Over the past few weeks there have been voices of alarm that Google Drive will disappear from some devices or you will lose your camera roll photos. But, before continuing, let’s put some reasoning on the table. Removing a service overnight violates several terms of the contract you sign with Google when you agree to their service terms. It’s illegal.
So you can rest easy: Google won’t erase anything, but there are fine print and it’s handy to read if you use any of its services on your iPhone or Mac i.e. if you use Calendar, Google Drive, Google Maps, YouTube, Meets and other of its many apps.
What does Google say about account deletion?
In those same Google terms and conditions, the company clarifies that it can modify its “digital content or services for these other reasons” at any time:
- To adapt them to new technologies.
- To reflect increases or decreases in the number of users of a particular service.
- To respond to key changes in licensing and partnerships we have with third parties.
- To prevent misuse or damage.
- To resolve legal, regulatory or security issues.
And the latter is the basis of many of its deletions: these are security vulnerabilities that must be covered. Although the reality points to unacknowledged bandwidth abuse, the truth is that a system is more vulnerable the older and obsolete it is.
How to Avoid Losing Your Google Account
Keep in mind that the terms of a service change or expire, that nothing is perpetual, whether it’s yogurt or accessing photos via iCloud. For example, years ago, on June 21, 2021, policies were released that involved deleting your files in Gmail, Photos, or Drive if you exceeded the storage limit or you have been inactive for two years.
These same measures apply as of June 1, 2023. In these, if for 24 months – two full years – you have not accessed or used an account linked to Google services, then Google reserves the right to delete said associated account. This means that if you had any YouTube videos, emails in Gmail, or documents in Docs in that account, everything disappears instantly.
But avoiding losing your data is as easy as entering here: https://accounts.google.com/signin/usernamerecovery. In this link, you must log in with the account that is about to be deleted and you will be able to recover your access. Actually, deletion can be avoided simply by entering and watching a video on Youtube. Or with scheduling a task in Calendar. Google knows when you log in and resets the counter each time you start an activity.
Devices on which you will no longer be able to use Google Drive
Of course, despite all of the above, it’s worth noting that Google Drive will also no longer be compatible with some older devices. Again, security measures. Users who work with computers running Windows 8/8.1, Windows 10 32-bit or Windows Server 2012 operating system will lose Google Drive support, just as he has Google confirmed. Curiously, they say nothing about macOS and Macintosh systems.
But even with those, we’re not talking about “removal”, it’s just that the app will stop connecting and syncing online. You can use the Google Drive app from the cloud with any browser —although Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari—or with Windows 10 64-bit or higher. In summary, it is practical not to get carried away by panic and messages that are very scary and provide little information.
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