Google has announced a change that will directly affect the free storage available on user accounts. Within 45 days, approximately by late August, several types of Android phone data that previously did not count against storage will begin consuming cloud space. The result is inevitable: those 15GB free that the company offers will stretch less than before.

What exactly changes in your backup

According to hipertextual.com, from the date indicated, Google will modify which elements count toward your account storage. Until now, photos and files from Google Photos already consumed space, but other details of Android backup went unnoticed. That ends now.

The new items that will begin consuming your free GB are:

• SMS message history
• Call log records
• Device settings
• Individual app settings

The measure affects both paid and free accounts, but users without a Google One subscription will feel it most. For them, available space will shrink, though Google has clarified that these data take up relatively little: less than 100 MB per backup on a typical account.

Google's history of changes: less space, more restrictions

This is not Google's first adjustment to free storage. Over the years, the company has gradually incorporated new elements into the count, turning what was sufficient space into a limitation for those who cannot or do not want to pay for an upgrade. Frames, metadata, device synchronizations: the elements that consume storage constantly multiply.

With this new policy, the strategy continues: free space narrows, pushing toward paid subscriptions.

The silver lining: more control over your data

Not all news is bad. Google also announces that it will expand backup customization options. Users will be able to choose which elements to include or exclude: if you prefer to exclude SMS history to save space, you can now do so. Previously this was not possible because that data did not consume storage.

However, there is an important restriction: if your Google account is full, new backups will automatically pause. Before, you could continue including contacts and settings even without available space, which made device changes seamless. That will no longer be the case.

When it takes effect and how to prepare

Backups created before late August will not be affected. Only from that date will new data begin to count. You have time to review what you are using in your account, clean up unnecessary data, or, if you wish, expand your storage with Google One.

The question many ask is obvious: will there come a time when Google includes so much in the storage count that 15GB becomes practically nominal? For now, the company is keeping that figure intact, but each change brings it one step closer to that reality.