If you want more cloud storage space for your Google Drive, you can consider a Google One subscription. There are just several options to choose from, increasing in price. Sometimes there are extra benefits, such as a VPN. Is such a membership useful and if so, which one do you choose?
When you create a Google account, you get 15 GB of free storage in Google Drive. In itself a generous amount, which you can use for many years to come. Until you suddenly get a message from Google: You’re running out of storage space for your Gmail account. There are several reasons for that.
For example, all attachments you’ve ever received or sent in Gmail count. In addition, photos and videos take up a lot of space, which may or may not have been automatically uploaded to Google Photos. Plus of course the file and document backups that you keep in Drive. If you do not take any action and if you really touch the Drive limit, you will no longer be able to receive emails.
Earlier we discussed how you can free up Google Drive storage space. Removing the biggest file format culprits will give you some breathing room. Or you take a subscription to Google One, which doesn’t have to be expensive at all.
With every subscription you have the choice to pay monthly or annually. If you go for an annual subscription, then you are slightly cheaper in total for the same period.
What does Google One cost?
The prices look like this:
Google One Basic
- 100 GB storage for 1.99 p/m or 19.99 p/y
Google One Standard
- 200 GB storage for 2.99 p/m or 29.99 p/y
Google One Premium
- 2 TB storage for 9.99 p/m or 99.99 p/y
- 5 TB storage for 24.99 p/m or 249.99 p/y
- 10 TB storage for 49.99 p/m
- 20 TB storage space for 99.99 p/m
- 30 TB for 149.99 p/m
All plans offer the following extras:
Help from Google experts
This means that you can chat with Google employees in the Google One app, or send them an email with questions about your Google account. Just in Dutch. It’s nice that the option is there, but you probably won’t run out of doors.
Share with up to 5 others
The storage space in Drive can be shared with up to five friends or family members. It is good to know that this is not a shared cloud storage, so you do not see each other’s files. To invite people, create a so-called family group in the Google One app and follow the further instructions. They also need a (free) Google account.
Extra member benefits
Do not imagine too much here, but Google occasionally wants to offer discounts on, for example, hotel stays, or to top up your Play credit so that you can buy Android apps in the Play Store. Also, some exclusive editing features for Google Photos are hidden behind this. Nice, but not the main reason for a subscription.
Google One VPN
Only with the Premium subscription you also get access to Google’s own VPN service, Google One VPN. Such a VPN connection encrypts your internet traffic so that your true identity remains hidden from the sites you visit. But unlike most VPNs, Google’s VPN only works on your smartphone. There is no version for Windows, for example.
The VPN is also not suitable for circumventing regional blocks. Many people use a VPN to stream the foreign Netflix offer, but with Google One VPN this doesn’t work. It is purely intended to provide extra security for your connection and to disguise your IP address.
Google One app
Everything comes together in the Google One app, which can also be installed without a Google One membership. The app gives you an overview of available storage space and lets you upgrade to a paid subscription.
Once you’ve done that, you’ll get access to the Advantages– and Supportmenus. If you have a Premium subscription, the VPN function will also be unlocked.
cancel Google One
Interestingly enough, there is no easy way to cancel your membership in the same app. That works just in a different way. You can find the option in the Play Store on your smartphone.
Open the download store, tap your profile picture and choose Payments and Subscriptions. below Subscriptions you see Google One. Choose that option, followed by Cancel subscription.
You can also cancel Google One via the browser on your PC. Go to the Google One site and log in to it if you haven’t already done so. Sound on the left settings and you will see the option Cancel membership to stand. The rest speaks for itself!
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