Google recently unveiled the Pixel 5a as its next budget handset, and while it's a solid overall package, it's missing one key feature that's been present on all other Pixels — free Google Photos storage. Since its debut in 2015, Google Photos has been one of the best cloud photo services in existence. Its app and website are easy to use, it has an unmatched search feature, and a suite of robust editing tools. Google Photos also used to be 100 percent free to use, but that's an aspect of the service that changed this year.
For years, Google allowed anyone to upload unlimited photos in 'high quality' resolution to Google Photos at no cost. Uploading pics in their original quality counted towards a storage quota, but if someone chose the slighter worse high quality tier, they could upload an endless number of images without paying a dime. Pixel users got an even better deal, with Google previously offering free and unlimited original quality backups for any pictures taken with the phones. Unfortunately, all of this was too good to be true. As of June 1, 2021, everything uploaded to Google Photos now counts towards a free 15GB limit. Once that limit is hit, Google requires a paid subscription to keep using Photos.
This change affected all Google Photos users, but especially those with Pixel phones. Google previously confirmed that Pixels 2 thru 5 no longer get free backups in original quality, but can instead upload pictures in high quality (now called storage saver) with no impact on their storage limit. Unfortunately, this promise does not apply to Pixels released after the Pixel 5 — including the Pixel 5a.
What Pixel 5a Owners Can Expect From Google Photos
What exactly does this mean? No matter which upload quality someone chooses on their Pixel 5a — whether it's original quality or storage saver — all pictures from the phone count towards that person's Google Photos storage. This is no different from most Android phones, but it is a big shift from what Pixel fans have grown accustomed to. The days of free and unlimited backups were amazing, but with the Pixel 5a, they're officially dead. Furthermore, since this rule applies to all future Pixels, expect the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro to come with the same limitation.
This certainly isn't a deal-breaker for the Pixel 5a, but it is a sad end of an era. Unlimited Google Photos backups used to be one of the best exclusive features for the Pixel series. It was something everyone could benefit from, no other phone offered anything like it, and it gave Google's phones a legitimate edge over their competition. It makes sense that Google wants to push as many people as possible to paid storage plans, but that doesn't make the situation any less disappointing.
Source: Google