Google appears to be changing the deal on free storage for new Google accounts. Previously, everyone who opened a new account had 15 GB of storage. Now you may end up with a measly 5GB unless you link and verify your phone number.
As you can see in the screenshot above, Google attributes the change to ensuring that “storage is only added once per person.” However, it’s easy to imagine today’s shortage of memory and storage as an unspoken motivation.
That’s not the only evidence, as a Google support page recently updated its language on free storage. What previously promised “full 15 GB” when creating an account now says “up to 15 GB.” Wayback Machine records reveal that Google changed its wording between February 4 and March 23.
This won’t make much difference for most people. In most cases, you have no choice but to associate a phone number when creating a new Google account – and that was the case even before this change. 9to5Google Note that there are some exceptions, including when registering on an Android device without a SIM card.
It’s unclear whether this is a permanent change or just an A/B test. Some commenters on the Reddit thread who first reported the change say they can still get 15GB of free storage without linking a number. (The support page URL in the screenshot doesn’t help: it’s currently a broken link.) We’ve reached out to Google for comment and will update this story if we receive a response.