Google, a global tech company owned by Alphabet Inc., has said it will start deleting accounts that haven’t been used in two years. Google said in an email that this new policy goes into effect today.
Any account that is “inactive” as of December 1, 2023, will be eligible to be deleted. Not only will the account be deleted, but so will the information it holds. The company said it does this to protect users’ information even after they stop using its many services. When you have a Google account, you can use things like Gmail, YouTube, Drive, Docs, and more.
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Inactive Google accounts
Google calls accounts that haven’t been used or logged into for two years “inactive.” The company also talked about what it means to have an “active” account. Google wants active accounts to do things like read and send emails, use Google Drive, watch YouTube videos, share photos, download apps, and use its search engine.
The company also said that it knows when action has happened based on the account, not the device. That means that if you sign into an account on more than one device, you can keep it from being deleted by doing any of the above.
There are some exceptions to this rule that you should know about. People who aren’t sure if their idle accounts can be deleted will greatly benefit from knowing what they are.
If a user’s account was used to pay for a Google product, service, in-app purchase, or ongoing subscription, it is still seen as current. If the account is tied to a gift card with money on it, it won’t be deleted even if the person hasn’t logged in for two years.
If the account is linked to a game or app on the Play Store that has current subscriptions or transactions, it will be kept. Users who use Google Family Link to keep an eye on the accounts of minors won’t have their accounts erased. And finally, this policy won’t affect people whose accounts have been used to buy digital goods like books or films.
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Google will notify inactive users
Even though the policy starts today, the company said that dormant accounts will be deleted on December 1, 2023. Before that, it said that it would allow users to take the appropriate steps.
It plans to do this by sending warning emails to the said account. If the account has a recovery email, Google said it would also send alerts there. It doesn’t say how many times it will send the messages.
Also, people should know that they can delete their accounts at any time. If the account was deleted in error, there is a way to get it back. They can also download and export the data that is in goods like Photos and YouTube. Google lets people temporarily shut down their accounts when they won’t be using them for a long time, such as when they are in jail or on a religious pilgrimage.