Shared Storage for Gmail, Google Drive and Google+ Photos

Until now, Gmail offered 10GB of free storage and Google Drive/Google+ Photos only 5GB of free storage. Offering more storage for email than for storing files doesn't make a lot of sense. That's probably the reason why Google decided to share the storage for Gmail and Google Drive, so that you have a single free storage limit: 15 GB. Google Apps for Business/Education offers 30GB of free storage.

"With this new combined storage space, you won't have to worry about how much you're storing and where. For example, maybe you're a heavy Gmail user but light on photos, or perhaps you were bumping up against your Drive storage limit but were only using 2 GB in Gmail. Now it doesn't matter, because you can use your storage the way you want," explains Google.

There's also a new interface for the Google Storage page:


But what if you've purchased additional Drive storage? That storage is now shared between Google Drive, Google+ Photos and Gmail, but it's not clear what happens to the bonus Gmail storage. Google says "you're no longer limited to a 25 GB upgrade in Gmail — any additional storage you purchase now applies there, too". Does this mean there's no longer extra Gmail storage when you buy Drive storage?

Apparently, Google dropped the 25GB upgrade option for $2.49/month and "plans start at $4.99/month for 100 GB". If you still see the old Google Storage page and you intend to use this option, upgrade now.

And here's an idea: why not store all Gmail attachments in Google Drive and offer free storage for Gmail messages (text-only)?

{ Thanks, Herin. }