Google’s inactive account policy has been updated and the new policy states that the inactive google accounts will be deleted starting from December 1. This also includes all the content within the account such as Gmail, Docs, Photos, Contacts and more.
What is an inactive account? – An account which has not been in use from two years is considered as an inactive account. So, if you have an account having some important files and you are not using it from a while then it’s a good time to secure it. Otherwise, everything associated with that account will get deleted.
How to NOT let your Google account be inactive? – Users should engage in activities so that the account remains active. These activities include reading and sending emails, uploading or downloading files using Google Drive, watching a video in YouTube, etc. Users are recommended to sign in at least once in two years.
NOTE: Google will notify you multiple times before deleting your account. So, make sure to check your emails. The accounts which were set up for businesses, schools or any other organizations will not get deleted. Furthermore, if your account has a YouTube channel and has videos uploaded on it, then it will not be affected either.
Why is Google deleting accounts? – Google is deleting the inactive accounts for security purposes. Newly created accounts go through many security checks than the old accounts. According to the research, abandoned accounts are 10-times less likely to have a 2-Step Verification method enabled. Hence, an account which has been abandoned for a longer period of time may cause a security violation.
