Free G-Suite and Drive Storage Options

[Deven]

Hi All I wonder if someone can assist. I have a free G-Suite (50 users) I signed up for years ago for personal family use; only using around 8 for family / personal use. I purchased a subscription for 1TB storage on one user but now my son wants more storage BUT I cant share it, AND he cant purchase more storage! So we are stuck. What are my options besides paying NZD18 per month per user (8 email ID's) and only 30GB.

I selected "personal use" on an option for nomination off a thread but it says I may qualify for a free personal use workspace but I had to move to that first? 

1. Can I do that?

2. Will  I lose the 1TB subscription?

3. What if they say it has to be paid? Can I revert?

Very confusing indeed! Thanks in advance!

 Thanks

[KAM]

@Deven I am sorry to bear bad news but Google shook up the storage offerings a while back and when your current extra space subscription expires, it will not be renewed.  Nor can you buy other storage options.  The only options available that I'm aware of are to upgrade your Google Workspace licenses to plans with more storage.

There are rumblings from lots of grumblings that Google will be reversing this but that is yet to be seen.

HTH, KAM

[Deven]

Thanks. I am backing up everything to One Drive as all family memers get
1TB with full office licenses for only NZD of around $250 odd.

My 1TB google drive says renews in Oct 2023 so we will see. I doubt they
would delete it all. I pay NZD150 for that single 1TB so Google is very
uncompetitive now!

Thnx

Deven

[KAM]

@Deven My understanding is that they will not delete the data however the account with the extra storage will be over quota and you will stop being able to add more data to it.  Email, for example, would stop working.  If you don't fix it in 2 years, they can then delete the data https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2736362?hl=en  -KAM

[Deven]

Thanks Kam. They are making it very hard. For some reason my daughter's email is now being forwarded to my admin email!!! I cant find anywhere how and why it's happening on my G-Suite Free version. So frustrating - compared every single setting to that of my son's one and still no luck. Any ideas on that front?

[KAM]

@Deven check the admin account for aliases? Maybe it's set to accept that email.

[TurkAttila]

I am in a very same situation, Free Workspace subscription after 15 years of G Suite. My 1 TB personal 1 year Drive subscription just expired today. I have 430 GBs in my Drive, my whole life is there. And now they say you cannot buy individually extra drive space anymore. And I cannot change the Workspace plan for 32 days, because of the conversion to Free Workspace. For a while I was paying for it, because I did not found the free version for personal use. I cannot find Human support at Google. No one is answering to me when I send in reports on the pages. I cannot use drive, Gmail, Photos storage, everything is now blocked for me. I cannot wait a day, not 32. Please tell me how to reach a Human person. Workspace support is not available because I have the free plan, but I cannot even change it....

[TurkAttila]

So I had the 1 TB drive subscription while I was forced to Workspace. I paid for a few months, then realized there is a free plan still. So I changed to that. My 1 year 1 TB drive subscription was still working fine after that. Now expired and I am stuck completely. It is not letting me to change back to the workspace for 32 days. I think they have over complicated it, did not think of all use cases, and now completely blocking my whole life, and no support personnel to give some fix 😞 

[Deven]

Hi. This is a big problem for all of us. I also have a 1TB subscription;
was not sure if it was not going to be terminated! Did you get an email to
warn you to move your stuff somewhere else eg. create a gmail account and
buy 1TB and migrate your data?
FYI: I have subscribed to Microsoft Office Family Edition - gives you 5 or
6 copies and EACH person has 1TB One Drive Storage. It is a bit "dumb" if
you want to back up your PC as it insists on C drive and documents
folfer (I have a physically different D drive to store data and separate
from Windows C drive so makes it a bit tricky. FYI - Advantage is that all
drive data is safe if windows needs reinstallation!


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[KAM]

@Deven and @TurkAttila I am not agreeing or disagreeing with Google here but the problem is as follows:

Last year Google announced the end of storage items. 

When your term runs out, you cannot renew.

When that occurs, everything stays but new items like new emails and new documents can't be created because you are over quota.

I do not see any change in Google's decision on this so your solution is to upgrade your Workspace instance which will require you waiting due to having just changed subscriptions.

There is no support for the free product either.

Sorry, I don't have any good answers for you,

KAM

[Deven]

Thanks KAM. Very true, except I have the following issues:

1. The portal still mentions a renewal date for mine. Why not update that
so we know?
2. Would be great customer service if they could warn a month or so out and
provide a simple concise solution, rather than"sudden death"?

Deven

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[icrew]

@KAM (and I) are just Workspace admins, like you -- we don't work for Google and we unfortunately have very little influence over what Google chooses to do here. (Pretty much everyone that you see on this board is just a community member: not many Googlers hang out here these days.)

Cynically, given that the "Legacy Free" edition doesn't make Google any money, I somehow doubt they'll invest much effort in making improvements in it.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news,

Ian

[TurkAttila]

Thanks! I have not seen any announcement or warning at all. It just happened. And now I need to wait 32 days without being able to edit a shared spreadsheet for example.  Or use my mailbox, backup my photos. 

Even if I want to pay for it. Nonsense.

Luckily some mails are coming through but I have set now an additional auto fwd to a new mailbox.

By the way Google services are not free, we are paying with our data, so they can advertise better. 🙂

[Deven]

Anyone know where I can see my subscription expiry date in the admin
console?

Deven

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[TurkAttila]

If you're interested in Individual Drive, start from Google Play Subscriptions amd Payments 

[Deven]

Thank you. Just figured it out - have to go to the individual email account
instead of the Admin Console as users were able to purchase
storage individually (in the past). Mine says "Renews 30/10/2023). It
should really say that it expires then, and that "renewals will no longer
be available". How hard would that be!!!

Deven


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