Google is cleaning up Workspace and would like to get rid of all free users soon: The free offer that started 16 years (!) ago has not been available for a very long time, but it should still have a number of users – but not longer. The free accounts will be shut down in just a few months. UPDATE: Dates have been moved.
From the perspective of the Google Cloud, Google Workspace is one of the company’s most important products and offers a very comprehensive office package including communication, administration and, depending on the package size, other offers. But the product has a very long history behind it: Many will still remember the old name “G Suite” and long-time users may also remember the “Google Apps” or the “Google Apps for your Domain” offer at the time.
This offering was completely free and was originally intended as a try-out starter pack to upgrade users to a more powerful paid plan. When the offer became more or less established, the free version was discontinued in 2012, although existing users were not affected. Now, ten years later, they want to finally get rid of them and are now informing them by e-mail about how things will continue in the future.
Nothing happens until the end of April. From May 1st, it will automatically switch to a paid workspace package, which can actually still be used free of charge for the first two months. You then have until July 1st to enter your payment details. If you don’t do this, the account will be deactivated. UPDATE: The dates have been moved.
What are the consequences of upgrading my current subscription from the old, free version of G Suite?
Your current old free subscriptions to G Suite and associated services can continue to be used as before, either until you upgrade yourself or until we automatically upgrade to a new version.
We recommend that you upgrade now to a version of Google Workspace that includes the services you need. But you can also wait until May 1, 2022. After that, it will update automatically. There is no service interruption or data loss. You must enter your payment information by July 1, 2022, to upgrade. This is a prerequisite for your subscription not being blocked.
Can I keep my old free G Suite subscription?
No. All G Suite subscriptions from the old free version must be upgraded to a Google Workspace subscription. We recommend upgrading to a Google Workspace subscription based on the services you need. If you don’t upgrade by May 1, 2022, we’ll automatically transition your organization to a recommended plan.
This should be very annoying for some users, who may have speculated that Google would “forget” these old packages. Understandable, but that the service was offered to users for another ten years after the product was discontinued is remarkable. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that this decision will be revised or that an alternative free package will be offered.
All information and a long FAQ can be found on this page.