Google One Cloud Storage Service is the freshly revealed service from Google which replaces the premium storage plans – the ones you have to pay for – which are currently offered under Google Drive.
Google One is a new take on Google’s consumer cloud storage, though there’s a fair bit more to it than merely being a substitute for Google’s existing paid-for plans. In this article, we’re going to delve into the ins-and-outs of exactly what the service is –
What is Google One?
Google One is a new service that all those who presently subscribe to Google Drive storage plans will be upgraded to. Note that this pertains to the consumer plans for Google’s cloud storage locker, and G Suite customers – i.e. business clients – will remain on their existing plans, which won’t change. There might be a business-oriented spin in the pipeline eventually, though.
The new Google One offering will support plans with storage capacities ranging from 100GB to a whopping 30TB, so no matter how many hefty media files you’ve got to store, you’ll find an option to suit.
But Google One goes beyond than just storing your files in the cloud, as Google has actually fleshed out this product above and beyond what was presented by Google Drive in terms of support and extras.
The difference
For starters, you will get an added advantage and benefits, such as credits to splurge at the Google Play store, or deals on things you find when using Google search. For example, you might get a discount on a hotel booking found via Google. These kinds of benefits are added elements to make Google One overall a better value proposition.
Another major drive here is enhanced customer support. Subscribers will be given “one-tap access to experts” whenever they need help with any Google product or service. This is quite an attraction, particularly for the less tech-savvy out there.
And finally, Google One will permit a plan to be shared across five family members, with each person getting their own private space for storage.
Family-friendly service
Google One plans are shareable within a family of up to five members. Each person gets their own storage space within the limit of the plan and can use Google One’s live help feature.
Service cost
The free Google storage tier still comes with a generous fifteen gigabytes of cloud storage, but there’s now a new $2.99 a month option that gets you 200 GB of storage.
The 1 TB plan that used to be priced at $9.99 per month has been completely removed. The good news is that those who currently have a 1TB plan will be upgraded to 2TB at no extra charge or cost. The users who want more than 2TB of storage, for them the pricing will remain the same as it is currently with Google Drive.
The new Google One storage plans are as follows:
- 15 GB: Free
- 100 GB: $1.99 per month
- 200 GB: $2.99 per month
- 2 TB: $9.99 per month
To sign on for paid storage, visit google.com/drive/pricing
The other plans for 10, 20 or 30TB won’t see any changes and will carry on to be priced at $99.99 per month, $199.99 per month and $299.99 per month, respectively.
So there won’t be any loss on the cost front, with some users paying the same, and others getting better value for money – despite the extras on offer. Clearly, Google is aiming to get some serious grip for its cloud storage service when it comes to sales to a mainstream audience.
The arrival
The arrival date of Google One is not confirmed yet. Existing subscribers to premium Google Drive plans will automatically be upgraded to Google One in the ‘coming months’, as confirmed by the firm. The upgrades will be restricted to the US initially, expanding globally down the line.
Google One will go live as a service for users to sign up to – as opposed to being upgraded from Google Drive – later in the year, according to Google. If you wish to stay informed about when Google One is arriving in your region, you can enter your email here.
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