topic Re: Google One Storage (for Android) question.. in Tech Help - Software/Hardware etc

Google One Storage (for Android) question..

plusmouse — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 15:01:32 GMT

Since I started using my Samsung S9+phone (gifted from a good friend of mine last year when she upgraded her phone) I am prompted weekly to "backup" using this `google one app`. So I`ve been hitting the "Backup now" prompt and allowing it to back up my photos, contacts and more without actually knowing what it is? So looked it up and it`s apparently an `app` that can be downloaded from the Play store (I didn`t download it but when my friend did a factory reset of the phone before I got it, then it`s possible this app was on the android system.

However, I`ve searched under `all apps` and can`t see it listed? 🤔 All I found when I did a search on the actual phone was something called `google one Time Init`. So don`t know if this is one and the same thing?

Anyway, I realize I get 15GB FREE storage with it without subscribing to pay for more GB allowances, which I doubt I will require given I don`t store masses of stuff on my phone. Right now it`s telling me I have used 46MB of 15GB and is showing the following;

apps: 6.5mb . 26 apps

photos & videos - synched with google photos

SMS & MMS messages: 4.0kb

Call history: 1.7kb

Device settings: 64kb

Google account data - synched with contacts, calendar and more...

So quite low still.

What baffles me is, when I read more about Google One online, it said "Google One seamlessly backs up photos, videos and more on your mobile device. just turn it on in the google one app and if you break or lose your device, no problem. Just restore the content to your new one and your good to go.

So, if I didn`t turn it on, why is it functional? I`m what Wikipedia calls a non subscriber to google one, but I can use it (presumably up to 15MB) and clear space using the Storage Manager. Yet, when I sign into my Gmail/google account on my laptop, the storage is saying I`ve used `0 of 15GB???` 🤔 Are these `accounts` not one and the same thing on the phone and the laptop? Or is `google One` separate from the 15GB you receive through having a google account anyway?

I`m wondering why the phone is showing I have used 46MB and yet online (laptop) it`s sat at zero! Someone put me out of my misery on this!

Re: Google One Storage (for Android) question..

RPMozley — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 17:13:10 GMT

46MB is a tiny amount of the total 15GB available. It’s 0.002994791666667% used, and if rounded to nearest whole number you’d get 0.

Re: Google One Storage (for Android) question..

plusmouse — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 11:42:36 GMT

LOL @RPMozley 😄 Thanks for that! It is a small amount due to the fact I tend not to be overly productive with my phone so it`s good to know I have heaps left!! I`ll just keep an eye on the counter if I take more photos or add to that quota.

When I check the same 15GB on my Gmail account (on the laptop not my phone this time) it quoted I`d not used any of my 15GB? I looked again at that page and in the left hand corner, it said I`d used 0.04GB. Talk about confusing...

I guess what I`m asking is, when you have a Google account, is `Google One` just another name for the 15GB limit regardless of whether someone uses that 15GB up on a PC or their phone using the same account?

Re: Google One Storage (for Android) question..

RPMozley — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 21:34:39 GMT

I’m not surprised you’re confused, with all the changes of names Google has done over the years.
It all started with just Google Drive being the name for the cloud storage of everything. Then they stripped out the photos into their own compartment (i.e. no access from any other drive app - photos app only). Now it’s Google One for backups.
Oh and the Google One app is for management of the backups, it’s not required to actually backup things on your device as that bit is already built in to the Android system.

The 15GB allocation is per account. No idea why it’s showing things different for each device. Just double check it’s actually the same account, maybe it’s different?

Re: Google One Storage (for Android) question..

plusmouse — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 09:59:57 GMT

@RPMozley wrote: The 15GB allocation is per account. No idea why it’s showing things different for each device. Just double check it’s actually the same account, maybe it’s different?

In bold above. I only have the one google/gmail account (so far) so I`m confuzzled as to why the android phone is showing I`ve used 45MB, yet when I sign into my gmail, the screen is showing 0.04MB. How do I check if these are supposed to be aligned/synched as one? Just to be clear, I don`t have my gmail/account sync` turned on. I turned that feature off after deleting an important email on the phone when I first got it, thinking it would go to the Trash bin. I didn`t realise it would vanish from my laptop as well! It got deleted indefinitely and my frantic search to retrieve it was fruitless. So I do my emailing on my laptop only now.

Re: Google One Storage (for Android) question..

Protech — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 10:16:51 GMT

How your Google storage works
Each Google Account includes 15 GB of storage, which is shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos.
From
https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/9312312?hl=en

Maybe you only have a small number of emails, however other items like photos on your phone also use the storage quota.
HTH

Re: Google One Storage (for Android) question..

RobPN — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 10:16:31 GMT

@plusmouse wrote:

In bold above. I only have the one google/gmail account (so far) so I`m confuzzled as to why the android phone is showing I`ve used 45MB, yet when I sign into my gmail, the screen is showing 0.04MB.

You're comparing apples with oranges - earlier in the thread you said 0.04 GB which with a bit of rounding thrown in approximates to the 45MB (or is it 46MB?).

ISTM a lot of fuss over nothing caused by not paying attention to detail.

Just saying.

Re: Google One Storage (for Android) question..

plusmouse — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 11:54:10 GMT

Agree @RobPN The devil is in the detail, I just don`t understand it, hence why I asked. I still don`t know. I very much doubt I`ll exceed the 15GB anyway but if I do, I`d just delete through the storage manager.