Google now limits the total cloud storage available to free users to just 5GB on all platforms for new accounts; it was 15 GB. That means your emails, photos, documents, anything stored in Google Drive, your app settings on Android, and backups all count toward that total. Where previously some datasets were exempt, now everything is included, including Android backups. In most cases, Android backups use minimal space, around 40 MB according to Google estimates, but this is an average. Yours could use more or less.
These backups include SMS and MMS messages, your call logs and histories, device settings, and individual application data. You should know that all Android data backups are enabled by default, but it’s nice to see that Google has finally given Android users the granular backup settings they always should have had. Ideally, backups exist, so if you trade in phones or buy a new device, you can restore them easily. But if you don’t want to or just want to control what data is kept, there is a way to adjust it. You can also disable cloud backups completely.
On most devices, you can go to Settings > Google (or Google Services) > Data from other devices and turn off the toggle next to Back up data from other devices. Scroll down and disable each source or application. For example, you can disable call history while leaving SMS backups enabled. If you want to delete previous cloud backups from Google’s servers, use your Google account dashboard.
To deactivate or not, that is the question
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When you turn off cloud backups on your Android device, your phone simply stops backing up the data sets provided to your Google account. That means no saving app settings, no call history, no text messages, no photos and videos unless you enable them individually.
Backed up data will remain on Google’s servers unless you choose to delete it through your account dashboard. If you do this, they will disappear completely. Plus, if you’re wondering what happens to your photos and data if you cancel Google One, thereby reducing your cloud storage limits, they stay in the cloud until you delete them yourself. But if at any point your total storage consumption exceeds your storage limit, you will see restrictions. You won’t be able to send or receive emails in Gmail, or back up photos and videos to Google Photos until you delete the data to get back under the threshold or re-subscribe to Google One.
When these settings are disabled, if you purchase a new device, such as a new phone or tablet, you cannot automatically restore backups from Google cloud services. This means your new device boots up clean and you will need to reinstall all your favorite apps, reconfigure them, sign in to accounts, etc. You can use another cloud service other than Google if you trust another provider more. Additionally, this does not exclude you from manually backing up or restoring your data.
How to increase cloud storage for your Google account?
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Since Google has adjusted how cloud storage limits work, you may want to upgrade. The only way to increase the total capacity is to subscribe to Google One, Google’s cloud service. Google One plans start at $1.99 per month for 100GB and go up from there. You also get additional perks with higher tiers, like exclusive access to Gemini AI through Gmail. Additionally, there are subscription discounts from time to time. You can subscribe to a lower tier and upgrade later if and when you need more storage. This is precisely what I did with my own account, as my family needed more and more space.
Some of these hidden Google One benefits that you gain through an active subscription are worth using, like the ability to bring family and friends on board, unlock Google Workspace features, and beyond. In other words, Google One is more valuable than cloud storage alone. However, if you absolutely want to avoid Google’s products, there are plenty of cheaper alternatives to check out. You can use them to backup and restore your data without involving Google services.
