Google to Discontinue G Suite Legacy Free Edition, Asks Users to Move to a Paid Plans Starting Rs. 125 a Month

After 60 days in suspension, Google services like Gmail and Calendar will become inaccessible.

By Nithya P Nair | Updated: 20 January 2022 11:47 IST

Google to Discontinue G Suite Legacy Free Edition, Asks Users to Move to a Paid Plans Starting Rs. 125 a Month

Photo Credit: Google

Google will not charge a subscription fee until July 1, 2022

Highlights

Google has rebranded G Suite as Google Workspace in 2020
Google will start upgrading subscriptions automatically on May 1
Post the upgrade users can avail new subscription at no cost until July 1

G Suite legacy free edition plan will no longer be available starting July 1 this year, Google revealed this week. Users can retain access to their accounts by switching to a paid Google Workspace plan. For business starters, the Google Workspace plan starts at Rs. 125 per month per user in India, though in regions like the US, it's significantly more expensive, at $6 (roughly Rs. 450) per month per user. In order to make the transition easier, Google is also providing discounts for the first two months. G Suite, Google's cloud-based suite of productivity and collaboration tools, was started in 2006 as Google Apps and later rebranded and named as Workspace.

Google this week announced the discontinuation of the G Suite legacy free edition via a support post. The G Suite legacy free edition will no longer be available starting July 1, 2022, said the company. Existing users of G Suite legacy free edition will have to upgrade to a paid Google Workspace subscription - priced differently in various regions - to keep their services. The company has provided time till May 1 for G Suite legacy free edition users to upgrade plans.

Once upgraded, they can use the new subscription free of cost until at least July 1, 2022. If your organisation fails to sign up for a paid subscription by May 1, the company will automatically upgrade free plans to a Google Workspace subscription based on the features you currently use.

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If any users fail to enter the payment details before July 1, Google will suspend their Workspace subscription. After 60 days in suspension, users will no longer have access to Google Workspace services including Gmail, Calendar, and Meet. Google Photos and YouTube can be still availed. The suspended accounts can be restored by adding payment details.

According to a report by 9to5google, Google has started sending out emails to users of G Suite legacy free edition accounts, notifying the change.

Google has rebranded G Suite as Google Workspace back in 2020. The new Google Workspace acts as a one-stop location for all of the productivity apps by Google. It includes Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, and more apps.

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Further reading: Google, G Suite legacy free edition, Google Workspace, G Suite

Nithya P Nair

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Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More