Android backups are changing and it's going to affect everyone's Google cloud storage

Storing your data in the cloud isn't cheap, which is most likely why Google has been making changes to its services, with a major one being cutting down the free storage limit from 15GB to 5GB just a few months ago.

For many people, that was a huge blow, considering that Google has offered free 15GB of storage for its apps and services for over a decade. With that said, it appears that Google is making another change, with all of data in the Android backup now counting towards your Google account storage (via 9to5Google).

The good news is that it won't take that much space

We've explored what types of files get backed up in an Android backup in the past. And while it doesn't include everything, it does grab a huge chunk of data from your device like App Data, call history, contact information, device settings, SMS and MMS data, Google account information and more.

Now, prior to the new change that is occurring on July 7, Google didn't count a lot of this against your current storage allotment. But, that is going to be the case going forward, which means every bit of data will be counted. The good news is that it doesn't appear to be all that much for most people.

Google shares that most backups should be around the 40MB range. However, every account is going to be different, so be sure to check how much storage your specific backup is going to take. With that said, it isn't going to be something that affects users' storage in a big way, but it is a change nonetheless.

Because of this, users will now be able to get more granular with the backup setting in order to adjust what is being backed up. You can head into the Google Backup menu in order to see these settings. If you're curious, you can check out all the data that's being saved to your account on the Google support page.

With that said, if you're running out of room, you can always purchase more storage space in order to keep things working smoothly. Or you could always look at alternate cloud solutions that some have found helpful. Some have even started self-hosting their data in order to reduce costs and keep things more in control.