Commercial users of Google’s G Suite legacy free edition will have a decision to make next month when Google sunsets the free edition of its productivity suite of tools in a move to transition commercial customers to a Google Workspace subscription.
However, users of G Suite legacy free edition for personal use can continue to do so past the planned transition date of June 27 by opting out of the transition to Google Workspace, the company says in a reversal after previously saying all G Suite legacy free edition accounts would have to start paying for Workspace this year or be suspended.
For businesses, the G Suite legacy free edition will no longer be available starting June 27, and organizations are urged to upgrade to a Google Workspace subscription that meets their needs, as well as to take advantage of the security and collaboration features at no cost through Aug. 1. Businesses can select the “Flexible” payment plan when upgrading to a Business edition to avoid billing until at least Aug. 1.
For organizations that wait, accounts will be automatically transitioned to Google Workspace after June 27. To avoid suspension, they will need to set up billing before Aug. 1, the Menlo Park, Calif. tech giant says in a support article.
Google notes that organizations that don’t upgrade to a Workspace subscription but remain an active user will not lose access to additional Google services or paid content purchased with the legacy edition account.
Only personal, non-commercial users of the G Suite legacy free edition can opt out of the transition with a super administrator account or via the Google Admin console. Those customers can continue using their custom domain with Gmail, retain access to no-cost services such as Google Drive and Google Meet, and keep their purchases and data.
“If you don’t take any action, your account will be suspended starting on August 1, 2022,” Google says. “To reactivate your account, you will either need to upgrade to Google Workspace or opt out of the transition for non-commercial use.”
Google warns that G Suite legacy free edition does not include support, and the company may in the future remove “certain business functionality.”
To upgrade to Google Workspace, organizations should sign in to their Google Admin console with a super administrator account. Then, navigate to Billing > Get more services, and select the desired edition and payment plan.
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