Google is breaking its own promises and this is how you will be affected

It is no secret that Google is dominant when it comes to the internet and web field, the entire world largely depends on Google products to power their day to day activities and businesses. We search the internet with Google and Google single handedly owns the world’s largest search engine that the world cannot live without. Our phones are powered by Google’s android operating systems and we all love YouTube which is also owned by Google just to name but a few. However, Google seems to be shifting goal posts and breaking its promises on how we have been using some of its platforms.

Limited Photo Storage Capacity

For long android users have had free storage at their disposal on their android devices that allowed them to backup and store unlimited number of photos using the Photos App. However, the latest announcement by Google is going to entirely change how you have been using this free service.

If you haven’t read it on the news, you’ve probably seen the email from Google. Starting June 1st 2021, the free storage for life is coming to an end. High quality backed up pictures will count towards your 15GB quota. This is them going back on a promise they made not so long ago when they introduced free backups for life.

This implies that you won’t be able to use the free up space as freely as you do nowadays, because come then, when you back up it will be eating up your cloud storage.

According to a statement from Google, photos you backup before that date won’t count towards the 15GB quota, so you have until then to keep backing up photos for free. But come June next year, you will be forced to pay for the extra storage space you will need beyond the 15GB.

Right to Monetize

If you thought Google has only changed tune on Photo storage restrictions only, you are dead wrong as Google has also raided the largest video platform in the world, YouTube. Google is making it mandatory for all content on YouTube to be monetized and show ads and this has not gone well with some YouTube content creators.

Ordinarily, YouTube content creators would have to join the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) in order to allow ads to be served on their channel.

The main benefit of opting in to serving ads is revenue sharing. Many creators publish on YouTube to earn a side income, while others earn their entire living on revenue they earn from YouTube.

However with the latest changes non monetized channels will be served with ads and the bitter part is that YouTube will not share ad revenue with the content creators.

This is after YouTube added a new section to its Terms of service titled right to monetize

“You grant to YouTube the right to monetize your Content on the Service (and such monetization may include displaying ads on or within Content or charging users a fee for access). This Agreement does not entitle you to any payments.” Reads part of the statement from YouTube.

This is going to be hard for  content creators who are not currently under the YPP as the new terms makes it clear that no revenue will be shared

“Since you’re not currently in YPP, you won’t receive a share of the revenue from these ads, though you’ll still have the opportunity to apply for YPP as you normally would once you meet the eligibility requirements.” The new terms reads in part

Currently, the only way for your YouTube channels to earn ad revenue is by joining the YPP.

However, certain conditions need to be met in order to join program and get approval. The two conditions that are holding most channels back are:

• Having more than 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months.
• Have more than 1,000 subscribers.

So it’s the small creators who will be impacted by this change, which only adds to the controversy surrounding YouTube’s new terms.

That said and done, some channels especially from non-profit making organizations and educational institutions have always opted to run non monetized channels to prevent destruction to viewing that tend to put off some viewers.

Also Read:How To Make Money With Youtube | Youtube Partner Program

Android Ads

Google’s appetite to monetize their platforms is no new to most users, If you are and android smartphone owner, you should know this well as the their Android Operating System is heavily used to promote ads.

You buy a brand new android smartphone but after using it for one year, you will realize ads are infiltrated in form of Apps and display ads. This is a scenario you have no control over and you will have to learn to live with it.

We still do not know what will change tomorrow and the day after, but from the look of things, we should be ready for changes on freedom and how we shall be using this Google products in future