August 3, 2023
Google is warning users that it will start deleting inactive accounts on December 1, 2023. The company will only enforce this rule for accounts that haven’t been used or signed into within two years.
In recent emails, Google issued a stern warning to its customers, informing them that it would initiate the deletion of inactive accounts starting on December 1st, 2023. The company clarified that this rule would only apply to accounts that have not been used or logged into for a period of two years. However, Google will first notify users about their account’s eligibility for deletion.
Once a Google Account is deleted, the associated Gmail address will become ineligible for use in creating a new Google Account.
To ensure users have ample time to take action, Google intends to send several reminder emails to both the account holders and their recovery email addresses, if provided. These reminders will be sent at least eight months before any action is taken on the accounts.
Google also outlines additional activities that can maintain an account’s active status, such as reading or sending an email, using Google Drive, downloading apps from the Play Store, and more.
There are also some exceptions to the inactive account deletion policy. For example, Google Accounts with YouTube activity, gift cards with a monetary balance, or that published apps on the Google Play store will not be deleted.
The sources for this piece include an article in BleepingComputer.
