Google has announced that it will be switching legacy G Suite users to a pooled Workspace storage model, effective May 1st. This change will affect users who are still holding on to free G Suite legacy accounts, which were initially offered for personal use and provided each user with 15GB of free allocated storage.

In an email seen by The Verge, Google informed G Suite legacy free edition plan users that they will be transitioned to a shared storage model, where storage is pooled across all users within an organization. According to Google, this change is aimed at providing a "simpler and more flexible way to manage storage."

The move marks a significant shift away from individual storage allotments, which have been a key feature of the G Suite legacy free edition plan. Existing users have been permitted to access Workspace services at no additional charge, but Google says it's now making this change to bring legacy users in line with its paid Google Workspace customers, who have had access to pooled storage for years.

Google spokesperson Jenny Thomson emphasized that the total amount of storage allocated to the entire G Suite account won't be reduced, but users will need to purchase additional storage at a discounted rate if they require more. The discount amount has not been specified, but it will start at increments of 100GB, which typically costs $15.

One silver lining for users is that admins will be able to manually set storage limits for each user within the G Suite account to prevent the collective storage pool from being hogged by individual users. This will require manual assignment by an account admin, however.

This is not the first time Google has attempted to scrap individual storage allocations. In January 2022, the company initially announced that all users would need to migrate to new subscription plans with pooled storage allotments, but later backtracked and allowed people to keep their existing accounts free of charge, including subscriptions that allowed users to extend their individual storage allowance, but only for personal use.

The transition is likely to create more work for admins who prefer the status quo, but it's a beneficial change for groups that want to share underused storage allocations with other users. The move is seen as a way for Google to simplify its storage management and bring legacy users in line with its paid Workspace customers.

As Google continues to evolve its Workspace offerings, this change is likely to have significant implications for users who rely on the free G Suite legacy accounts. While it may require some adjustments, the pooled storage model could ultimately provide a more flexible and efficient way to manage storage for groups and organizations.