Google accounts no longer get 15GB of free storage, only 5GB until you link a phone number

Google has made a notable change to its account storage policy, limiting the usual 15GB of free storage only to accounts that are verified with a phone number.

For years now, signing up for a Google account has automatically granted users access to a pool of 15GB of free storage shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos. Compared to Apple and some others, it’s a generous amount that can go quite a long ways.

But, now, there’s an asterisk on this.

One user was notified during the setup process of a new Google account that they would only get 5GB of free storage. To get 15GB, the user would need to link a phone number to the account.

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Google’s notice reads:

Your account includes 5 GB of storage. Now get even more storage space with your phone number for Google Photos, Drive, and Gmail.

• Unlock 15 GB storage at no cost by using your phone number
• Keep 5 GB storage

Google will use your phone…