Dormant Gmail accounts will be deleted
The reason behind this decision lies in the policy directed at protecting security.
Google users have been walking the line with the abundant notifications that they have been receiving regarding their account storage. Google backup was a blessing in disguise as it offered to keep all your data safe and backed up without the hassle, but now it seems many have overlooked what the basic 15GB of storage looks like.
This in itself has caused some stress amongst users, with many of them folding into purchasing their space on Google One. The packages are reasonably priced for people who prefer to add on storage to their free accounts.
The Basic 100GB Google One storage subscription is going on special for R8,99 for two months and thereafter the user will pay R34,99 per month (which is still affordable, in our opinion).
Meanwhile, Google announced earlier this year that they would be deleting inactive accounts as part of the Inactive Account Policy.
"If your account has had no action for the last two years, it could be permanently deleted along with all the data in Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. Vice president of product management at Google, Ruth Kricheli, explains that the reasoning behind this policy lies in security." (IOL)
As a way of making Gmail more secure for its estimated eight-billion users, Google has consistently used its resources to find ways to assist. Things such as "anti-spam measures, phishing scam protection or account hijacking defences" have all featured in their pursuit.
However, Kricheli said that even with these measures in play, if an account has not been in use for a period longer than two years, it will most likely be under threat of security attacks. These Gmail accounts most likely do not have a two-factor authentication, which makes it vulnerable.
Read more: Are you talking yourself out of success?
The good news is that if you have an Gmail account that has been dormant, you can still save it.
IOL shared three easy steps to save your dormant Gmail account.
1. Send an email - sending an email at least once every two years helps keep your account active and prevents it from being deleted.
2. Watch a YouTube video - "To show some activity on your accounts, you need to interact with any of Google’s services like watching a YouTube video while signed into your account."
3. Ask Google a question - this one is a simple and efficient way of staying active on your account. You simply have to make sure you are signed into your account when searching on Google.
Follow us on social media:
HOW TO LISTEN TO EAST COAST RADIO
- Listen to East Coast Radio on the FM (frequency modulation) spectrum between 94 and 95 FM on your radio.
- Listen live to ECR by clicking here or download the ECR App (iOS/Android).
- Listen to East Coast Radio on the DStv audio bouquet, channel 836.
- Switch to the audio bouquet on your Openview decoder and browse to channel 606
- Listen to us on Amazon Alexa.
Image Courtesy of Pexels