Google is following in Twitter's footsteps and will start deleting accounts that haven't seen activity in two years. With that being said, you better start opening your account especially if you have it linked to several platforms.
Purging Google Accounts
Google announced that it is deleting accounts that haven't been opened in two years, and it will be starting with accounts that were created and never used again, such as the ones that people may have created to get free trials or immediately forgot the password to.
This may be a way to free up storage on the company's servers, which can be an effort to reduce costs, as mentioned in Engadget. However, Google claims that it is actually a way to protect users from security risks that comes with unused accounts.
It was mentioned that the accounts that have been neglected by the user probably don't have two-factor authentication, which makes them vulnerable to threat actors who can subject the user to scams or other fraudulent activities like identity theft.
Users will receive a warning via email saying that their account will be deactivated after 60 days. Although that's not permanent. The actual deletion will come after the deactivation takes place, wherein the user will be granted another 60 days to open the account.
The given time will be enough for the news to spread to people who may not hear about the news right away, giving them ample time to act so they won't lose their accounts. The earliest deletions will happen around December 2023.
What Happens If My Account is Deleted?
If you used the account for recovery emails or linked it to platforms and products like Gmail, Drive, Docs, YouTube, Google Photos, Meet, and Calendar, you might want to resolve the inactivity as the mentioned apps and tools will be affected as well.
It means that you may not be able to recover certain accounts that you have on other platforms should you forget the password. The services that you linked your Google account to may be completely deleted as well, which could cause a lot of trouble.
If you're using accounts for organizations like schools or businesses, you won't have to worry as they will remain intact. Only personal accounts will be deleted when detected to be dormant. If not, then you better get moving as Google already started the policy today.
How Do I Keep My Account from Deletion?
There are various ways you can keep your account active. The most obvious one would be to sign in to your account and be sure to do it every two years to avoid being purged in the future as this will be an active policy.
You won't have to worry if your account is signed in and you're doing other activities such as reading or sending an email, using Google Drive, watching a YouTube video, downloading an app on Google Play Store, using Google Search, or signing in on a third-party app.
