Yet all it takes is an automated account suspension to take that away, and talking to a human might not be an option. I have an Android phone, I receive my emails on Gmail, upload my photos to Google Photos, have an application on the Play Store, backup my data on Google Drive and use Google Docs frequently, all from my G Suite Legacy account. It also made me think about how much of my digital life is tied to a single vendor, and how easily I got trapped into it without realizing it. Sweetening the deal by offering discounts for the first year won’t do either, sorry Google. Google’s suggestion to pay $6/user/month is understandable for a business, but unreasonable for a family. What surprised me more is the current lack of possibility to migrate to a free Google account (even though it might be coming given Workplace Essentials announcement and the form in their knowledge base), as well as the absence of a family-oriented offer.

I was disappointed by the decision but not surprised, given Google’s long-standing history of killing its products and going back on their word. Over the years, we used those Google accounts like personal accounts and bought applications, used Google Drive, Google Documents, and so on. Like many others, I subscribed to what was called Google Apps back then, to give custom e-mail addresses to my family (ie: ). Among other things, it was offering Gmail with a custom domain.

On January, 19 2022 Google announced they were pulling the plug on the G Suite Legacy Free Edition, that was offered from 2006 to 2012.

Legacy google drive plans