users exceed their storage limit, they are typically required to delete files or upgrade to a paid Google One subscription for additional capacity.
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