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The era of 15GB free Gmail storage is ending (Update: Google responds) (www.androidauthority.com)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 121 points 5 months ago (28 children)
  • Google is reportedly testing a 5GB storage limit for new Gmail accounts, down from the standard 15GB.
  • Users can “unlock” the full 15GB of free storage by adding a phone number to their account.

Seems they’re trying to get phone numbers this way. Maybe it’s for increased user data, maybe it’s to prevent fraudulent activity, maybe it’s to have more information to give authorities.

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  • [–] 59 points 5 months ago (20 children)

    phone numbers were already an almost mandatory addition to new Google accounts. You need to set up 2FA when you make a new account, and the option to use an authenticator app is so well hidden... meanwhile Google still wants your phone number "to authenticate you", even though it's less secure than storing your password on a post it on your phone.

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  • [–] 66 points 5 months ago* (17 children)

    I work with homeless people and I discovered you can no longer make email without a cell phone with any major provider. I can't get them into their social security without an email.

    I was able to find an email provider that didn't require a cell phone, but then you had to use a cell phone to get past the verification on the social security site. You are absolutely fucked without a cell phone now.

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  • [–] 22 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    Thats really twisted. They really want to make not owning a cell spy a crime. Every time I learn something new about Surveillance it makes me more anarchist.

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  • [–] 4 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    The problem is that it isn't an intentional design decision. It just happens to be the easiest way to add a "cost" to sign-up.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago

    I wouldn't assume stupid is by design. Malice intent can be professional at hiding in plain sight. Just because its the easiest route doesn't mean it can't also be intended for shady reasons. Kind of like how designers forget how to add wheelchair paths for Libraries.

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  • [–] 10 points 5 months ago (5 children)

    You can try mail.com or gmx.com. They didn't require a phone when I signed up.

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  • [–] 4 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    The GUI of both of those sites are nearly identical. Are they the same service?

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  • [–] 6 points 5 months ago

    apparently they both will delete your account after 6 months of inactivity. i had mail.com accounts since mid 2000s, and they have deleted quite a few of mines after they made that change(from permanent email before 2020,inactivity to every 6 months), just be warned if you dont use or login, your accts get deleted, they wont help you after that.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago*

    i have mail.com, i found that in mid 2000s, before 2021, they use to never delete your account if you dint use it for a while, but now its every 6 months if you dont have activity the account will be deleted. i was initially using that for resume, just a warning if you intend to keep an address and use it once in a while. i had to move some of my stuff back to google around that same time they made changes.

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  • [–] 5 points 5 months ago (7 children)

    Proton mail doesn't require a phone number

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  • [–] 11 points 5 months ago (6 children)

    Proton doesn't work with social security website unfortunately. I ended up using Tuta mail but then later got stuck on Login.gov because it required either a cell phone to verify by taking pictures of ID or a desktop with a camera for a video call.

    Needless to say this is not something someone with no computer skills can accomplish. What is even worse is the local social security office stopped taking walk-ins. The solution? You guessed it, use the social security site to login and request an appointment....

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago

    In order to sign up at the SS website on my laptop so I could get an updated statement, I had to use my phone to take pictures of my ID and myself. It kept failing/dropping. It was a giant PIA. Finally got it to work but I had to attempt a couple different days. I don't know how someone who has no experience with a smart phone and laptop or tablet manages. I think I heard that about 25% SS employees were DOGE'd as well as many field offices closed and it can be incredibly difficult to get an appointment (some are just not staffed), especially if you reside in a rural county. I have to help my husband get signed up on the website and I dread it. He has a very thin frustration threshold with tech he can't get to work. I foresee his phone flying across the room.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    Can you elaborate on the social security thing? I have lived most of my life outside the States and hope to never need SS, but, well, best to know what's going on just in case.

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    Apparently they cut a bunch of staff and many offices are by appointment only now. So basically you need to account for this if you are going to file.

    Most of the troubles I have had are helping people whom are not technologically savvy and they sometimes don't have a cell phone. Not having a cell phone makes the process extremely difficult because apparently it is just taken for granted that everyone has one nowadays.

    You don't need to worry until you are probably 62 which would be early retirement for you. You full retirement would be 67 which just means you get a higher benefit the longer you wait. When the time comes you can always reach out to Social Security and they will explain the process.

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  • [–] 9 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    I tried to make a second account recently, and it wanted me to scan a qr code with my phone that then wanted to send me a text message. At the same time they were saying "this won't associate your phone with the account." I don't believe that.

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  • [–] 20 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    To be generous, this could just be anti-botting. It sucks that bots suck up so many resources, and make things that could be free not free just to try to stop them. When you can have bots create thousands of accounts trivially, it makes sense that they need to provide some kind of identifier.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (1 child)

    i assuming you refering to google accounts/bots. Bots on other social media would make tons of google accounts at once so they can spam on those sites, i was in a forum where they all make hordes of google accounts so they "are trusted by reddit" that they wont get filtered out and banned immediately by reddit.

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  • [–] 11 points 5 months ago (2 children)

    How are you creating google account without phone number

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  • [–] 9 points 5 months ago

    Exactly. I’ve been down this path, countless times, you can’t. I ended up using mailsac.com for temp emails instead.

    This sounds like Google is offering 5free gigabytes to temporary accounts, something that couldn’t be done before.

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