‘More Storage’—Google Offers Free Gmail Upgrade For New Users

InnovationCybersecurity‘More Storage’—Google Offers Free Gmail Upgrade For New UsersByZak Doffman,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Zak Doffman writes about cybersecurity, surveillance and privacy.Follow AuthorMay 16, 2026, 01:37pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Gmail is changing for some users.dpa/picture alliance via Getty ImagesGoogle is offering new Gmail users a free upgrade in some regions — a 300% uplift in email and photo storage. But there’s a catch. Those users are given just 5GB initially — not the usual 15GB. To recover the missing 10GB “at no cost,” users need to give Google their phone number. And that has prompted a backlash.“Google’s 15GB free cloud storage may be going away soon,” Android Authority says. While it’s limited for now, “if Google’s tests prove successful, this could possibly become the norm for new sign-ups in more regions.” Thus far, existing users are unaffected by the change, and free storage levels remain the same.ForbesGoogle’s Android Upgrade—Why You Need A New Phone In 2026By Zak DoffmanIn the message to new users, Google says the request for a phone number is “to make sure storage is only added once per person.” That sounds plausible. But in response to Android Authority, it had a different explanation: “encouraging users to improve their account security and data recovery.” The reports first surfaced on Reddit, with one poster dismissing the move as “the ‘bribery for your data’ stage.” With somewhere around 2 billion accounts and more being added every day, the savings from reducing free data are significant. if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { var iframeDoc = iframe.contentWindow.document; var script = iframeDoc.createElement('script'); script.src = '//cd.ele...