Inactive Google account will be deleted at the end of this year

Citing considerations of security, Google has announced that it will commence the deletion of Google accounts that have remained inactive for a period exceeding two years. The implementation of this action is anticipated to commence in December of this year.

An array of individuals, in the past, registered Google accounts for the utilization of diverse services, or due to specific requirements necessitating additional account application. This resulted in a multitude of accounts lying dormant for extended periods, consequently leading to an unnecessary expenditure of resources provided by Google. As a result, Google has been advocating that users periodically activate and review long-unused accounts.

Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

This modification is exclusively targeted at personal user accounts and does not encompass accounts used by educational institutions or businesses. The primary concern is the potential security risk posed by accounts remaining unused for an extended period, such as the possibility of account theft.

According to Google, users merely need to log back into their long-unused Google accounts and engage in activities such as receiving emails through Gmail, using Google Drive services, watching YouTube content, using Google Photos, or downloading app content from the Google Play Store. Even simply using Google Search or logging into third-party online services through a Google account will be considered normal usage.

Furthermore, prior to the formal deletion of an account, Google will notify the account holder via email, or when the user logs in through a linked backup account, Google will also inform them about the impending deletion of their long-unused account.