From July 7, 2026 – initially for new backup users, for existing accounts in the coming months – Google will now count other data such as SMS towards the storage quota of your own Google account in addition to photos and videos that are uploaded to Google Photos. If desired, this data can no longer be backed up in the future.
Read more after the ad
New switches for backups
As Google writes in a support document, call history, device settings and app data will also be counted towards the storage limit in the future. According to Google, this new data should increase the size of the backup by an average of 40 MB.
As part of the new policy, Google is giving Android users more control over what is included in the backup. In addition to selecting and deselecting individual apps that you may not want to have backed up, Google will be adding on/off switches for SMS and MMS messages, call history and device settings for all users over the next few weeks. 9to5Google first reported this.
To access backup settings on Pixel devices, go to Google Services and Settings > Manage Backup > Other Device Data. On devices from other manufacturers, the backup function can be found in the settings under “Google”.
Read also
A Google spokesperson told 9to5Google: “Android Backup lets you save the data on your phone to your Google Account for easy restoration later or setting up a new device. We’ve updated our policy so that all Android backup data now counts toward your Google Account storage. We estimate this will only take an additional 40MB on average. We’re also giving you more transparency and new settings to let you choose which data and apps you back up want.”
Read more after the ad
15 GB of free cloud storage
Google has been offering 15 GB of cloud storage for free as part of a Google account for years. For a fee, this can be expanded from 100 GB for 2 euros per month to up to 30 TB for 220 euros per month with the Google One offer. The more expensive tariffs contain, among other things, numerous AI functions.
Since 2024, WhatsApp backups have also been counted towards cloud storage on Android if WhatsApp users use the cloud backup function. How large the cloud storage space used is can be seen in an overview. Here users can delete their WhatsApp backup if necessary; management takes place via the WhatsApp app.
(afl)
