- Older G Suite users are being pushed to upgrade to business plans
- Google says some users are using the free suite for commercial purposes
- Users have submitted GDPR subject access requests to have accounts restored
Several G Suite Legacy users are complaining that Google is pushing free-for-life users into business plans over ostensibly commercial use.
Many of those affected say they have been using G Suite legacy for family emails or personal domains for years — in some cases, decades — with no commercial intent or activity.
Those who have attempted to appeal the decision have encountered an unclear appeals process and, apparently, in some cases, automatic denials.
“Upgrade to a paid Google Workspace subscription”
The old free edition of G Suite was officially discontinued for business purposes in 2022, but Google allowed personal use of the suite to continue in a free-for-life format, provided users did not use accounts for commercial purposes.
Now, those affected by this wave of apparent commercial use have received an email that reads: “Please upgrade to a paid Google Workspace subscription to continue using your services. Watch for a notice about the appeal process in the Google Admin console or email. If you do not take action during your 45-day appeal period, Google will begin suspending your core Google Workspace services, including Gmail, Cal, and Meendar. core services and data.”
A Google community post asking for help says their family has been using G Suite legacy for nearly 20 years under a custom family name domain with 15 accounts, “purely for private email and basic Google services.”
“There is no business, no income, no commercial activity of any kind associated with this domain. The stakes are very high for our family,” the post said, with the user explaining that the accounts exist as part of “digital identities built over nearly two decades,” noting that some family members would not be equipped to handle migration to a new domain.
Several users on Reddit’s r/gsuitelegacymigration have also received the account upgrade email
“G Suite legacy free edition is intended for personal, non-commercial use. If users are identified as commercial users, we will enforce our existing policy and help them switch to a Google Workspace subscription. Anyone who believes their account has been identified as being used for commercial purposes in error can file an appeal,” a Google spokesperson said. The register.
Google has not explained how it relates legacy G Suite domains to commercial activity. A Reddit user said their account was flagged as being used for commercial purposes. and their appeal was dismissed. The user managed to get his account restored after filing a GDPR subject access request asking Google to provide proof that the domain was being used for commercial use.
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