The update follows an announcement Google made in May, updating its policy in an effort to make Google accounts more safe and secure.
Google said the update will be rolled out “slowly and carefully, with plenty of notice.” Users will receive multiple notifications, including a backup email if one has been set up, according to the company’s announcement.
In the May blog post, Google’s vice president of product management Ruth Kricheli, said the goal of the update is to limit accounts from being compromised.
Google’s internal analysis showed that “abandoned accounts are” are at least 10 times less likely than active accounts to have 2-step verification set up, according to the blog post.
The accounts also often use “old or re-used” passwords that may have been compromised making them more vulnerable.
In order to keep an account active, users can sign in at least once every two years to comply with the new policy.
While signed in, users can take a wide range of actions to keep their accounts active. Reading or sending an email, using Google Drive, using Google search or watching a video on Google-owned YouTube is enough to keep an account active.
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.
