‘What is Google One?’: Everything you need to know about Google’s paid storage service

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  • Google One is essentially the paid version of Google Drive storage — if you needed more space in Gmail, for example, you could get it through a paid subscription to Google One.
  • Those who don’t mind compressing their files won’t need to upgrade, since Google doesn’t have a storage cap unless you opt to save the original file size for your media.
  • Monthly costs range from as little as $1.99 to as much as $299.99, depending on the amount of storage space you need.
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Introduced in May 2018, Google One is the type of product that may have escaped your attention — that is, unless you’re on the cusp of going over your Google Drive storage limit, or have already done so.

For those who are curious, or are simply in need of more storage space, here’s a breakdown of what Google One is, what it comes with, how much it costs, and how to sign up for it:

What is Google One?

Google One is a paid subscription service that can be tacked onto a Google account. It allows users to expand their storage beyond the usual 15 free GB, which includes: Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos. (But keep in mind that this limit only applies to those who opt out of compressing their files to fit the "high quality" size standards — otherwise you already have free unlimited storage, which means you won’t need to upgrade at all.)

Other perks of Google One

Those who get Google One have access to Google experts, who can help with any Google-related questions, like how their products work. Signing up for Google One also gives you the option to add up to five family members to your expanded storage plan (without any additional cost, and without sacrificing privacy), which is ideal for those looking to split costs while taking advantage of their plan’s perks.

On that note, Google says those who sign up will also, "Enjoy extra benefits from other Google products, like Google Play credits, special hotel pricing, and more." It also notes that, where available, subscribers can get up to 40% off select hotels — provided they book while signed into their Google account. And those with certain qualifying Metro by T-Mobile plans are eligible for automatic backups for media taken on an Android device.

What Google One costs

There are several pricing levels, depending on your storage needs. Those can be paid monthly, or annually (which provides subscribers with a small discount compared to the monthly billing option). Here’s how those costs shake out: 

  • $1.99 per month: 100 GB
  • $2.99 per month: 200 GB
  • $9.99 per month: 2 TB
  • $99.99 per month: 10 TB
  • $199.99 per month: 20 TB
  • $299.99 per month: 30 TB 

Those who opt to take advantage of the family plan can either set up a family payment (which would mean a single person would be responsible for any payments made through the group account; they could also set up purchase approvals and get notifications when purchases are made), or they could set up separate payments.

How to sign up for Google One

Those interested in signing up for the service should go to one.google.com, or download the Google One app (which is available to those with Android 5.0 and up).

To become part of an existing family group, the "family manager" will need to send you an invitation to join, either via text or email. To qualify for that, you’ll need to have a Google account, live in the same country as the family manager, and not have switched families (or be a member of another Google family group) within the last 12 months.

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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Devon Delfino)

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