The search engine giant, Google, has revealed its intention to remove inactive accounts after a period of two years. This new policy, commencing on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, will be applicable to all Google Accounts that have not been accessed or utilized within the two-year timeframe.
According to a press release shared with LEADERSHIP, Google clarified that these modifications won’t affect its users unless their Google Account remains inactive for two years or if they haven’t employed their account to log in to any Google service for more than two years.
Despite the immediate implementation of these changes, Google indicated that the earliest enforcement of any account removal would take place in December 2023.
Google assured that individuals with inactive accounts would receive multiple reminder emails, sent to both their primary and recovery email addresses (if provided), before any action is taken or content is deleted. These reminder emails will be sent at least eight months before any account-related action.
Once a Google Account is deleted, the associated Gmail address cannot be reused for the creation of a new Google Account, as further clarified.
To maintain the activity of a Google account, the search engine recommended users to log into their accounts at least once every two years. It emphasized that accounts would be considered active and safe from deletion if they had been accessed in the past two years.
Google further shared alternative methods to keep an account active, including sending or reading emails, using Google Drive, watching YouTube videos, sharing photos, downloading apps, utilizing Google Search, and employing the “Sign-in with Google” feature for third-party apps or services.
However, the search engine made note of some exceptions to this new policy. Examples include Google Accounts associated with YouTube channels, videos, or comments; accounts featuring a monetary balance from a gift card; or accounts with published applications, such as those available on the Google Play store. More exceptions are detailed on their platform.
