Google Quietly Hits Undo On File Creation Limit For Drive After Backlash
Some two months ago, it appears Google had secretly put a cap on all Drive users at five million files, even for those who had forked out for extra storage. According to Ars Technica, the technology giant enacted the change with no prior warning, catching companies off guard.
Initially, many businesses that were experiencing system shutdowns thought the errors were due to a bug, but later found out the real reason—after being left unable to upload new files or receiving notifications that there were millions of files that needed to be deleted.
However, after the story broke last week, Google admitted to the publication the limitation wasn’t a glitch in the system. In fact, it was “a safeguard to prevent misuse” of the system that could possibly impact its “stability and safety.”
If we need to make changes, we will communicate them to users in advance.
— Google Drive (@googledrive) April 4, 2023
Facing backlash after being caught in the act, the company recently announced it was rolling back the change, sheepishly noting that in the future, if changes are made, the firm should “communicate them to users in advance.”
“We recently rolled out a system update to Drive item limits to preserve stability and optimize performance. While this impacted only a small number of people, we are rolling back this change as we explore alternate approaches to ensure a great experience for all,” the company tweeted.
While it certainly is a relief that Google has decided to hit the “undo” button on the Drive cap, many have been left wondering why the firm thought it could roll out such a plan in secret. Hopefully, going forward, users won’t be left in the lurch again.
[via Ars Technica and Engadget, cover image via Bigtunaonline | Dreamstime.com]
