Privacy News Google Now Requires Phone Number to Claim Full 15GB Free Storage for New Accounts in Select Regions

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https://www.ghacks.net/2026/05/15/google-now-requires-phone-number-to-claim-full-15gb-free-storage-for-new-accounts-in-select-regions/

Google has started requiring new account holders in certain regions to link a phone number in order to receive the full 15GB of free storage shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. Accounts without a linked phone number are limited to 5GB.

In mid-March, Google quietly updated its wording around the included storage, replacing the previous unconditional statement of 15GB with a "up to" 15GB.

A Google spokesperson confirmed to How-To Geek that the company is testing this new storage policy for new accounts in some regions. Google did not specify which regions are currently affected.