Google is killing off Drive! That should set off some alarms but there’s no reason to panic. Nope, you don’t need to start transferring your files off the cloud.
In a recent Google announcement, it mentioned that support Google Drive for Mac/PC will end on 11 December 2017 and it will shut down completely on 12 March 2018. However, that doesn’t mean that Google Drive as a cloud storage service is closing shop. It’s still there and you can access it via a web browser or on your mobile device.
A few months ago, Google had announced a new desktop application that’s called Backup and Sync which will replace Google Drive and Google Photos. With this new application, Google wants to be your complete storage solution, allowing you to backup your entire desktop to the cloud. Your files are still there, just that you would need to use a different application to access it on your computer.
For enterprise G Suite users, Google has introduced Drive File Stream which lets you access your Google Drive files on demand without taking up extra hard disk space or waiting for your files to sync. Alternatively, G Suite users can also use Backup and Sync.
So, if you’re currently using Google Drive on your Windows or Mac machine, just make sure to switch Backup and Sync by 12 March 2018. If you’re using Google Drive only for your smartphones and tablets, nothing has changed and there’s really nothing to worry about. By default, each Google user gets 15GB for free. If you need more, it will cost RM8.49/month for 100GB and RM42.99/month for 1TB.
