Overview
- Google updated its backup policy so that all Android device backup data now counts against a user’s Google account storage, a change the company says took effect July 7.
- The newly charged items include SMS and MMS messages, call logs, device settings, and app data according to Google’s support pages and reporting.
- Google will apply the rule immediately to new Android accounts and roll it out to existing accounts over the coming months while adding toggles so users can exclude specific backup categories.
- Google estimates the average added storage per account is small at about 40 megabytes, but users who are close to the 15 GB free limit may need to subscribe to Google One or clear stored files.
- Reporters note the change makes restorations more complete but advise practical steps to avoid quota pressure such as disabling selected backup categories, deleting or compressing large photos and videos, and limiting automatic media downloads in messaging apps.