![\"Gmail](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778970850_51_0x0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Gmail is changing for some users.<\/p>\n
dpa\/picture alliance via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Google is offering new Gmail users a free upgrade in some regions \u2014 a 300% uplift in email and photo storage. But there\u2019s a catch. Those users are given just 5GB initially \u2014 not the usual 15GB. To recover the missing 10GB \u201cat no cost,\u201d users need to give Google their phone number. And that has prompted a backlash.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoogle\u2019s 15GB free cloud storage may be going away soon,\u201d Android Authority<\/a> says. While it\u2019s limited for now, \u201cif Google\u2019s tests prove successful, this could possibly become the norm for new sign-ups in more regions.\u201d Thus far, existing users are unaffected by the change, and free storage levels remain the same.<\/p>\n ForbesGoogle\u2019s Android Upgrade\u2014Why You Need A New Phone In 2026By Zak Doffman<\/a><\/p>\n In the message to new users, Google says the request for a phone number is \u201cto make sure storage is only added once per person.\u201d That sounds plausible. But in response to Android Authority, it had a different explanation: \u201cencouraging users to improve their account security and data recovery.\u201d <\/p>\n The reports first surfaced on Reddit<\/a>, with one poster dismissing the move as \u201cthe \u2018bribery for your data\u2019 stage.\u201d With somewhere around 2 billion accounts and more being added every day, the savings from reducing free data are significant.<\/p>\n New Gmail storage upgrade<\/p>\n Reddit<\/p>\n As PCMag<\/a> explains, \u201cone of the biggest perks of signing up for a Gmail or Google account has been the 15GB of free cloud storage. It can store data from Google services, including Sheets, Docs, Photos, and Gmail, as well as files uploaded from your personal device.\u201d Well, that may now be changing.<\/p>\n While there are benefits in adding a phone number to an account, there\u2019s certainly no security rationale that couldn\u2019t be achieved a better way. A phone number is a form of identification \u2014 especially in markets where government ID is needed for a new mobile phone account. As such, the era of anonymous emailing changes.<\/p>\n ForbesAfter 15 Years\u2014Apple Changes Green Bubbles On Your iPhoneBy Zak Doffman<\/a><\/p>\n The use of a number to limit free storage accounts to one per person makes more sense that a security explanation. That said, if you have a Google account, adding a phone number will help you recover your account if it\u2019s hacked. But don\u2019t use a phone number for two-factor authentication. That\u2019s not secure<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gmail is changing for some users. dpa\/picture alliance via Getty Images Google is offering new Gmail users a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":674309,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[49,48,63785,46509,247963,46508,192,247962,62878,61],"class_list":["post-674308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-gmail","tag-gmail-ai","tag-gmail-storage","tag-gmail-upgrade","tag-google","tag-google-offers","tag-no-cost","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674308","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=674308"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674308\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/674309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=674308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=674308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=674308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}