The web giant is officially getting rid of its free G Suite, to focus on its paid plans.
The G Suite officially bows out. Mainly dedicated to professionals, the offer made it possible to take advantage of several free features, ranging from the personalized domain name on gmail addresses, to access to certain specific applications. In an email sent to users of these free accounts, however, Google confirmed that the service would end from July 1, 2022.
A suspense that lasts for 10 years
The announcement already promises to make those concerned cringe, but it is actually not a surprise. For ten years now, Google has officially stopped its free solution for businesses. For reasons that we do not know, however, the American firm had so far been tolerant with accounts created between 2006 and 2012, letting them enjoy its services for free. A tolerance that ends this year.
No doubt in an effort to standardize its offer – and to recover a new financial windfall – Google has delivered its ultimatum: G Suite users have until May 1 to opt for one of GAFAM’s paid offers. Otherwise, they will lose access to their account from August. The only exceptions will be for non-profit organizations and those dedicated to education, recalls the site 9to5 Google.
If you forget, Google will automatically take care of “upgrade” the accounts concerned, by making them subscribe to the paid offer that best suits them. Billing will wait two more months, since it will only be effective from July. In its official announcement, Google specifies “Upgrading from your old free edition of G Suite to Google Workspace will only take a few steps.” However, you will have to go to the cash register to continue to benefit from Google’s premium services.
Remember that currently, Google Workspace offers start from €5.20 per month. For users of the first hour, it will probably be necessary to resign themselves to switching to the subscription offered by Google, under penalty of losing ten years of email and calendar archives. However, the company confirmed that a Google Cloud backup could be exported on request.
