Survey shows deep split between users over Gmail’s storage limits

Google is really testing its customers’ limits — quite literally. In a new experiment, the company is limiting some users to 5GB of Gmail cloud storage, expanding it to 15GB only after users add their phone numbers to their accounts. Google notes that this tweak is intended to bolster user security, as the phone number could be used as a tertiary way to access and secure their account. However, this practice feels a little sketchy, especially for those who don’t want their mobile number linked to their Google accounts.

While my colleague Hadlee Simons wrote about his feelings towards the change, we also wanted to gauge the community’s temperature. Would any of our readers be willing to trade their phone number for more storage? Naturally, we ran a poll across our site, and over 7,100 votes later, the results are as follows.

We asked readers whether they’d give Google their phone number to unlock all 15GB of cloud storage, and most are completely opposed to the idea.

44.3% of respondents voted “No, but I still want 15GB of storage,”  and a further 9.4% voted “No,” but also claimed that 5GB of storage is enough. In total, just under 54% of readers wouldn’t give Google their phone number to unlock 10GB of additional Gmail storage.

Interestingly, a large portion of readers have already given their numbers to Google — 26.7% of respondents, in fact. A further 19.5% are completely OK with Google’s restriction, suggesting that they’ll happily hand over their numbers for more storage.

Numbers are one thing, but they don’t quite offer the nuance that comments provide. So what do our readers have to say?

Commenter John Fox offered a rather level take, suggesting that Gmail account owners shouldn’t need oodles of storage for emails:

I just checked. I am using 5.53GB of storage. I’ve been a Gmail user for a very long time, my first saved sent email is from 2011.

Manage your inbox, delete stuff or push them to spam instead of expecting others to let you use their services as a dumping ground for things you are too lazy to take care of. My guess this is more a reaction to people abusing their system than anything else.

Others don’t quite agree and argue that Google should offer users more in 2026. As Trent Stephens notes:

15gb in 2026 is absolutely pathetic. They should be offering 25gb minimum no questions asked.

It should be said that this limited storage is merely a test that’s being conducted in “select regions,” per Google’s statement to Android Authority. It’s not yet a blanket policy across all Gmail accounts. However, it may signal the company’s future limitations in account creation.