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New Google Photos storage management tool is already rolling out
Pay for more space or manage the heck out of what you have
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We're about a week away from Google Photos turning off its most popular and unique selling point. Almost every user will soon lose out on unlimited backups and will either need to use up their existing cloud storage space or pay up for extra. As we approach this big change, there are a few smaller changes to look out for.
Pixel 2 owners, today's the last day to back up your Google Photos at original quality for free
The clock is ticking...
Free backups to Google Photos have been one of the nicest perks of the Pixel line-up, but the benefits have certainly dwindled with time. The original Pixel got unlimited original quality backups, the Pixel 2 and 3 dropped that to three years, and everything from the 3a to the 5 has only had free high quality (i.e. slightly compressed) backups. We're here to talk about the Pixel 2, though, as the three-year timespan has nearly elapsed and that perk is expiring today.
AT&T introduces Unlimited Your Way plans — and you could save some serious cash
Downgrade Grandpa's data while keeping your multi-line discount
AT&T went to great lengths to resist changing its misleading 5G icon, but it needs no encouragement when it comes to changing up cellular plan options. Over the weekend, the company rolled out updates to its unlimited plans — and it looks like customers with multiple lines could save some significant cash.
T-Mobile is a bit strange in that it has two prepaid branches: T-Mobile prepaid and the newly-renamed Metro by T-Mobile. Alongside its name change, Metro introduced two new plans with unlimited LTE at $50 and $60. T-Mobile has just added a new prepaid $50/month unlimited LTE plan of its own, though it doesn't seem quite as appealing as Metro's.
Two years ago, T-Mobile announced it would only have one cellular plan moving forward - the 'ONE' plan. That didn't last long, as the ONE Plus plan became available a few months later, along with a slew of add-on packages. Now the carrier is throwing another option into the mix, called 'T-Mobile Essentials.'
I think we can all agree at this point that the term "unlimited" has become utterly meaningless in the context of phone plans. Most unlimited plans include at least a few odd limits, but Sprint's latest offerings are really impressive in how many limits they apply to "unlimited" service. The old Unlimited Freedom plan will soon be replaced by Unlimited Basic and Unlimited Plus.
Verizon announced not a second, but its third "unlimited" smartphone plan yesterday, and it goes to show just how meaningless the term has become in the US wireless industry. Verizon's new "above" unlimited plan (the tiers are "go," "beyond," and "above" for those of you playing aspirational-marketing-nonsense-vocabulary at home) is basically America's Most Red Carrier deciding it can cash in on heavy data users to the tune of an extra ten bucks, making it $95 a month.
U.S. Cellular has never been one of the country's major carriers, but for many areas (especially rural regions), it's one of the top choices. The company's previous $70/month unlimited plan was in line with unlimited plans from the big four carriers, but now U.S. Cellular is undercutting the competition.
Back in August, Verizon split its unlimited data plan into three separate plans - Go Unlimited, Beyond Unlimited, and Business Unlimited. All three plans have limitations on video streaming, tethering, and international usage. But starting on January 25, Go Unlimited will include limited service to Mexico and Canada.
Project Fi was a great deal when it was first introduced, minus the fact that the only compatible phone was the Nexus 6. Now that carriers are re-introducing 'unlimited' plans, Project Fi's $10/GB pricing tier isn't quite as appealing as it once was. Fi has now introduced its own version of an unlimited plan, called 'Bill Protection.'
Instead of reducing prices, carriers have decided that bundling streaming services is the best way to sell unlimited data plans. T-Mobile recently started offering free Netflix access to ONE customers with two or more lines, and now Sprint has followed suit by adding Hulu access to its unlimited plan.
One of T-Mobile's big "uncarrier" moves was to offer international roaming data to most customers for free. However, Canada and Mexico were special cases where you'd get full-speed LTE data on most plans. There wasn't any special limit on that data, which was remarkably generous—too generous, it would seem. T-Mobile is rolling that feature back and limiting LTE to 5GB per month in those countries.
T-Mobile is all in on unlimited data plans—you can't even buy a traditional capped plan anymore. Oh, there are still limits, of course, but Tmo isn't alone there. However, T-Mobile is making one of its unlimited limits a bit less irksome. Unlimited users now have to use more data before the network starts slowing them down.
Verizon ruffled some feathers last month when it was caught throttling Netflix on its LTE network. At the time the carrier said it was merely testing video optimization technology, and now we know why. Verizon has done away with its standard unlimited data plan, replacing it with three tiers of unlimited data. All of them include video throttling—in fact, you can't get 1080p video on phones on any of them.
After I thought the whole slew of new unlimited data plans from all the carriers had subsided, Sprint is back again with some more news. Like before, this seems like the best deal of the bunch on the surface (if Sprint's network coverage in your area is good). However, the pricing you'll see in the graphic below is a limited time promotional deal — meaning that the price climbs after a certain time. Oh, and it's only available to new customers.
If the onslaught of carrier unlimited data plans in the last few weeks hasn't worn you out yet, here's another one for you. Cricket Wireless, the AT&T MVNO, has just announced its new "unlimited" data plan. In fierce competition with the likes of MetroPCS, you can score this for $60 per month (with taxes and fees included). That doesn't sound bad at all.
After years of prodding from T-Mobile and Sprint, Verizon finally started offering unlimited data plans again, which in turn caused AT&T to give up its petty Monopoly game and offer its own unlimited plan to everyone, not just DirecTV customers. But when the dust settled, AT&T was still offering the most expensive unlimited data in the country, and consumer advocates (including this very site) were quick to point out that it was a bad deal. Today the carrier is adjusting its primary data plan with a lower price and included tethered data, and adding a cheaper option for good measure. The new plans will be offered starting this Thursday, March 2nd.
Hoping to jump on the recently resurrected unlimited bandwagon, U.S. Cellular has announced its new Total Plans with No Hidden Fees. This means that each plan has no activation fees, no monthly device connection charges, and no upgrade or overage costs. Better yet, there is now an unlimited data option which means we have one more to add to our list.
Unlimited data is back at Verizon. There's much merriment to be had throughout the land, as data-hungry power users once again return to their streaming music and video services without fear of sudden charges or slowdowns. It's been over five years since Verizon cut off access to unlimited data, and the number of customers hanging on to their grandfathered unlimited plans has dwindled down to a few grizzled veterans. It's a good day for wireless customers.
Competition is a wonderful thing. Verizon and the other major US wireless carriers basically abandoned the idea of unlimited mobile data around the time that Android and smartphones in general started surging in the market, finding it was much easier to get money out of customers by shoveling them into tiered service. But since T-Mobile, Sprint, and even AT&T have reintroduced unlimited data in various flavors, customers have danced in their little cotton socks, happily paying a premium for the luxury of not having to think about their data allotments. It seems like someone at Verizon finally got the message: the company will start offering unlimited data plans once again starting tomorrow.