I exploit quite a lot of Google providers, out of which 4 are paid: Google One, YouTube Premium, Play Cross, and Nest Conscious. As a primarily software-driven model, you’d assume that Google would know the way to bundle its numerous providers, nevertheless it would not do something near that. If something, Apple, a {hardware} firm, does a significantly better job on this space with Apple One, the place it bundles iCloud storage, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and Apple Music in a single handy subscription.
I do not perceive why Google can not do the identical. Heck, it even has a service with Google One branding, and all it truly has to do is membership all of its disparate choices below one plan. However that seems like an excessive amount of to ask of Google, so as a substitute Google One solely affords cloud storage, YouTube Premium is simply good for ad-free YouTube (and largely forgettable originals), Nest Conscious is for accessing the footage of safety cameras you already paid for, and I am nonetheless making an attempt to know why I pay for Play Cross.
Anyway, the purpose is that Google ought to have found out a solution to membership its software program choices right into a single subscription years in the past, and the truth that it nonetheless would not do that’s annoying to say the least. If something, it advantages the search large to introduce an all-in-one subscription bundle that covers YouTube, Drive storage, Play Cross, and Nest Conscious.
Now, Google rolled out the Pixel Cross two years in the past alongside the Pixel 6 collection, the place it bundled 200GB of Google Drive storage, YouTube Premium, YouTube Music, Play Cross, and a Most popular Care service that covers unintentional injury to Pixel {hardware}. Whereas Google was clearly on the proper path, Pixel Cross was restricted to the U.S., and it was discontinued with the launch of the Pixel 8 collection.
That is the most important drawback with Google’s software program typically — anytime the model has a half-decent thought, it kills it off earlier than it could possibly take off. It is nearly as if every Google service is in-built a silo, and there is no overarching technique for the model as a complete. Clearly, not everybody would profit from subscribing to all of Google’s providers, however an all-in-one subscription would enable Google to promote lesser-used providers like Play Cross to a wider vary of customers.
Google is alleged to be mulling a Pixel Cross successor that features an all-in-one subscription bundle, however as of now, there is no telling when that may be obtainable, or in what areas. That is one other supply of frustration with Google providers — the model would not embrace all options in all areas.
For example, I pay for Google One, and a latest function addition is the inclusion of a VPN that is baked into the service. Just one drawback — it is not obtainable in India. Whereas Google One is on the market in over 100 areas, the VPN is proscribed to 22 international locations, so customers in different areas do not get the function despite the fact that they pay for cloud storage. It is this type of preferential therapy that is significantly irksome when utilizing Google’s providers.
In the end, Google wants a clearly outlined technique for its software program efforts, however that is simpler stated than accomplished. Google makes a lot cash from search promoting that it nearly feels just like the model would not actually care about setting an overarching agenda for its software program providers, and that establishment is not set to alter anytime quickly.
