I’ve been a Google One subscriber for the last two years, and while I love the perks it already includes, it isn’t perfect. Google One would be even better if it had these extra perks and features.
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Multi-User Storage Management
One key advantage of subscribing to Google One is sharing storage with family members. You can include up to five family members, which is quite generous. However, a major drawback is the lack of granular controls over how storage is allocated. Currently, once you share your storage, every member can use as much as they want without restrictions, leading to uneven distribution and potential storage shortages.
A proper multi-user storage management system would allow the family manager to set individual quotas for each member. This would ensure that no single person uses up all the space, leaving others with little to none.
The Google One storage tracking dashboard should also help monitor usage and identify who is using the most data. It would also provide a breakdown of the storage used per file type without revealing the actual stored information. Such a feature would provide better control and transparency, making Google One a more user-friendly and efficient solution for families.
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Free PlayPass Access
Google One is a great way to get more storage on your Google account in addition to the free 15GB that every account gets. However, it mainly only includes extra shareable storage and nothing else, despite Google having other additional services that could improve the subscription’s value.
As a long-term subscriber, I would like Google One to include PlayPass. If you’re unaware, Google Play Pass is a subscription service that lets you download apps and games from the Google Play Store without ads or in-app purchases. It’s only $4.99 per month, which isn’t much, but it would be great if Google included it as an additional perk for Google One subscribers.
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Free YouTube Premium Lite Access
As a Google One subscriber paying for storage, it still doesn’t make sense that I have to endure ads on YouTube—unless I pay for Premium. As such, a free YouTube Premium Lite plan would add significant value to Google One.
This would be especially beneficial for users who primarily use YouTube for casual viewing and don’t need all the YouTube Premium features, like me. That’s why I ditched YouTube Premium in the first place. As someone who owns both an iOS and an Android device, I think of Google One as Apple’s similarly named service, Apple One.
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Apple One bundles various Apple services, making it cheaper than paying for each separately. Likewise, it would be great if Google included free YouTube Premium Lite access as part of Google One.
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Ad-Free Access to YouTube Music
Currently, if you want both Google One and YouTube Music Premium, you must pay for two separate subscriptions, which can be expensive. It would be great if Google One included ad-free access to YouTube Music, similar to YouTube Premium. That would be a great addition to the plan and will make it more complete, especially for those relying on Google services for storage and media.
For someone who uses a third-party music streaming service, a bundled option—or even a small discount for Google One subscribers—could easily make me ditch Spotify for good. This approach would also help Google compete with Apple One, which combines iCloud storage with Apple Music. Trust me, if Apple had better multi-platform support for its services, I could pay for Apple One and easily ditch Spotify for Apple Music.
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Google Photos Printing Credits
Besides being used as a photo and video backup service, Google Photos offers professional photo printing at an extra cost. However, it would be great to include free photo printing credits as part of Google One as an extra perk. This could include a limited number of free prints per month or a discount on premium photo books and canvas prints.
Such a feature would make Google One more appealing, especially for users who print photos often. Google One used to offer free shipping on select Google Photos prints, but the company removed that perk in 2024. However, this small but valuable benefit would provide a tangible return on investment for subscribers, making the subscription feel more rewarding beyond just cloud storage.
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A Free VPN
Google used to offer a free VPN as a perk of subscribing to Google One until it shut down the service in 2024. However, with competitors like Apple One offering Private Relay (a VPN-like service), it only makes sense for Google to re-introduce its VPN feature to Google One.
A VPN for all Google One users would enhance security, especially when using public Wi-Fi networks. Google already offers its VPN service for free to Pixel 7 series phones and newer, and I wish Google One subscribers could get the same treatment. Even a limited version—such as one with a daily data cap or fewer location options—would still be a valuable perk.
I pay for Google One mainly because of the extra storage, as I’ve long exhausted the free 15GB. However, Google has a chance to make the subscription more appealing by including more features and perks, as discussed, to be on par with or even surpass competing offerings like Apple One.
