A Disaster for Gmail Users

According to a report from Android Authority, Google may slash the free storage allocation for new Gmail accounts from 15 GB down to a mere 5 GB. Users wishing to upgrade their storage capacity will be required to provide Google with a phone number to unlock the additional space.

Google will no longer offer 15 GB of free storage to new Gmail users

A Google representative subsequently confirmed that the company is testing this new account option in select regions.

"We are testing a new storage policy for newly created accounts in certain regions. This will help us continue to provide a high-quality storage service, while encouraging users to bolster their account security and data recovery capabilities," a Google spokesperson said in a statement issued to CNET.

Typically, a verified phone number serves as a mechanism to deter users from hoarding multiple accounts and to secure Google profiles through a reliable recovery method. According to Android Authority, the accounts restricted to 5 GB of storage are predominantly located in African countries.

When Gmail launched in 2004, the service provided users with up to 1 GB of storage, fundamentally altering how many people utilized email.

Just one year later, Google doubled the free storage allowance to 2 GB. This complimentary tier continued to expand to 7 GB, 10 GB, and ultimately 15 GB in 2013, when Google Drive, Google Photos, and Gmail were consolidated into a single, unified storage pool.

A key factor driving Gmail's early success over rival email services was its lowered barrier to entry. By expanding free access to its suite of services across the platform, the search giant effectively deterred users from defecting to competitors.

However, the landscape has since shifted, with Google now locked in fierce competition with rivals in the artificial intelligence sector. According to CNET, this intensified rivalry is the underlying reason Google is pushing to integrate Gemini AI features into familiar services that users already rely on, such as email, photos, and documents.