5GB is plenty for emails, won't be an issue for 99% of people.

THE problem with google's storage is that they actively mislead consumers:

1. They bother customers during setup and after with: "Do you want to backup your device?" To which a considerable amount of people react to as "Yeah ofcourse I want that!"
2. Google does not show any indication where this backup goes or about the eventual payment so people just forget about it.
3. After some time their gmail and photos app will start to complain: "YOUR STORAGE IS FULL" - with constant notifications. And their Gmail stops working so they can't receive emails anymore.
4. These regular people confuse 'storage' with internal storage so they start looking for ways to expand their internal storage, which obviously doesn't do anything.
5. Eventually they give up and either pay google the ransom or make a new email.

This is the real dark pattern behind their "free cloud"

Anyone else remember when Google bragged about never being worried about storage as you watched your storage free count, grow and grow and grow.

Remember the 1GB Gmail reaction? I remember:

Damn, this image can now drink alcohol in the US.

Thank you Google for TURNING INTO FUCKING APPLE RIGHT AFTER I SWITCH TO A FUCKING PIXEL

• Google is reportedly testing a 5GB storage limit for new Gmail accounts, down from the standard 15GB.
• Users can “unlock” the full 15GB of free storage by adding a phone number to their account.

Seems they’re trying to get phone numbers this way. Maybe it’s for increased user data, maybe it’s to prevent fraudulent activity, maybe it’s to have more information to give authorities.

The market is saturated and "don't be evil" was a long, long time ago...

Imagine how much of Earth's storage space is marketing emails that no one reads.

I sincerely and earnestly want Google to fail and cease to exist.

New users.

Even still, I moved off Gmail years ago. I keep my Google fingerprint minimal.

I would prefer they didn't do this, but I understand. Storage isn't without cost. 5 GB is a lot for email actually. It's probably intended to reduce abuse from bots. We should probably not be using free email anyway.

"You have 15 GB of space as long as you're not using it all"

Update: May 15, 2026 (2:57 AM ET): Google has now confirmed this test in a statement to us while giving more details regarding the feature

Next up: too many people are exporting their data at once, so now exporting your data costs extra.

THATS THE ONLY REASON PEOPLE STILL USE GMAIL! Proton Mail has 1 free gb, I didn’t use it when I had the free plan.

wtf do they need a ph# for? theyve got your email and sms ids(same as ph#). a ph# just seems like a bit of sales pitch food

"improve security"

isn't basically common knowledge at this point phone recovery methods decrease security? How do companies keep getting away with this.

I'm intentionaly letting it overfill

Pay for webmail.

Be the product.

Choose the form of the destructor.

I still have my gmail account from 2004 or so. I never delete anything, and it is where all the garbage mail goes, although I use it occasionally for purchases and other things.

So 22 years of email, never deleting anything, and I am well under 5gb.

seems that Google is testing offering only 5GB [for new accounts] free storage unless you add a phone number to your account.

iCloud accounts are 5GB if you a phone number. You don't get to create an account if you don't add a number.

I'm not defending this move. It's on the same level as them yanking their free lifetime unlimited storage on ONE accounts. But I also get it.