Workplace Starter - shared storage ineffective - user limit hardcoded to 30GB?

[colebatchd]

Hi folks,

Here's my workplace storage:

And at an OU level:

However when I look at my users I see this:

I haven't changed any settings for 24 hours, so the propagation warning (which I don't understand how it would impact this).

I've tried logging in to a new incognito browser - same errors.

I've tried turning storage limits off completely (that was my first attempt) - same errors (although I didn't wait 24 hours on that attempt).

It appears to me that the pooled storage can't be overridden.  Am I missing something?

Thanks,
Dim

[Penelope]

I wonder if the transition to pooled storage messed something up since the transition was supposed to have happened in May per https://support.google.com/a/answer/12002975. It says:  Pooled storage is rolling out to you as of May 2023. Storage limits greater than 30 GB set in the Admin console won't take effect until your organization is moved to pooled storage.

Have you spoken to Workspace one on one support yet to see what they say? 

[colebatchd]

I think you're spot on, and after my initial post the below popped up on my admin screen.

I haven't logged a support ticket as I it isn't an option for free plans like mine.  

It's frustrating as I presume I just need to wait for pooled storage, but don't know when that's going to happen, and don't know if that is in fact what I need to wait for....

[Penelope]

Interesting. So you have workspace starter yet you get told to "upgrade to Google Workspace"...wow, I always thought Workspace Starter was Workspace (unless that is now the old G Suite Legacy kind? ~ some of the transitions got me a little mixed up to be honest). 

But I am glad to know that you are seeing that banner since I didn't realize the pooled storage transition was actually still ongoing. I honestly thought it was supposed to have been over. Oh, yeah, I am really behind in the news...it's supposed to take months per https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2023/05/pooled-storage-shared-drives-for-google-workspace-bu.... 

Rollout pace

• Beginning May 15, 2023, new Business Starter customers will have pooled storage by default.
  
  
• Pooled storage will start rolling out to existing Business Starter customers on May 22, 2023 and continue over the coming months. 
  
  
• Shared drives will become available after pooled storage rolls out to all existing Business Starter customers.

I guess if you also start seeing the ability to see Shared Drives then that means pooled storage should be out too if I am reading that right. 

[colebatchd]

Thanks - appreciate your time.

I'm an ancient G-suite legacy "customer".  I initially upgraded to Business Standard.  But for my family (6 accounts) I can't justify it.  So I downgraded back to Business Starter (free for family use), hence no support.

Your shared drives tip is really helpful - that at least adds weight to by understanding that I haven't yet been migrated.

My email is still working (has been like this a week or so now). Google Drive out of operation which is causing some difficulty, but I will manage it if need be.  And of course Google Photos.

[Penelope]

Thank you for taking time to explain this all and the screenshots! I am going to see if I can do some research...I have access to the Workspace Admin Help Community and users are definitely noticing things are not going to pooled as fast as they all had hoped: https://support.google.com/a/thread/224831949. (The last time a Google product expert was even on that thread was back in July so going to see if I can find another post with a more recent update than that. Unfortunately I don't know which moderators in our community that might have a good handle on pooled storage transition plans in the Google Cloud Communities to plus mention them here.) 

[colebatchd]

Further to this - it feels more like a bug than a rollout problem.  Here's another user (currently sitting at 29.5GB)

The Family OU is set to unlimited...

So unlike my user which is inheriting 30GB, this user (all the same config) is inheriting 35GB... confused?

[Penelope]

That is strange, I do agree. I thought everyone could only have a max of 30 unless they had the extra storage deal, which was possible where end users and the such like could get their own storage, but having 35gb still seems like a weird number to me but after poking around in the Admin help center I do see that there was a such thing as a "Drive storage add-on" per https://support.google.com/a/answer/13580242. So yes, your findings are definitely including the confusion spirit. (I do enjoy mysteries though so this is fun to work through this.)

I do know some Workspace Admin Google product experts so if you would like me to talk to the ones I know to see if they know anything about Workspace Starter and the transition pooled storage, let me know. 

[colebatchd]

Thanks.  A question I'd love to know the answer to - if I change back to a paid plan will that delay my business starter storage rollout?  ie can I pay for a couple of months, then go back without losing my place in the rollout queue?

[Penelope]

Thanks for the specific question. I am going to see which one of my peeps would know about this topic along with your specific question as well. 

[Penelope]

I spoke to one of my peeps I know and they wondered if you could ask this question in the Workspace Admin help community (https://support.google.com/a/community) and all you would need to do basically is simply ask your questions and just link to this post (by copying and pasting this URL to the post over there) so you wouldn't have to post your screenshots twice. Once you got that done, let me know the URL of your post so I can ensure my volunteer fellow is given it so he can monitor it in the community. The URL of the post we are in right now is https://www.googlecloudcommunity.com/gc/Workspace-Q-A/Workplace-Starter-shared-storage-ineffective-u... just FYI. 

[colebatchd]

Thanks again.  Now posted.

https://support.google.com/a/thread/233507543?hl=en&sjid=3602077991726017509-AP

[Penelope]

Thanks, mate. I will give it to my contact I know. 

I do see it already has a reply by EJ however that is one I don't know and don't know the quality of their answers to be honest. 

[Penelope]

I did hear from my POC (tony_b in that community) and he said the response looks right and he also said, "When the initial roll out is ramped up to include everybody finally, then there would be no queue as the OP is referring to. It would just be standard for all accounts."

[colebatchd]

Thanks again, much appreciated.

[Penelope]

You are very welcome! 

[colebatchd]

For my own tracking more than anything else... 4 weeks on and no change.  "Coming weeks" is obviously intended to include "coming months".

[Penelope]

Came across https://www.googlecloudcommunity.com/gc/Workspace-Q-A/Business-Starter-pooled-storage-not-working/m-... today and it sounds like the rollout about the more storage to pooled storage is finally coming to folks. I did notice a Googler respond to the thread as well. 

[colebatchd]

Thanks - yes I see I'm not the only one.  Still the same situation for me.

[Penelope]

I did find a post from a Googler saying they were willing to look into specific domain's accounts even regarding this: https://www.googlecloudcommunity.com/gc/Workspace-Q-A/Business-Starter-pooled-storage-not-working/m-.... Just FYI

[colebatchd]

Thanks, yes TSnow yes very helpful. Still no option other than to wait regarding the actual pooled storage rollout. 

[Dodo1234]

Any news?

I'm in the exact same position.