Google has announced an update to its policies for inactive accounts, urging users to log in and review their old Google accounts at least once every 24 months. Previously, Google had a policy that data stored in accounts untouched for two years might be wiped, but now they may be deleted entirely.
“To reduce this risk, we are updating our inactivity policy for Google Accounts to 2 years across our products. Starting later this year, if a Google Account has not been used or signed into for at least 2 years, we may delete the account and its contents – including content within Google Workspace (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Meet, Calendar), YouTube and Google Photos,” Google said in a blog post.
The new policy will not take effect until December of this year at the earliest. Users are encouraged to retrieve their old login information or await further details on how this deletion process will work. It is worth noting that deleted Gmail addresses will not be available for reuse.
Google measures account activity based on various actions, such as reading or sending emails, using Google Drive, watching YouTube videos, downloading apps from the Google Play Store, performing searches, or using Sign in with Google for third-party apps or services. However, it remains unclear if certain account uses, like setting up aliases that forward emails, will be subject to deletion.
Google mentions that maintaining a subscription to services like Google One is one way to demonstrate account activity, but this is not typically done for alternate accounts.
Once the new policy is implemented, Google will begin by targeting accounts that were created but never used again. The company plans to send multiple notifications to the account and any associated recovery email in the months leading up to deletion.
Overall, it is essential for users to stay informed about these policy changes and take action to prevent their inactive Google accounts from being deleted. Checking in on old accounts and maintaining account activity through various actions will help ensure their accounts are not targeted for deletion.