Google Pixel 2 loses unlimited photo storage option
If you still have a Google Pixel 2 in your pocket as your daily driver, you need to know this. Today marks the end of support for unlimited storage in Google Photos for the smartphone that was released back in October 2017. This is in line with Google's recent update in policies - but also marks a change in strategy and taking away a key USP from its future Pixel smartphones.
The news about the loss of unlimited storage on the Google Pixel 2 has been made public on a support page.
What this means for Google Pixel 2 users is that they will no longer be able to store unlimited full-size images Google Photos. All new photos that you stored in full resolution henceforth will be counted towards your own Google quota from now on. Bummer!
This is a painful loss for Pixel fans, as it is this focus on smartphone photography that many Pixel fans value on these devices. The latest Pixel models, the Google Pixel 4a 5G and the Pixel 5, made a convincing case to be purchased thanks to their excellent imaging capabilities. Since Google Photos has many practical features for smartphone shutterbugs, it only made sense to make use of the unlimited storage space for photos in the cloud. Note that the Pixel 3 series devices will likely meet the same fate a year from now.
Future Google phones will not get unlimited storage
It was last year that Google revealed its intention to strip future Pixel smartphones of unlimited storage option when uploading to Google Photos in full resolution.
In November 2020, the company announced its plan to stop free upload of compressed images to Google Photos for all other smartphones. While many users assumed that they were "paying" for storage by sharing their data with Google, that wasn't the case. This, according to me, was a breach of trust on part of Google and I criticized the same in an article last year.
Whether Google's changes will end up being a negative point for the company as far as future growth is concerned is something that remains to be seen. Fundamentally, this move does not in any way change the camera performance on Pixel smartphones. As a Pixel 3 XL user, though, I've already got January 31, 2022 marked in red on my calendar. What do you think?
Source: The Verge, Google Support
