Google has announced the end of the G Suite legacy free edition service starting from the first of next July, and current users of it must switch to a paid Google Workspace plan to keep their account and services.
In 2006, "Google announced Apps for Your Domain", a service that enables organizations and businesses to use Google services and apps like Gmail with their own custom domain instead of the "@gmail.com" suffix. Google changed the name of the service to G-Suite in 2016, and then to Google WorkSpace in 2020.
At its launch, Google allowed businesses and institutions to sign up for and use the service for free under a plan that included a miniature set of business features, known as the legacy free edition of Google Apps.
Google allowed registration for this plan until December 6, 2012, when the company stopped offering this free version to new customers. However, Google allowed users who signed up for the free plan before that date to continue using it until today, under the name G Suite legacy free edition.
Today, some G Suite legacy free edition admins received an email telling them that Google will discontinue this plan on July 1, 2022, and that they must upgrade to a paid Google WorkSpace plan to continue taking advantage of the services they are now taking advantage of for free.
Admins will have to choose and upgrade to the appropriate Google WorkSpace plan for their needs before May 1, 2022, and will be able to use the plan they chose for free for at least two months before Google requires them to pay a monthly subscription fee for that plan.
If organizations do not pick a paid Google WorkSpace plan by May 1, Google will begin to automatically upgrade them to a Google WorkSpace subscription based on the features the organization is currently using.
To complete the upgrade, users will have to add their payment details before July 1, 2022, to continue using Google WorkSpace after the free trial period ends.
If you do not provide your payment information, your subscription to Google WorkSpace will be suspended until you provide it. After 60 days of suspension, you will no longer be able to access core Google WorkSpace services, such as Gmail, Calendar, and Meet, while you will be able to access some other Google services, such as YouTube and Google Photos. To restore your suspended account, enter a valid payment method.
Organizations who refuse to upgrade to a paid Google WorkSpace subscription can use the Data Export tool to export their data.
Google WorkSpace plans start at $6 to $18 per user per month for organizations of up to 300 users, depending on the benefits each plan offers, while companies that want to purchase a Google WorkSpace plan for more users than that should contact Google Sales for more. Information about prices, offers, and discounts.