Google is getting rid of inactive accounts starting this Friday. If you’re a real estate agent, it’s important to understand this change and take action to save your old emails and files.
According to Google’s new policy, an account is considered inactive if it hasn’t been used for the past two years. Google now has the right to delete these inactive accounts along with all their data. The deletion process is set to start on December 1.
Back in May, Google announced this policy update, saying they would take a “phased approach.” They will begin by deleting accounts that were created but never used. Google also promised to send several notifications in the months leading up to an account being deleted. These notifications will be sent to both the inactive account’s main email address and any secondary email linked to the account.
Why is Google doing this? They want to prevent unused accounts from being hacked and used for identity theft or spam.
If you’re a real estate agent with an inactive account, you can avoid losing it by simply signing in at least once every two years. Google sees this as active usage. Reading or sending an email, using Google Drive, watching a YouTube video, downloading apps from the Play Store, or searching on Google—all of these count as signs of active usage.
This deletion policy only applies to personal accounts and won’t impact accounts set up by schools, workplaces, or other organizations. Also, if you have an active subscription, your account won’t be considered inactive. To be extra safe, set up a “recovery email” on your inactive account. Google will notify you before taking any action, and the recovery email doesn’t have to be another Gmail account.
Now, what if you decide to delete your Google account yourself? Sometimes, you can recover it, especially if the deletion was recent. But we’re not sure if this option applies to accounts deleted by Google. Additionally, it’s unclear what happens to the email address of a deleted account.
Google says these deletions are necessary because inactive accounts are vulnerable. Once hacked, they can be used for identity theft or to spread unwanted content like spam.
When Google first announced this change in May, some people were worried it could affect YouTube accounts, potentially erasing videos from the internet. Google clarified that accounts with YouTube uploads won’t be affected.
As a real estate agent, make sure to keep your Google account active to avoid any unexpected deletions. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out.
Stay connected and keep your digital space safe! 🌐
David Elwood from Elwood.Biz