Google unifies cloud storage across Gmail, Drive and Google+, 15GB of free space offered

As a part of the process of integrating its various products, Google has now made changes to the way data is used, accessed and stored in free cloud storage offered with products such as Gmail, Google Drive and Google+ Photos.

Google announced that instead of offering 10GB storage for Gmail and another 5GB for Drive and Google+ Photos, it will now offer 15GB of unified storage, which can be used between Drive, Gmail, and Google+ Photos.

The move would give more flexibility to users, allowing them to make optimal use of cloud storage for the service they use the most. For instance, users who majorly use Gmail would be able to get 15GB of space instead of 10GB if they don't use Drive or Google+ photos. Similarly, users who store lots of data in Drive but don't use Gmail would get much more space in Drive compared to what they were getting earlier.

It also means that Gmail users who could earlier upgrade to a 25GB mailbox at max when they upgraded to a 100GB Drive plan, would be able to use the full 100GB offered in the same plan and upgrade to up to 16TB storage.

The consolidated space would be grouped under Drive and users will also be able to check how much of the space they've been using for individual services. They'll be able to see a breakdown of storage use across Drive, Gmail, and Google+ Photos when they hover over the pie chart that depicts Drive usage on the Google Drive storage page.

The changes to Google Drive storage will be rolled out over the next couple of weeks, according to Google. Google Apps users will also be getting shared storage shortly and they'll be able to share their 30GB unified space across Gmail, Drive and Google+ photos.

Google had earlier announced a "Save to Drive" button to save files directly from websites if websites added a code to enable it.

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Gmail iOS App Now Opens Links in Chrome, YouTube, Google Maps

Google on Monday released an update to its Gmail iOS app that allows for links to be opened in other Google apps, provided they are installed on a user's iOS device.


If you have the Gmail and Chrome for iOS apps installed on your iPhone, for example, a link sent to you in an email will open in the Chrome browser rather than Apple's pre-loaded Safari browser.


The same goes for YouTube and Google Maps. A video link emailed to your Gmail account will open in YouTube, while directions or an address will bypass Apple Maps and open in Google Maps, provided both apps are installed on your iOS gadget.


Those who would prefer to stick with Safari or Apple Maps can change their settings within the Gmail app to specify which program should open various links.


This does not apply to Gmail accounts added to Apple's Mail app.


The update, meanwhile, also adds support for signing out of a single account instead of having to sign out of all accounts at once.


Over the last year, Google has been rolling out standalone apps on iOS for several of its most popular products. The search giant started at last year's Google I/O with Chrome for iOS. Like the desktop version of Chrome, the iOS app syncs across devices. Pull up pages that you looked at on your PC or iPhone via the iPad, or vice versa.


Later that year, prior to the launch of iOS 6, Google released its iOS app for YouTube. Apple's iOS 6 removed YouTube as a pre-installed app on iOS, so Google had to create one for the App Store before the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 were released in late September.


With iOS 6, Apple also replaced Google Maps with the much-maligned Apple Maps. After three months of incorrect directions and bizarre renderings on Apple Maps, Google Maps for iOS finally arrived for the iPhone, though we're still waiting on a version for iPad.


For more, see PCMag's reviews of YouTube for iPad and Google Maps (for iPhone), as well as Chrome for iPhone and iPad and Gmail for iPhone.

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