TANSTAAFL. In other words, there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. And many of us will realise it on June 1 when Google Photos’ free, unlimited storage disappears. Meaning? Any new photos or videos that you upload count towards the free 15GB of storage that comes with every Google account. There are a few caveats but it’s time to sort out your storage options.

Let’s talk about the caveats. Any new — that’s an important word — photos and videos you upload starting June 1 will count towards the free 15GB of storage. If you have uploaded the same in high quality before June 1 it will not count towards the free storage you are given. In other words, the multimedia in question backed up before June 1 will continue to be considered free.

Second, if you have backed up your photos and videos in original quality, the changes won’t affect you, as original quality photos and videos will continue to count toward your 15 GB of free storage across your Google Account.

Third, for those with a Pixel phone, photos uploaded from that device “won’t be impacted”. Photos and videos uploaded in high quality from that device will continue to be exempt from this change, even after June 1.

The change in policy, which was announced well in advance, encourages people to sign up for Google’s storage subscription service, Google One, which has several tiers. Up to 15GB is free, which you are aware of. If you opt for 100GB it will come at Rs 130 or Rs 1,300 annually, and the plan should be sufficient for most people. You can also opt for 200GB at Rs 210 a month or Rs 2,100 per year and the ultimate — 2TB, which comes at Rs 650 a month and Rs 6,500 a year.

According to Google, more than four trillion photos are stored in Google Photos, with 28 billion new photos and videos uploaded each week. That’s a massive amount.

The problem with 15GB of free space is that we use it up easily with the flurry of photos that come as attachments with emails. A word of advice: In case you use an Android device and take a lot of photos , try deleting the blurry ones right away or get a Google One plan, which is affordable.

In case you want to explore beyond Google One, there are options but those too come with limitations. Dropbox is a reliable way but it offers only 2GB as part of its free basic personal plan. There’s Microsoft OneDrive, which has a free tier of 5GB. DigiBoxx is an Indian cloud storage platform that offers 20GB of free cloud storage and the free plan even supports Gmail integration. Another choice: Degoo. It has 100GB of free cloud storage and there are no ads. And how can we forget, iCloud which offers 5GB of free storage.

All about the new update

Remember...

If you have a Pixel 1-5, photos uploaded from that device remain and high quality images from that device will continue to be exempt from this change, even after June 1

Wow...

More than four trillion photos are stored in Google Photos, and every week 28 billion new photos and videos are uploaded

June onwards...

You’ll be able to access a new free tool in the Photos app to easily manage your backed up photos and videos

Options at a glance

Dropbox: 2GB as part of its free basic personal plan

Microsoft OneDrive: The free tier offers 5GB

DigiBoxx: Offers 20GB of free cloud storage

Degoo: Has 100GB of free cloud storage

Flickr: 1,000 uncompressed images

Amazon Photos: 5GB of free storage (not available in India)

MEGA: 50GB free storage but participation required in the “achievements programme”