For years, creating a Google account automatically came with 15GB of free cloud storage shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. That appears to be changing quietly now, as new users are reporting that accounts created without a phone number now receive only 5GB of free storage instead of the usual 15GB. To unlock the full amount, users must verify their account with a mobile number.
Google hasn’t officially announced the change, but multiple users noticed the new restriction during account setup. Archived versions of Google’s support pages also suggest the wording around free storage changed recently, shifting from a guaranteed 15GB to up to 15GB.
According to reports, the phone number doesn’t necessarily need to be added immediately during registration. Users can apparently verify later and have their storage expanded afterward. Still, the move is raising privacy concerns among people who prefer to keep their accounts detached from personal phone numbers.
From Google’s perspective, the reasoning is straightforward since verified accounts are harder to abuse for spam, scams, and automated bot creation. But critics argue this also pushes users further into Google’s identity ecosystem, where anonymity becomes increasingly difficult.
There is still an alternative for those unwilling to provide a phone number, which is to pay for the storage through Google One. However, many users are unhappy that what used to be a standard free feature may now require either personal verification or a subscription.
For now, the change seems limited to newly created accounts, while existing users still retain their original 15GB allocation.