Google is quietly taking away something you've had for free since 2013

For more than a decade, signing up for a Google account has meant walking away with 15 gigs of free cloud storage. That number, which was shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos, has been one of the more reliable constants in consumer tech over the years. It may not stay that way for much longer.

Google has confirmed it is currently testing a reduced storage allocation for newly created Gmail accounts in certain regions, where some users will receive just 5 GB by default instead of the standard 15 GB, unless you enter your phone number. The test was first flagged by user reports on Reddit before Google acknowledged the experiment directly to Android Authority. The company added that it is evaluating the new policy to maintain service quality — at the same time, it will also push users toward better account security and data recovery practices.

As of writing, Google has not disclosed which regions are part of the trial. However, early reports hint that the rollout has been concentrated in parts of Africa. Existing accounts are unaffected for now.

This move does appear to be at least partly geared towards curbing the practice of creating multiple accounts to stack free storage. If that wasn't clear already, Google's own support page has been quietly updated since February to describe storage as "up to 15GB." It's not hard to discern that the company had been laying the groundwork for this change for some time.

Whether the 5 GB stays regional or eventually becomes the global default for new sign-ups will depend on how the test plays out. For reference, other providers like Microsoft Outlook also bundle 5 GB of free storage with new accounts. 

Gmail now gives 5gb free if you sign up without phone number
by u/sungusungu in degoogle