If you have any sort of Google account, whether it’s for Gmail, YouTube, Google+, or all of the above, you’ve probably used Google Drive at some point in time. Google Drive has increased in popularity, as they offer a generous 15GB of free storage. While 15GB of free storage is great, there are times when you may need more storage. You can either fork over $1.99 per month to the “over lord” for an additional 100GB of space, or seek an alternate solution. Is there a better way?
Getting 1TB of Free Storage
There is a fairly simple way to earn 1TB of free Google Drive storage. You simply have to reach Level 4 on Google Local Guides.
What Is Google Local Guides?
Google Local Guides is a rewards program that was started for users who actively submit reviews to Google Maps. If you’re like me, you love being an amateur restaurant critic. I was naturally reviewing restaurants on Google Maps long before Google Local Guides existed, and lucky for me (and maybe you), the points were all added from stuff I reviewed prior to joining the program.
Get To The Point.. I’m Here For Free Storage
In order to gain 1TB of free storage, you must gain 200 points, which earns you Level 4 in the program. There are several ways to earn points – the main way is by reviewing any location on Google Maps. You get one point for reviewing a location, and you get one additional point each additional thing you complete. These things include: uploading a photo of the location, fixing false information, answering questions about the location, or adding a new place that has not yet been added to Maps. The points are added within 24-hours of completing items, and once you reach Level 4, it takes a few weeks to get the free storage added to your account.
Google Local Guides Also Has More Benefits
But wait, there’s more! Yep, seriously. By reaching Level 4 on Local Guides, you also get other rewards at random times. Google recently gave all Level 4 members a free 3 month subscription to New York Times Online. In addition, all Level 4 members receive a yearly gift as a thank you from Google. Last year, this gift was a free Local Guides t-shirt. In addition, you also have opportunities to beta test new Google software as it is being developed. The most recent opportunity being the to beta test Google Trips, a new app in development.
But It Isn’t Free Forever
There’s a catch: the storage is only good for 2 years – after that, it expires. It is unclear there is any way to “re-earn” the storage at this point, but I believe you only can get it once. So after 2 years, you’ll have to narrow your files back down to 15GB, or purchase additional storage from Google.
Conclusion
With a little time and effort, you can earn 1TB of free Google Drive storage. It isn’t free forever though, so keep that in mind.
