Google Drive offers a lot of storage space by default with a free 15GB plan available for all. But if you’re a power user, or you simply like having as much backed up in the cloud as possible, then you might have taken advantage of Google’s paid plans. These storage-boosting options can increase your available storage by up to a huge 10TB, making it perfect for anyone who needs a huge amount of reliable, cloud-based storage.
Those Google Drive subscription plans are now being replaced with something simpler and cheaper. Starting August 15, Google users in the U.S. will be able to subscribe to Google One — a subscription-based service that offers more storage options, increased support, lower prices, and even benefits. Google announced the plan back in May, but it’s now finally available for those in the U.S. Here’s everything you need to know about Google One.
Increase your storage space
Increased storage space will likely remain the main reason to subscribe to Google One, and Google is sweetening the deal by increasing the number of plans to choose from. Pricing for the highest tier 10TB account will remain the same ($100 a month), but Google is adding a new option at the lower-end of the scale, as well as boosting the storage of its most popular option, without increasing the asking price.
The lowest tier remains the same: 100GB for $2 a month. There’s now also a 200GB option for $3 a month, and the old 1TB option has been replaced by 2TB plan but it retains the same $10 a month price tag. If you’re already paying for extra storage, your subscription will automatically be ported over to Google One’s equivalent option. People paying for the 1TB option will get an automatic upgrade to the 2TB plan, which is a nice upgrade.
Nabbing a subscription brings you cloud-based storage not just for Google Drive, but for Google Photos, and Gmail. Storing photos in Google Photos is free, but photos and videos are compressed. If you choose to save the original, high-resolution version of the photo, it will utilize the account storage you pay for through the Google One plan.
Benefits on Google and beyond
You won’t just get increased storage for stumping up some green: Google One subscribers will also get access to various perks and benefits. Details on these are a bit thin on the ground at the moment, but Google has mentioned it will start with credits to spend in the Google Play Store, as well as discounts and deals on hotels found through Google Search. You can expect more deals as time goes by — such as price cuts on the Google Express delivery service as well as the Google Store — in the coming months.
While this probably isn’t a reason to pay the Google One fee, it’s a great additional bonus.
More support from Google, and for your family
Finally, Google One subscribers will be able to access 24/7 support teams directly from Google. These Google-based specialists will be able to help with a range of inquiries for all of Google’s products, from using Gmail offline, or recovering accidentally deleted files.
You’ll also be able to share your Google One account with up to five members of your family, sharing the benefits across accounts, while keeping payment on a single card.
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