14 DAY TRIAL // Google has just announced that it’s retiring G Suite legacy free edition, the free version of G Suite that was only available for a very limited time.
Launched nearly a decade ago and available until December 6, 2012, the G Suite legacy free edition has been the preferred choice for some users out there who signed up prior to this date.
The Mountain View-based search giant, however, is now getting ready to retire this old product, explaining that the service will go dark once and for all on May 1. After this date, all users will be automatically migrated to Google Workspace, with a free tier to be available until July 1.
The end of the free suite is near
In other words, Google Workspace will be available free of charge for G Suite legacy free edition users until July this year, after which everybody will have to get a subscription.
“Prior to December 6, 2012, Google offered a free edition of G Suite—also known as the legacy free edition of Google Apps—that had a reduced set of business features. As of December 6, 2012, Google stopped offering the free edition to new customers,” Google explains.
“If you have the G Suite legacy free edition, you need to upgrade to a paid Google Workspace subscription to keep your services. The G Suite legacy free edition will no longer be available starting May 1, 2022. Starting May 1, Google will seamlessly transition you to Google Workspace, which you can use at no cost until July 1, 2022. We recommend you upgrade now to a Google Workspace subscription that meets your needs.”
Needless to say, Google hopes that most people would just a Workspace subscription, with the company emphasizing users will receive not only 24/7 support but also premium collaboration and security features.