Google to delete several Gmail accounts soon - Is your account safe? Check details

Tech major Google is planning to delete all inactive Gmail accounts. According to the timeline shared by the company, it will start the process in December. Google had shared information related to this in May. While sharing the information, the search giant said that all inactive accounts would be deleted along with all data associated with the account. This means that the company will delete all emails, documents, files and backed-up photos. 

The company has also said that it will notify users in advance before deleting these accounts.

Is your account safe?

Google has clearly stated that only those accounts will be deemed inactive and will be deleted that have not been used within a two-year period.

According to the Inactive Accounts Policy of Google, only those accounts are deemed active that perform the following actions - using the Google search platform and watching YouTube videos while logged in, sending and reading emails, storing and accessing Google Drive files, sharing Google Photos and downloading apps from Play Store.

Why Google account is important?

Google accounts are important for users as they may contain a lot of personal information shared over the years. They also contain several synced contacts and images, maps and location history, Chrome bookmarks, Google Pay data and others.  

There are certain exceptions

According to the Inactive Account Policy of the company, there are certain exceptions in deciding the inactive account. For example, if an account was used to purchase a Google app, product, subscription or service and that is still in use, it will not be deemed as "inactive".

Also, if you have published a game or app and they have active subscriptions, your account will be considered active. Those monitoring a child's account or who purchased digital items like a movie or e-book will also be considered active.