Google combines cloud storage for Gmail, Drive, Google+ services

Cloud storage for three of Google's more popular services - Gmail, Google Drive and Google+ - are being combined to give users more control over how they want to use the storage space.

By combining them, users will now have access to 15 gigabytes of storage for free that they can use for their emails, Google documents and photos on the Google+ social network. Previously, users had 10 GB that they could use for Gmail and an additional 5 GB for Google Drive and Google+ photos. More storage is available for a monthly fee.

"Maybe you're a heavy Gmail user but light on photos, or perhaps you were bumping up against your Drive storage limit but were only using 2 GB in Gmail," Google said in a blog post. "Now it doesn't matter, because you can use your storage the way you want."

Google also said that users can check the Google Drive storage Web page to see a visualization of how they are using their storage space. In pie chart form, the page will show users how their storage breaks down between the three services. Users can also turn to this page to purchase more storage if necessary.

The change will be rolling out to users over the next couple of weeks, according to the company.