Google
As smartphone cameras continue to get better, more people than ever are taking more photos than ever, and the storage can't keep up. Moreover, phones break, and they get lost or stolen. That's why photo storage solutions have become so popular, with one of the most recognizable being Google Photos. Its popularity is part and parcel with its simplicity. You simply download the app, log in, and toggle on the backup feature. From then on, every photo you snap or save is uploaded to Google's cloud, where it can be indexed and edited with powerful, free AI tools.
Google brings a lot of value to the table with Photos, but entrusting a third party with your most precious memories — especially one with so many privacy concerns — can't help but feel risky. What guarantee do you have that your pictures and videos will be there tomorrow, let alone next year, or a decade from now? Google kills useful products all the time, and it could pull the plug on Photos at any moment.
There's no way to predict what Google will do with Photos in the future (though its enormous user base is hopefully enough to keep it alive). As for right now, Google pinky promises not to pull the rug out from under you. According to documentation for Google Photos, your files are safe and sound...so long as you pay your bills on time and log in at least once every couple of years. Here's how long Google Photos will keep your photos saved before deleting them.
Google will delete photos from unused accounts
Google
As long as you're a regular user who isn't delinquent on your payments, Google Photos won't wipe your archive of pictures and videos. By default, users get 15 gigabytes of free storage for their entire Google account. That includes emails in Gmail, files in Drive, and so on, in addition to Photos (a bit more on that further down). A paid monthly subscription unlocks higher storage limits. According to Google, paying your bill each month guarantees your photos won't be deleted. However, if your subscription lapses, your files will be wiped after two years.
If you fail to pay your Google One subscription, a two-year timer begins ticking down, and the company may delete your files when it ends. Google will send you an email or notification three months prior to deletion, which will give you a chance to log back in and resubscribe to keep the account active. However, you will need to pay for the storage you're using before the grace period is up. If you don't want to resubscribe, you can delete enough files to move below the 15 GB threshold, or download your entire Google Photos archive to preserve it before the account is wiped.
If the storage being used across your Google account does not exceed 15 GB, you only need to log in occasionally in order to keep your data. It will not be deleted as long as Google continues to maintain Photos as a product. The same goes for files stored on a paid account that is in good standing.
Your Google account loses functionality when over its storage quota
Google
If you go over your storage quota, whether free or paid, there is a two-year grace period before your photos, videos, and other files stored across Google are deleted. However, you will lose other account features during this time. Emails are usually very small in terms of size, but since they do take up space, you will not be able to send or receive any new mail. You will also not be able to create any new files in Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Drawings, Forms, or Vids, nor will you be able to edit or copy them. Lastly, you can't back up new audio recordings from the native Google Recorder app on a Pixel phone.
As alluded to above, most Google products count toward your storage cap, in addition to files backed up in Photos or Drive, which include Gmail emails, recordings of calls from Meet, and files created or collaboratively edited in Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drawings, Forms, Recorder, and Vids. There is a small loophole for photos and videos uploaded in lower-than-native resolution to Google Photos using the High Quality or Express Quality options before June 1, 2021, as well as for files created in the previously mentioned worksuite tools before that date. Those do not count toward your data limit, since Google's policy before that date was not to count them, and that policy has been honored retroactively. If you're getting close to your limit and are concerned, you can stop backups to Google Photos, which will prevent new photos and videos you snap from taking up space in your account.
