There are a staggering 1.8 billion Gmail active users, according to the latest statistics. Regarding Google Photos, there are an estimated 2 billion active users. Google has recently warned that starting in December, inactive accounts will be purged on security grounds. But how does Google define an inactive account, and how can you prevent emails, photos, and other content from being deleted?
What Has Google Said About Gmail And Photos Content Deletion?
Although billions of people use Google services such as Gmail and Google Photos, the percentage reading Google’s safety and security blogs will be insanely small. I read them because it’s my job, and even then, I occasionally miss something important. Such was the case with an update to inactive account policies in May when I took some time off work for health reasons. Yet this seemingly innocuous update contains a vital warning for Google users about a cross-service content purge.
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.
Which Google Accounts Will Be Deleted In December?
Kricheli was at pains to point out that the account and content deletion process, which starts in December, will be rolled out “slowly and carefully, with plenty of notice.” So, for example, we know that the first accounts to be targeted will be those created but never actually used again.
Moving forward, 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.”
Why Is Google Purging Inactive Accounts?
It might surprise you to learn that Google has made this change to the inactivity account policy for security reasons. The policy update posting pointed out that accounts going unused for extended periods are more likely to become compromised, not least as they may rely upon re-used or old passwords with a higher risk of compromise themselves. Then there’s the small matter that older, forgotten-about accounts are less likely to have implemented two-factor authentication. “Our internal analysis shows abandoned accounts are at least 10x less likely than active accounts to have 2-step verification set up,” Kricheli explained.
What You Need To Do Now To Protect Your Gmail And Google Photos Content From Deletion
If you only have one Gmail or Google Photos account, and you have used it within the last two years, then the answer is simple: nothing.
If you have multiple accounts, maybe used as a backup or archive, that may have been dormant for two years or more, then you can protect them by signing in at least once every two years and then doing one of the following to mark it as being active:
Read or send an email with Gmail. Perform a Google search. Use Google Drive. Watch a video on YouTube. Download an app from the Google Play Store.
Any of these actions will be enough to prevent your Google account from deletion and protect the content that you have stored with Gmail and Google Photos.
What About Accounts You Can’t Remember You Created?
Of course, one problem that could occur thanks to it being so easy to create multiple Google accounts is memory loss. I have many Gmail accounts, each attached to a different Google account, and I am certainly not alone in this. I’d like to think that I haven’t forgotten about any of them, and if I had then they probably don’t contain any content I’m desperate to retain. Your mileage may vary. So, how can you find those accounts if you’ve forgotten all about them?
The easiest way would be using the Google account recovery method. This asks you to input the recovery email or telephone number associated with the account concerned. Which could seem like something of a stumbling block, but if you use an existing email or number you’ve had for the longest time, then the chances are pretty good it will return results. Google will send a recovery verification code to the email or phone, and then provide details of any accounts associated with them. Which still leaves you with the password problem. Unless you have zero security sense and use the same password for everything, it’s unlikely you’ll remember a password for an account you have already long forgotten. A password manager won’t help, or you wouldn’t need to be taking this account memory-jogging route in the first place. Fear not, you can just go to sign-in and use the forgotten password option and you’ll get another verification code and the opportunity to enter a new password.
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