With the change, photos sent from computers or synced through the app on Android or iOS will now count towards the Google profile storage limit – by default 15 GB for new accounts – which is shared between Google Photos, Drive and Gmail.

Importantly, photos and videos uploaded before the date to the service will still not count towards the storage limit, as long as they’re in “High Quality” mode (which limits the maximum resolution of files to 16 megapixels for photos and 2 megapixels/Full HD for videos).

Is the Google Photos space limit a reason to switch services?

You can see how much space is currently available on your Google profile by going to the page for ” Manage Storage”, there the company estimates how long you have before you run out of free space based on your uploaded file history.

In my case, with 17 years of forgotten emails stored away, I apparently only have an extra year of free space ahead of me, just in time to celebrate the account coming of age, time to sign up for the Google One plan, right? Or is it better to consider a change of service?

Remembering that you can still have unlimited storage on the service. Photos and videos synchronized from Pixels phones will continue not counting for the limit of profile space – in the case of Pixel 3 without changing resolution until January 31, 2022.

Another alternative, recalled by the Brazilian member of our community Jairo Rios, is to juggle between different user profiles, but the solution is not so simple for most people, and requires careful management on the mobile.

Would you buy a Google device to expand the space?

In addition to Pixel phones, another way to expand storage in the Google account is to take advantage of the extra space offers, as mentioned by the German reader Thomas, offered to those who buy a Chromebook (a saving of about 30 euros/dollars for a year). But is that a reason to buy a device from the company?

What service do you use or intend to use?

With limited account space, some people may be wondering if it’s time to switch photo and video storage services. Google offers a simple way to download the files to your computer, or even transfer the photos and videos to rivals like Flickr or OneDrive.

Which brings us to the last question of the week. Which media storage service do you use or plan to use?

Next Monday (31), we’ll be back with an analysis of the responses from the NextPit community around the world. Will the end of the convenience of “unlimited” photos on mobile be an incentive to use a dedicated camera (DSLR, MILC, etc.) more often?

Thanks to everyone who participated in the survey this week. Please take a moment to explain your responses – including tips for syncing and storage, and other hosting services. Oh, and if you have any suggestions for a future poll here at NextPit, just comment.