One of the selling points for Pixel phones was unlimited original-quality backup to Google Photos, but starting with the Pixel 3a and Pixel 4, there was only an option for unlimited "high-quality" backup. According to a new report, future Pixel phones might not even have that, placing them on the same level as all other Android devices.

Google announced yesterday that it would end free unlimited photo and video storage in Google Photos, and all data uploaded after June 1st, 2021 would take up space in your Google account. However, the company said all current Pixel phones wouldn't be affected. Android Central is now reporting that future Pixel phones will not be exempt from the new policy, citing sources familiar with the matter.

We've reached out to Google for comment, but it would be surprising for the company to drop one of the main advantages to buying a Pixel phone. The Pixel 5 came with three months of Google One, which adds 100GB storage, so perhaps Google will offer a similar promotion with future Pixels to offset the new limitation.

UPDATE: 2020/11/12 11:35am PST BY CORBIN DAVENPORT

Confirmation

Google has now confirmed to Android Police that future Pixel phones won't have free Google Photos backup, even with the regular "high-quality" option that current Pixels have. As the company said in the original blog post, all Pixels sold right now are exempt from the changes.

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