According to a Google blog post published on Wednesday, a new security update will apply to some Google Drive files to make sharing links more secure. Google recommends all users apply the update, but ultimately is leaving the choice of what to do with the files in question up to you. Google said it would send out email notifications to both organizations and people with personal Google Workspace accounts next month to inform them about which files would be impacted. Users have until September 13 to decide how the update is applied to their specific files. “Once the update has been applied to a file, users who haven’t viewed the file before will have to use a URL containing the resource key to gain access, and those who have viewed the file before or have direct access will not need the resource key to access the file,” Google wrote in its blog post. It’s just one of the many changes Google users have had to endure this year with their content, including new limits on Google Photos storage that took effect at the beginning of this month. Google now charges users for storing more than 15GB of photos. The good news is, the images you had stored before June 1 don’t count towards that 15GB cap, but if you need more storage, you’ll have to pay $1.99 a month for 100GB. At least Google is making its new Workspace features available to anyone with a Google account. Previously, you could only access certain features, such as the ability to share smart suggestions in emails or documents, if you had a monthly subscription.
