new Google – Google is changing the free storage offer for some new accounts: instead of 15GB for everyone, new users may get 5GB unless they link and verify a phone number. The update appears tied to a “test” in select regions, with Google support pages now promising “up
A new Google account used to feel like a clean deal: sign up, get 15GB of free storage, and move on.
Now, for some people, the math can look very different. Google appears to be altering the free storage offer for new accounts. Instead of everyone receiving 15GB, new users may be limited to 5GB unless they link and verify a phone number.
The screenshot making the rounds attributes the change to a simple reason: “storage is added only once per person.” It’s the kind of explanation that sounds tidy, but in a time when storage limits already feel tight for many users, the motivation is hard to ignore.
There’s more than one thread pointing to the same shift. A Google support page has been updated, changing the promise from a full “15 GB” when creating an account to “up to 15 GB.” The Wayback Machine shows Google changed that wording sometime between February 4 and March 23.
In a statement to Engadget, a Google spokesperson framed the change as a test. “We’re testing a new storage policy for new accounts created in select regions that will help us continue to provide a high quality storage service to our users. while encouraging users to improve their account security and data recovery.”.
That regional-test framing also explains why some commenters on Reddit say they’re still seeing 15GB without linking a number. If the policy isn’t applied everywhere, experiences won’t match.
For most people, the practical impact may be smaller than the rumor suggests. In many cases, you already have to link a phone number when creating a new Google account, and that was true even before this change.
9to5Google notes a few exceptions to that rule, including signing up on an Android device without a SIM card.
Update: May 14, 2026, 1:24 PM ET — The story was updated to add a statement from Google.
Google accounts free storage 5GB 15GB phone number verification account security data recovery Android without SIM Wayback Machine
So it’s 5GB unless you give them your phone… cool cool.
I swear Google keeps changing stuff then acting surprised people get mad. I didn’t even notice the 15GB thing until someone told me. If you have to verify a phone number every time now, that’s just annoying.
Wait so “storage is added only once per person”?? That sounds like they’ll cap you because you already made an account before or something. Like if I ever had Gmail in 2012 it counts as the “person” and now I’m stuck with 5GB? Idk, seems like they’re punishing people for using Google.
This is why I’m glad I don’t rely on Google photos for everything. Also, isn’t it kinda sketchy that it’s a “test in select regions”? Like are they just seeing who’ll comply with the phone number thing first. Meanwhile everybody’s paying for storage plans anyway so what’s the point of baiting with 15GB in the first place.