From December 2023 Google will start deleting inactive account under their revised inactive account policy. And if you have a Google account that has not been used in years, then it is time to wake it up, because Google will start deleting accounts from December 1 and all their data which include Gmail messages, Photos, Contacts records, YouTube videos and Drive documents. And if users want to avoid their accounts from deletion then you should sign in your Google account at least once every two years.
Why Google is Deleting Accounts?
If you have not used your Google account for a while, then that account is most likely to be compromised. This will happen on forgotten or unused accounts which often rely on old or reused passwords that may have been compromised, which have not had two-factor authentication set up and did not receive much security checks by the use. To lower this risk, Google said that from starting December, if an account has not been used or signed in to for at least two years, it may delete the account and its contents. That means if you are not logged into an account since 2021, Google may get rid of it. If you are worried about someone is grabbing your old, deleted account. Google said that if they delete an inactive account, then the Gmail address for the deleted account cannot be used again when creating a new Google account.
How You Can Keep Your Google Account Active?
The simple way to keep your Google account active and stop it from being deleted is to sign in at least once every two years. Other steps that can fulfill account activity requirements includes sending or scrolling through emails, using Google search and watching YouTube videos, all these things while signed in to your Google account. Existing subscriptions set up through your Google account, like, profiles for third party apps and publications, can also account for activity. Conserving content on Google photos required a specific sign in. As earlier announced by Google, that Photos content may be similarly deleted after two years of inactivity, which means you should need to open the application every often to keep images from going into the trash.
Further keeping your Google account active, there are few tools that can help to manage and backup your data. Like, Google takeout, which allows users to download and export account data outside of Google at any time. And its Inactive Account Manager let you choose what can happen to your account and data if it becomes inactive, including options to send select files to trusted contacts or delete the account completely. Google’s online policy also says that the company can work with immediate family to close the account of a deceased loved one and provide some account content without sharing login credentials on a case-by-case basis. Also Google asks users to give and update a recovery email for their account which can also helpful for sending inactive account notices and other communications.