Google Announces an Update to its Account Inactivity Policy

Did you already know about Google's recent update on inactive accounts? if you've not already read this article.

Google works diligently every day to protect us and our private information by preventing illegal access to our Google Accounts through their built-in security features. And to keep us safe, they need to have strict privacy policies across all of their products that limit how long they retain our personal files and any data related to them on their servers. Even if we stop using their services, Google still wants to safeguard our private information and stop any unwanted access to our accounts.

​​Therefore, they are updating the inactivity period for a Google Account to two years across all their products and services. This change started rolling out on August 13 and will apply to any Google account that’s been inactive, meaning it has not been signed into or used within a two-year period. An inactive account and any content in it will be eligible for deletion on December 1, 2023.

What this means for you?

• These changes do not impact you unless you have been inactive in your Google Account for two years or have not used your account to sign in to any Google service for over two years.
• While the modifications are now in effect, the earliest they would delete any accounts would be in December 2023.
• Before taking any action or deleting any account content if your account is deemed inactive, Google will send numerous reminder emails to you and your recovery emails (if any have been specified). At least eight months prior to any action being taken on your account, these reminder emails will be sent.
• The Gmail address associated with a deleted Google Account cannot be used to sign up for a new Google Account once the account has been deleted.

​How do you maintain account activity?

Signing into the account at least once every two years is the easiest approach to keep a Google Account active. Your account will not be erased if you have recently signed in to your Google Account within the last two years.

Other strategies for maintaining account activity include:

• Emailing someone or reading one
• Google Drive use
• watching a video on YouTube
• sending a picture
• obtaining an app
• Google Searching
• utilizing Google Sign in to log into a third-party application or service

There are a few exclusions to this rule, please note. If one or more of the following apply, a Google Account is deemed active even if it hasn't been used in the last two years:

• A current or ongoing purchase of a Google product, app, service, or subscription was made using your Google Account.
• You have a gift card with money on it in your Google Account.
• Your Google Account is the owner of a game or program that has been released and has active subscriptions or ongoing payments connected to it. This might be a Google Account with access to a Google Play store app.
• A child account with Family Link that is active is managed by your Google Account.
• A digital product, such as a book or movie, has been purchased using your Google Account​.