Will Google Delete Photos from December 2023?
Google Will Start Deleting Gmail And Photos Accounts If They've Been Inactive For 2 Years.
From random selfies to snaps from a loved one's wedding, Google has long been a trusted storage space for treasured memories. But many of these precious photos could soon be lost, following changes announced by the tech giant this week. According to the latest statistics, there are a staggering 1.8 billion Gmail active users. Regarding Google Photos, there are an estimated 2 billion active users. Google has recently warned that inactive accounts will be deleted starting in December. But how does Google define an inactive account, and how can you prevent emails, photos, and other content from being deleted? In the short policy update posting, Ruth Kricheli, a vice president of product management at Google, warned that users of inactive personal Google accounts could see those accounts, and their content stored within Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar, and Google Photos, deleted in a purge starting from December 2023. Google’s inactive policy for accounts, Kricheli stated, now applies to those that have not been used or signed into “for at least two years” across all products.
Kricheli said the account and content deletion process, which starts in December and will be rolled out “slowly and carefully, with plenty of notice. Users will be made well aware of the intention to delete accounts and Gmail and Google Photos content along with them. “We will send multiple notifications over the months leading up to deletion,” Kricheli said, “to both the account email address and the recovery email if one has been provided.” The policy update posting pointed out that accounts going unused for extended periods are more likely to become compromised. No, the policy only applies to personal Google accounts. It will not affect companies, schools or accounts of organisations. So make sure you have signed into your accounts and keep checking your inbox for updates.
