Your Android backups could soon work very differently: Here’s what Google is planning (HT Tech)

Google is making major changes to how backup on Android devices work. The company has started notifying Android users of an upcoming update that will change how device backups are counted against their Google Account storage.

Shweta Ganjoo is a Chief Content Producer at HT Tech. She has over 10 years of experience covering technology, during which time she has focused on consumer tech devices, AI, social media, gadgets, and tech policy, delivering authoritative and reader-focused insights across India’s fast-evolving digital ecosystem.

She began her career in the early 2010s, building a strong foundation in digital-first reporting as India’s tech landscape rapidly expanded. Over the years, she has worked with leading media organizations including India Today Tech, Indian Express Group, and Techlusive, where she played a key role in scaling editorial content and audience engagement. At HT Tech, she drives product recommendation coverage, combining newsroom leadership with hands-on reporting experience.

Her expertise spans smartphones, wearables, smart home devices, AI, and social media ecosystems, along with regulatory developments shaping the tech industry. Shweta is known for her analytical approach to product reviews and news coverage, grounded in hands-on testing and real-world usability. She has conducted industry interviews, tracked emerging tech trends, and produced research-backed stories using verified sources and expert inputs. She holds a masters in Mass Communication, which complements her professional experience in digital journalism and content strategy, and aligns with her academic background in technology. Shweta follows a reader-first editorial philosophy, prioritising accuracy, transparency, and fact-checked reporting to deliver reliable, insightful, and practical insights.

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For the unversed, Google offers a free cloud storage space of up to 15GB with every Google Account. This storage space is shared across various services including Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. However, the device backup for Android smartphones and tablets, which includes SMS messages, call history, and device and app settings among others, are not counted against the free storage space offers with Google Account. But this is about to change.

The company has started notifying Android device owners that with an upcoming update, Android device backups will be counted against the overall Google Account storage space. This new policy is expected to come into effect in 45 days and it is expected to ‘increase the storage space used by the device backup. However, the good news is that the average Android backup is expected to grow by only about 40MB, which is essentially the size of a bunch of low-res photos.

Simply put, all of the backup of Android devices will now be counted against the free Google Account backup. This means in time, users are likely to get a little less space to store their emails and photos. It also means that sooner or later, Android device owners will have to purchase cloud space from Google. Furthermore, the report says that when a user’s Google Account exceeds its storage limit, their automatic device backups will pause until they wither free up space or purchase or upgrade their cloud storage plan.

It is worth mentioning that the Google One storage plans start at ₹59 per month for the 30GB Lite tier and they go all the up to ₹650 per month for the Premium tier that offers 2TB space and some premium features. Interested users can also opt for Basic tier that costs ₹130 per month and gives access to 100GB of data, Standard tier that costs ₹210 per month and offers 200GB of storage space.