I would love a Google subscription plan, but Gemini won't let me
Android Police 2026-06-17 10:00:14
Context: Mark Jansen, a technology journalist with nearly a decade of experience covering Android and mobile technology, expresses his frustration with Google's subscription plans. He currently pays for multiple Google services, including Google Drive, YouTube Premium, and Google Health Premium, but wants to consolidate these into a single subscription plan. However, Google's newest AI-powered service, Gemini, is standing in the way.
Key Facts
- Mark Jansen pays $28 a month for additional Google Drive storage, YouTube Premium, and Google Health Premium, but Google's bundled subscription plan would cost him $100 a month, which is almost four times as much as his current payments.
- The majority of features listed in Google's high-end subscription plans center around Gemini and AI, which Jansen neither wants nor needs, including five times higher limits and access to newer models.
- Jansen tried Google's NotebookLM feature but found it overcomplicated and pointless for his needs, and he has never used any of the AI features Google has integrated into its Workspace suite.
- A cheaper Google AI Pro plan offers YouTube Premium Lite, Google Health Premium, and 5TB of storage for $20 a month, but Jansen prefers full-fat YouTube Premium and does not want to pay $100 a month for AI-powered features.
- If Google offered a subscription pack with services like Google Health Premium and YouTube Premium without AI features, Jansen believes it would be successful, as many people may not find AI features desirable.