Google changes Android backups from July 2026: more data counts toward 15GB

Google is changing how Android backups are counted. Starting July 7, 2026, SMS messages, call history, device settings, and other parts of your Android backup will start using space from your Google storage limit.

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That data will now sit alongside the stuff that already counted against your quota, including Google Photos and MMS. If you’re on the free 15GB plan, you might notice a small dip in available space. Google says the average increase should be around 40MB, so for most people this will be pretty minor. It matters more if you’re already close to the limit, or if you keep huge message archives, long call logs, or a lot of backed-up apps and settings.

Google says new Android users will see the change first, then existing accounts will be moved over in the months after that. If your storage is already running tight, this is something to keep an eye on now, before it turns into failed backups or interrupted uploads in Gmail and Google Drive later.

The company is also adding more detailed Android backup controls. You can still keep a full-device backup if that’s what you want, or switch off SMS, call history, device settings, or individual apps you don’t want taking up storage.

It’s a smaller change, but it lines up with Google’s recent 5GB test for some unverified new accounts and the broader adjustments it’s been making to Google One. Those new options are rolling out through Android backup settings.