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Android Authority reports that Google is developing an automatic local backup feature in Quick Share settings that saves phone files directly to a PC. New code strings indicate the tool will not support Samsung-branded computers, extending an earlier exclusion that already ruled out Samsung phones.
Microsoft is changing cloud storage rules for Microsoft 365 Family, Premium, and Pro subscribers, replacing the current 1TB-per-user allotment with a single shared 2TB pool for all users on a plan. The change applies at subscription renewal after May 2, 2027, and some users may receive bonus storage when switched, though Microsoft hasn't detailed eligibility. For a six-person family plan, this cuts total available storage by roughly two-thirds.
A tool has emerged that helps users manage or free up Gmail storage without subscribing to Google's paid cloud storage tiers. The approach targets users who repeatedly hit storage limits and are prompted to upgrade to a paid Google One plan.
Microsoft announced it will change how storage and AI credits work across Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium, and Pro subscriptions in the coming months. Instead of each family member getting a fixed 1TB OneDrive allowance, plans will share a single pool, shrinking Family and Premium plans from a potential 6TB combined total down to 2TB. AI usage credits will also move to a shared pool across subscribers.
A technical essay examines how Amazon S3 and similar cloud object stores, built around spinning-disk economics from two decades ago, now underpin most modern data architectures including data lakes, Kafka alternatives, and vector databases. The author notes S3's per-request throughput and latency limits stem from disk physics, forcing developers to add caching layers, batch writes, and separate metadata stores to work around them. The piece highlights that SSD prices have fallen steadily since S3's 2005 launch, narrowing the cost gap with hard disks to about 3x.
Cryptomator is an open-source tool that creates encrypted vaults on a user's device, encrypting individual files and their filenames with AES-256 before they sync to services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, pCloud, Nextcloud and ownCloud. It also works offline for local drives, USB storage and network folders, and has apps for Android and iOS. Users can create a recovery key to reset a lost vault password, since Cryptomator itself cannot decrypt files or recover passwords.
Google has opened a formal beta program for its Drive app, letting users opt in to test upcoming features before they roll out broadly. The program follows similar early-access schemes Google runs for other apps like Gmail and Photos.
Comparing a 256GB SSD to a 1TB hard drive isn't a simple capacity contest, since SSDs retrieve data electronically from flash memory while HDDs rely on spinning platters and moving read/write heads, making SSDs significantly faster for booting and running programs. Whether 256GB is enough depends heavily on usage: it suits light users who rely on cloud storage, while heavy local file storage, creative work or gaming may require 512GB, 1TB or more.
Google's storage warnings push many users toward paid upgrades, but much of the used space in Gmail, Drive, and Photos can be reclaimed by clearing out large attachments, duplicate files, and unnecessary backups. A few targeted cleanup steps can free up meaningful space across the shared 15GB storage pool in minutes.
An Android Authority writer found their Gmail account eating up 5.27GB of Google's 15GB free storage tier, largely due to accumulated email attachments rather than message count. Using Gmail's built-in 'Clean up space' tool, they identified and deleted large attachments, then cleared out Spam and Trash folders to recover storage without paying for Google One.
Apple's built-in Time Machine utility lets Mac users back up apps, photos, videos and documents to an external hard drive or SSD without paying for cloud storage subscriptions. The initial backup takes longer, but subsequent backups run faster and can be scheduled hourly, daily or weekly. This offers an alternative for users who don't need remote file access but want reliable backups.
AlfredCamera lets users repurpose an unused phone as a live security camera by pairing it with their main device through the same account login or a QR code scan. The free version offers live video, a siren alarm, night mode, two-way talk and remote camera controls, while paid tiers add more cameras, HD streaming, longer cloud storage and object detection.