{"id":266438,"date":"2025-11-06T22:21:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T22:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/266438\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T22:21:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T22:21:09","slug":"this-subscription-fee-is-often-overlooked-ais-explosion-means-it-could-cost-you-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/266438\/","title":{"rendered":"This subscription fee is often overlooked. AI\u2019s explosion means it could cost you more"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

An Apple iPhone 17 model. Cloud storage costs are set to grow as we spend more of our lives online.HECTOR RETAMAL\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

For weeks now, a bulky blue banner has greeted me when I open my Google Drive: \u201cAlmost out of storage,\u201d it warns, while dangling a 75-per-cent discount for three months of extra space. <\/p>\n

My iPhone recently delivered a similar pitch, though without sweetening the deal.<\/p>\n

Right now, I pay about $4 a month for extra room in iCloud, and it\u2019s only a matter of time before I\u2019ll need to cave into Google\u2019s offer. If the warnings on my iPhone hold true, I could soon see my files withheld until I pay this ransom.<\/p>\n

Before you dismiss me as a digital hoarder, consider this: As our digital footprint grows, major companies are trimming their free storage tiers while changing default settings to upload more costly data to the cloud (a collection of servers managing online files).<\/p>\n

Microsoft, for example, used to save users\u2019 documents to their local computer storage. Now, its default settings upload files to the cloud, a move that prevents meltdowns over lost files, but quickly consumes virtual space. <\/p>\n

Google used to offer unlimited storage for photos, but trimmed that to 15 gigabytes about five years ago. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat allowed users to build up huge photo libraries that then exceeded their storage capacity,\u201d said Ryan Eric Grant, an associate professor in Queen\u2019s University\u2019s department of electrical and computer engineering.<\/p>\n

Beyond selfies, photos of the kids and screenshots of texts from ex, we\u2019re now also worrying about backing up data from smartwatches, fridges<\/a> and toasters<\/a>. Newer iPhones capture photos with higher megapixels, creating larger files.<\/p>\n

Storage costs could \u201cpotentially skyrocket with AI generation,\u201d Mr. Grant said.<\/p>\n

Today, iPhone cloud storage starts at $1.29 a month for a modest 50 gigabytes (about 11 feature-length films) and climbs to $79.99 for 200 gigabytes (around 50,000 photos). Google\u2019s cloud plans range from $2.79 a month for 100 gigabytes to $27 for two terabytes.<\/p>\n

Across those two apps alone, storage costs add up to $50 a year for the lowest tiers and roughly $1,284 for the highest \u2013 which is still chump change if you consider studies that peg our spending on subscriptions at US$924 a year<\/a>. <\/p>\n

But as we spend more of our lives online, that figure is set to grow. And with just a handful of companies dominating the market, the biggest players are cashing in.<\/p>\n

When Snapchat noticed millennials returning to the app to revisit old photos and videos, for example, it began charging users<\/a> to access those memories.<\/p>\n

To be fair, \u201cfree\u201d cloud storage was never free. \u201cServers aren\u2019t cheap, networking isn\u2019t cheap, and you need to pay for maintenance and re-engineering,\u201d said Richard Paige, director of the McMaster Centre for Software Certification.<\/p>\n

If you want to get your digital storage under control, Mr. Paige recommends regularly auditing automatic backups rather than spending hours manually deleting photos of your pets.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the time your phone will default to \u2018back up everything,\u2019\u201d he said. But this security feature also saves trivial things such as your Candy Crush high score.<\/p>\n

If you have an iPhone, you can adjust your default cloud backup settings by going to settings and tapping your name. Select iCloud, then \u201cSaved to iCloud,\u201d and toggle off anything you don\u2019t need backed up.<\/p>\n

If you need to do a digital audit, some apps can make the process less tedious. Clever Cleaner helps you delete duplicate photos for free. I\u2019ve also heard good things about Slider and Swipewipe.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re still running out of space, indulge in some tech nostalgia. A two-terabyte external hard drive can store hundreds of thousands of photos and files for a one-time cost of as little as $40.<\/p>\n

How are you dealing with your online storage woes? Send any questions, concerns or tips my way to mpostelnyak@globeandmail.com<\/a> <\/p>\n

Subscribe to the On Money newsletter<\/p>\n

Are you reading this newsletter on the web or did someone forward the e-mail version to you? If so, you can sign up for On Money here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mariya\u2019s consumer reading list<\/p>\n

Have you heard of the clawback trap?<\/a><\/p>\n

Clawbacks of government benefits for low-to-middle income Canadians are creating effective tax rates that can discourage taking on a job or saving more for retirement, according to researchers at the C.D. Howe Institute. <\/p>\n

Chart of the day<\/p>\n

Attention savers<\/p>\n

The Globe has launched a regular feature with the week\u2019s highest savings account and guaranteed investment certificate (GIC) rates. Have a look here<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Callout<\/p>\n

Tariffs and a deepening trade war have changed the calculus of holiday travel. But one corner of the industry seems to be thriving amid the chaos: cruises. If you\u2019re opting for a holiday on the high seas over your regular travel plans, I want to hear why and what it\u2019s costing. Drop me a line<\/a>.<\/p>\n

ICYMI<\/p>\n

\u2018I may retire this year, but my wife, who\u2019s 10 years younger, will keep working. Should we consolidate<\/a> our portfolios?\u2019 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: An Apple iPhone 17 model. Cloud storage costs are set to grow as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":266439,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[62,1397,276,277,49,48,73504,1412,73501,131,73507,73502,73505,73506,73503,61],"class_list":["post-266438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-appwebview","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-high-interest-saving","tag-newsletter","tag-onmoneynewsletter","tag-personal-finance","tag-personal-finance-advice-canada","tag-personal-finance-canada","tag-personal-finance-newsletter","tag-personal-finance-planning","tag-saving-strategy","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}