Google revealed a strict cap of 15 gigabytes for Photos’ complimentary storage, sharing this threshold with Gmail and Drive, to “keep up with the surging demand for storage.” Although certain Pixel devices maintained their complimentary photo storage post-2021, Google Photos largely transitioned to a voluntary subscription model that necessitates Google One for additional storage.
Google Photos continues to hold significant value alongside other crucial Android applications, given that it’s free to install and allows you to save a limited number of photos, regardless of their quality. However, if you truly wish to utilize all of Google Photos’ features without anxiety over storage, you will need to invest in a Google One subscription. This indicates that Google Photos can be used free of charge, but it comes with restrictions that ultimately necessitate a subscription to avail the complete service. Thus, it operates both as a free and a paid option simultaneously.
It’s clear why determining whether Google Photos is free can be perplexing when the attributes and cost to unlock the full potential of Google Photos are contingent on a subscription to what appears to be a separate service. Nevertheless, we are here to clarify the situation.
