Google’s cloud productivity suite has gone through several incarnations from Google Apps, to G Suite, and now Google Workspace. With each name change, pricing and features have also been shaken up. Google allowed free legacy G Suite accounts to remain for a surprisingly long time, but it said in late 2021 that these users would have to upgrade or lose their accounts. Now, Google has changed course and will allow them to stay on the free grandfathered plan, as long as they’re willing to jump through a few hoops, reports 9to5Google.
Google’s basic Workspace accounts aren’t spendy, clocking in at just $6 per month per user, and Google dropped it to $3 per month for grandfathered accounts. These accounts include access to all the general apps like Gmail, Drive, and Meet, but they also have additional storage, dedicated support, and enterprise management features.
However, Google allowed people to set up these accounts with custom domains, and losing access to that domain in Gmail could be a real pain for users. Even at the discounted price, there was a lot of anger from people who have been using these accounts for personal use.
After sending out a few surveys in recent months, Google has apparently relented. Those on the free G Suite plan won’t have to upgrade, but they will have to confirm they aren’t using the accounts for businesses. If you have one of these free plans and want to keep it, you’ll have to log in and confirm it by June 27th. Wait any longer, and Google will automatically move you to the recommended (paid) Workspace plan.
A common use case for the free tier was setting up a family domain so everyone has their own custom, centrally managed email. This will still be allowed after the transition, but Google says it may remove some business-focused features, and there will be no product support. Also, Google reserves the right to transition businesses to Workspace if they become aware you fibbed about the nature of your usage.
And what about people who grudgingly moved to the paid plan before this decision? Google says affected individuals should contact support. It’s unlikely they will be able (or willing) to move users back to the grandfathered plan, but they might offer account credits or other freebies.
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