Google users have until the end of the month to log into their old accounts—or lose countless photos, videos and emails. That's because Google is beginning a major clear-out of old accounts. Starting next month, Google services which haven't been used for two years or more will be lined up for deletion along with any files saved on Gmail, Docs, Drive, or Google Photos.
It's a major purge and one expert specialising in digital legacy tech has now issued a warning for families - or parents in particular - who could lose precious memories in the process.
Inalife CEO Nicholas Worley has said it's vital for anyone who has a Google account set up for their kids or if they manage the account of a deceased loved one to take action.
Mr Worley added: "Google is about to purge millions of inactive Gmail accounts including emails, documents, spreadsheets, calendar appointments, photos and videos! Login, save or backup any important memories and stories!"
The deletion of inactive Google accounts was first announced in May 2023 by Google. The firm has justified the change by saying that unused accounts are 'more likely to be compromised'. Google also says that its own analysis has revealed unattended accounts are also at least 10x less likely than active accounts to have 2-step verification set up. This technology makes it harder for hackers as a message has to be sent to a secondary device to log into an account.
In a blog post, Google VP of Product Management Ruth Kricheli said: "...If an account hasn't been used for an extended period of time, it is more likely to be compromised. This is because forgotten or unattended accounts often rely on old or re-used passwords that may have been compromised, haven't had two factor authentication set up, and receive fewer security checks by the user."
To keep your old Google accounts active and avoid deletion, you simply need to log in and perform any activity using Google services. This includes sending or reading an email, watching a YouTube video, using Google search, or using Google Drive.