Google is quietly trimming the free storage it gives new accounts, and the old 15GB pitch now appears to depend on one extra hurdle: a phone number. New sign-ups are reportedly landing on 5GB by default, putting Google much closer to Apple’s long-standing 5GB iCloud limit and ending one of its easiest consumer-tech bragging rights.
The change appears to be rolling out as a regional test rather than a full announcement, which explains the confusion. Google has updated its support language from ”15GB” to ”up to 15GB,” and some users are now being asked to verify a phone number during setup if they want the larger allowance.
How the new Google account storage prompt works
The setup message is blunt: ”Your account includes 5GB of storage. Now get even more storage space with your phone number.” In other words, the free tier is no longer guaranteed in the way it used to be. Google is also nudging account creation away from easy duplication, since a phone number is harder to spin up than yet another Gmail address.
Why Google is tightening the free tier now
This is not happening in a vacuum. Google recently raised storage for AI Pro subscribers from 1TB to 5TB, so the company is clearly comfortable using storage as a lever to push people toward its paid ecosystem. The free tier is getting leaner just as cloud storage has become a bigger part of everything from photo backups to AI features, which makes the squeeze feel less accidental and more strategic.
It also follows a familiar playbook across Big Tech: give users just enough room to settle in, then make the free option slightly less generous over time. Apple has lived with 5GB as its baseline for years, so Google may be betting that most people won’t leave over the downgrade. That is probably true. Annoying, yes. Unusual, no.
What to expect next for Google storage
For now, the bigger question is how widely this test spreads. If Google decides the phone-number gate works well, new accounts could end up with a much stricter default everywhere, and the old 15GB headline may become more of a perk than a promise. Free storage has been one of Google’s easiest selling points for years; shaving it down is the sort of move that usually starts small and ends up normal.