How Google One ended my constant phone storage panic

From taking and storing photos to watching movies, listening to music, and sending emails, we use our phones for more than making calls. Due to its other uses and its installed apps, your Android phone’s storage may not be enough. Not every phone comes with 1TB of internal storage, and we’ve lost the option of expandable memory using microSD cards. Still, I don’t think this matters. We have options like Google One, and it changed how I use my phone, without me realizing it.

3

It’s become invisible

Seamless benefits

When we had phones with only 16GB, or even 8GB, of internal storage, there was barely enough room on our phones for the apps we wanted, let alone photos, offline music, or movies. However, the cost of manufacturing these chips has become more affordable, making it viable for phone brands to add more storage to their devices. Even when we look at the budget-friendly Android phones, we get devices with at least 64GB of storage.

While this is an improvement, it happened at a time when it was less necessary. The same cost savings that made it affordable to add more internal storage to phones made it more affordable for cloud storage services to reduce costs for users. Along with those cost savings, platforms introduced more features online to make better use of your cloud storage, and the one that serves me best is Google One.

Saying Google One is my preferred online storage platform may seem like a cop-out because it is the default for Android. However, it is the best for me. I like how simple Google One is. After I set up my preferences for backups and other functions, I don’t think about the platform. That’s what makes it great. Because it works with our Android devices and services, everything hooks into Google One and simply works.

I don’t have to worry about whether my emails, photos, important files, and other vital information are being backed up. I love that I don’t have to worry about whether my data is saved somewhere other than my phone. Still, if it is damaged or lost, I don’t have to think about how much storage is on my smartphone.

2

Always enough

Never worried

I prefer to get 512GB of internal storage with my phone. However, I am more than OK with 256GB and could likely get by with 128GB if needed. Looking at my OnePlus Open with 512GB of storage, I currently use 176GB, and my Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold with 256GB uses 143 GB. I download music on my phone for offline use because I am often without a data connection where I live. Next to the apps on my phone, my downloaded music is a significant factor in what uses my storage.

However, with Google One and the included phone backups, photos, and other file storage options, my concerns about running out of space on my phone are a thing of the past. I download YouTube videos, movies, TV shows, games, music, and other content because I can transfer photos, files, and other data from my phone to the cloud using my Google One account. I don’t have to think about the backup process because it is done automatically in the background.

Google One offers various tiers for its storage platform, and every Android user receives 15GB of free storage. If you need or want more space, with options starting at $1.99 per month for 100GB and going up to $249.99 per month for the Google AI Ultra plan announced at Google I/O, you get 30TB along with other features. There are options between those two, but if you need a lot of cloud storage from Google One, it is available.

1

The easiest choice

Even if not perfect

Like anything, Google One isn’t perfect. There are other cloud storage options, and reasons you might choose another option over Google One. You may want an option other than Google, different security requirements, or prefer to stay local and handle your backups at home using a NAS. While those are valid, and in some instances better, for me and many others, the simplicity of Google One is what makes it great.

I’m a fan of the “set it and forget it” idea when it comes to menial tasks like backing up my device. It gives me peace of mind knowing my data is safe somewhere, should something happen to my phone. Google One’s seamless and expansive storage options mean that my phone’s internal storage space is no longer a concern. I can download all the playlists, podcasts, and movies I need and still have a phone that is smooth and buttery to use.