My worst tech decision: A G Suite account for personal use

I’m not a playing man, however through the years, I’ve come to understand that purchasing into any Google service is a sport of Russian Roulette. The Google graveyard will attest to the variety of Google companies killed through the years, however many different companies stay needlessly impeded. Working example — Google Workspace, or G Suite because it was beforehand identified, for private use.

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I’m certain a few of you’ll recommend that I shouldn’t have used Google Workspace as a private account to start with. Nonetheless, again after I signed up, Google actively marketed Google Apps and G Suite accounts to particular person customers and households who wished their very own private domains. Even at the moment, it’s merely not doable to have an everyday Gmail account with a customized area hooked up to it. As somebody with out entry to a primary title plus final title Gmail account, I opted for the subsequent greatest resolution — a customized area. Little did I do know that it will come again to chunk me repeatedly through the years.

My Google Workspace account web page signifies that I arrange my account someday round 2009. Suffice it to say, it’s been a thirteen-year-long love-hate relationship. Like several relationship that goes by means of its ups and downs, my honeymoon interval with G Suite lasted for a couple of years when my main use case revolved round emails. Though Gmail for G Suite usually acquired options later than the free Gmail service, these had been gildings at greatest and didn’t actually hassle me. The true troubles began when Google began rolling out its broader portfolio of merchandise.

It was the summer season of 2017 when Google launched Google Pay in India. Dubbed Tez at launch, it was part of the early crop of digital funds apps that had been constructed to capitalize on India’s unified funds interface. I used to be desirous to attempt the app, just because I didn’t belief the options with my monetary knowledge. Nonetheless, my digital funds journey got here to a screeching halt quickly sufficient. Nope, the app didn’t assist G Suite accounts.

I figured that these points is perhaps as a result of Tez being an India-exclusive app. Quick ahead to 2018, and Google rolled Tez into Google Pay. That ought to have solved the problem, proper? That’s a no, once more. In November 2020, the official Google Pay Twitter account confirmed that assist for G Suite accounts could be added within the coming months. It’s now midway by means of 2022, and utilizing a Google Workspace or G Suite account with Google Pay remains to be unattainable. The problems, nonetheless, go properly past Google Pay.

When Google launched the first-generation Google Dwelling speaker in India in 2018, I used to be first in line to choose one as much as broaden my rising sensible house wants. Establishing the speaker was easy, however I shortly found that it didn’t assist calendars for G Suite accounts. Contemplating fast entry to calendars and reminders was certainly one of my high necessities, the acquisition was a whole bust for me. Paradoxically, the competing Echo Dot from Amazon had no bother tapping into my G Suite-based calendar. How’s that for supporting your personal merchandise?

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However because it seems, my troubles with Google’s sensible house ecosystem didn’t fairly finish there. Even at the moment, there is no such thing as a solution to invite relations to your Google Dwelling account in the event you’ve created mentioned account utilizing a Google Workspace profile. I’ve searched lengthy and broad inside the admin panel to see if there’s a safety setting that I may need missed, however Google merely doesn’t enable it.

It will get worse if you’re investing within the Nest ecosystem. I just lately picked up a Nest Digital camera to see the way it in comparison with my Ubiquiti safety cameras. For days I unsuccessfully saved making an attempt so as to add the digicam to my Google Dwelling app until it struck me that it may very well be a G Suite limitation. Positive as hell, switching over to an everyday Gmail account acquired me going. I perceive Google eager to lock entry for the improved safety and privateness promised by a enterprise account, however the truth that there is no such thing as a possibility in any respect to toggle it boggles my thoughts. It’s additionally infuriating that Google doesn’t point out a scarcity of assist for Workspace accounts anyplace on the packaging or within the app.

My checklist of points runs longer nonetheless, together with companies like Google One which is just not out there to Google Workspace customers. Equally, household sharing for Google Drive storage, YouTube Premium, or YouTube Music is inaccessible for Google Workspace customers. I’m not in a supported area, however Stadia is one more service that’s not supported with these accounts.

I’m properly conscious that there’s a solution to export knowledge from Google Workspace and manually import a few of it into an everyday Gmail account. That mentioned, the method is so long-winded and cumbersome that it seems like Google went out of its solution to deter straightforward migrations. Actually, I wouldn’t be too stunned if that was the case.

As a paying buyer, it makes completely no sense for Google to lock me out of a complete ecosystem of services simply because I acquired tied right into a beta service. Tech purchases like telephones and tablets are disposable, my on-line id isn’t, and it simply isn’t possible for me to change over to an everyday Gmail account at this level. Most legacy customers have had the customized e mail deal with as part of their on-line id for the higher a part of a decade. Since Gmail doesn’t enable customized domains, your solely actual possibility is emigrate a decade or extra of communications to a unique e mail supplier.

And that’s earlier than we discuss all of the related companies like Google Drive, Google Docs, and even Google Pictures. Or all your bought apps, books, and flicks. Or the myriad companies you may need signed up for together with your Google login.

Look, locking down on exterior options to keep up consumer privateness in a enterprise area is commendable. Nonetheless, if I can undergo the effort of organising a customized area to make use of with Google Workspace, I’m completely able to understanding the dangers related to toggling these options within the admin panel. Conversely, Google may additionally provide a fundamental plan for Gmail customers who need to deploy a customized area.

I hardly ever remorse shopping for into particular ecosystems, however regardless of my G Suite account being one of many key pillars of my on-line existence, it’s palms down one of many worst tech choices that I’ve made.