admin2 On February 22, 2007, Google introduced Google Apps Premier Edition, which differed from the free version by offering more storage (10 GB per user), APIs for business integration, 99.9% uptime for Gmail, and 24/7 phone support. While most of these services are individually available at no cost to consumers who use their free Google (Gmail) accounts, Google Workspace adds enterprise features such as custom email addresses at a domain (e.g. @your), an option for unlimited Drive storage, administrative tools and advanced settings, as well as 24/7 phone and email support. Google Drive data is encrypted with the Transport Layer Security (TLS) standard when it leaves a user’s device and uploads to Google’s cloud. If users cancel a subscription or let it expire, their account will revert to the free 15 GB storage plan.
In comparing the policies with competing services, Patel wrote that “it’s clear that they need the exact same permissions—they just use slightly more artful language to communicate them”. In particular, privacy advocates have noted that Google has one unified set of Terms of Service and Privacy Policy agreements for all its products and services. However, he also criticized the user interface for being confusing to navigate, and wrote that “Offline editing isn’t simple”. He added that “Compatibility is rarely an issue”, with importing and exporting options, and that the free storage of 15 gigabytes was “generous”. He stated that “We think the user interface needs a lot more work. It’s like a retread of Google Docs at the moment and Google surely needs to do work here”.
App Functionality
The Drive mobile app integrates seamlessly with other Workspace mobile apps. Users who want to access their Google Drive from a smartphone or tablet can either use their mobile browser or download and install a dedicated mobile app for Android or iOS. Users who have an internet connection can access Google Drive’s web app through their browser without needing to install any software. However, editing requires installing separate apps for Google Docs, Sheets and Slides apps.
Google Workspace storage
Google Drive’s search feature can sort results by item name, file type, date modified, location, owner and more. Google Drive supports integrations with both first-party and third-party applications available through the Chrome Web Store. However, those who need offline access can use Google Docs Offline, an official Chrome extension that enables viewing and editing without an internet connection. They can control access levels by specifying who can view, comment on or edit the content.
- An integrated suit of secure, cloud-native collaboration and productivity apps powered by Google AI.
- This included improved keyboard accessibility, support for zooming and high contrast mode, and better compatibility with screen readers.
- In 2018, the paid plans were re-branded as “Google One” to emphasize their application beyond Google Drive, along with the addition of a $2.99/month plan for 200 GB, and increasing the $9.99 plan to 2 TB at no additional charge.
- On April 24, 2012, Google Drive was introduced with free storage of 5 GB.
- If users cancel a subscription or let it expire, their account will revert to the free 15 GB storage plan.
- In addition to basic file storage, Google Drive integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace apps, including Google Docs, Sheets and Slides.
People-first collaboration apps to supercharge teamwork
To save documents, photos and other content in Drive, the user must first create or sign into a Google account. In 2023, Google rolled out a spam folder for Drive similar to the one in its Gmail service. In an outage that affected all of Google’s services for five minutes in August 2013, CNET reported that global Internet traffic dropped 40%. Our engineers are conducting a post-mortem investigation to determine how to make our services more resilient to unplanned network failures, and we will do our utmost to continue to make Google service outages notable for their rarity. As that did not happen in this instance, we apologize to everyone who was inconvenienced by this event. During significant downtimes, Google’s App Status Dashboard gets updated with the current status of each service Google offers, along with details on restoration progress.
- For Workspace users, ownership transfers are only allowed within the same domain, unless explicitly permitted by admin settings.
- Google Drive is a key component of Google Workspace, Google’s monthly subscription offering for businesses and organizations that operated as G Suite until October 2020.
- In 2024, Google began rolling out artificial intelligence features to select users of Google Drive and other Workspace tools powered by its in-house Gemini LLM.
- Regarding the price, he wrote that “Google’s package is the best value. The annual pricing of $50 per user per year makes it about a third less per user per year than Office 365, yet it boasts equivalent functionality sufficient for most small and medium organizations”.
- He stated that “We think the user interface needs a lot more work. It’s like a retread of Google Docs at the moment and Google surely needs to do work here”.
Search
In September 2014, Google released a blog post saying that employees would be able to install third-party apps from the Marketplace without involving administrators. The Marketplace lets administrators browse for, purchase, and deploy integrated cloud applications. The Jamboard is connected to the cloud, and enables people in different locations to work together in real-time through multiple Jamboards or connected remotely through a smartphone companion app. Google Vault, an archiving and electronic discovery service exclusively available to Google Workspace customers, was announced on March 28, 2012.
In August 2019, Google announced that it would be shutting down Hire in September 2020, instead choosing to focus on “other products in the Google Cloud portfolio”. The tool lets employers track job candidates’ contact information, as well as résumés, calendar invitations, and allows for business partners to share feedback on candidates. Introduced in July 2017, Hire by Google was a job applications and management tool developed by Google to be used in combination with G Suite.
Thousands of teams are already using Drive to revolutionize the way they work
On August 28, 2006, Google launched Google Apps for Your Domain, a set of apps for organizations. It consists of Gmail, Contacts, Calendar, Meet and Chat for communication; Drive for storage; and the Google Docs Editors suite for content creation. As enterprise reliance on Google Drive grows, IT administrators will need to implement robust data storage management strategies to ensure compliance and protect against security threats. Google automatically renews Drive subscriptions at the end of each billing cycle and gives a seven-day grace period for users to update their payment information betico if the auto-renewal fails. The service also supports integration with third-party applications and browser extensions that can be acquired through the Chrome Web Store, Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Mobile users can also make queries in natural language using their device’s voice input.