Google is discontinuing its G Suite legacy free edition from July 1 and have reminded users to upgrade to Google Workspace if they wish to maintain their services and accounts.
According to website 9to5google, the company’s recent email reminders to existing G Suite legacy users stated that they have until May 1 to select a new Google Workspace plan.
Otherwise, users will be transitioned into Workspace automatically on May 1, which they can use at no cost until July 1. They will then be upgraded to a new subscription plan based on features that they use.
To support the transition, the company says it will offer discount options for 12 months after July 1.
Prices start at RM25 monthly per user for the Business Starter plan with features such as 30GB of cloud storage per user and 100-participant video meetings, RM50 monthly per user for the Business Standard plan with 2TB cloud storage per user and 150 participant video meetings and recording, and RM75 monthly per user for the Business Plus plan with 5TB cloud storage per user and 500-participant video meetings and recording plus attendance tracking.
There is also an Enterprise plan with undisclosed pricing that comes with features like as much storage as needed, 500-participant video meetings with attendance tracking, noise cancellation and in-domain livestreaming, as well as advanced security, management and compliance controls, among others.
According to the tech giant, new Google Workspace customers can pay RM20 per user per month for the Business Starter plan or RM40 per user per month for the Business Plus plan. The introductory price is only applicable for the first 20 users added for 12 months, after which standard pricing will apply.
For G Suite Legacy users transitioning to Google Workspace after July 1, the discounts may vary based on several factors, including market pricing, number of users and the edition that best suits a customer’s needs, according to a statement from Google.
To complete the upgrade, users must set up Google Workspace billing or provide payment information before July 1. The company warns that users risk having their Google Workspace subscription suspended if they do not complete the billing process.
After 60 days in suspension, the user will no longer have access to Google workspace core services such as Gmail, Calendar and Meet.
If users do not wish to upgrade, the company recommends using a Data Export tool to export their data.
The legacy free edition was first launched in 2006 as part of Google Apps which the company rebranded into G Suite in 2016. Then in 2020, G Suite became known as Google Workspace which include services such as Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs and more.
Google first announced that it is discontinuing the legacy free edition in 2012 but allowed existing users to access the service for free. Previously, it announced that Google Photos is no longer offering free unlimited storage and users were required to subscribe to a Google One plan for additional space.