Writing reviews on Google Maps can get you upto 1TB of free cloud storage for two years. According to reports, a Reddit user got the offer after becoming a Level 4 local guide on Google Maps. Assuming that Level 4 is the cap for getting free storage, it would mean that you need to acquire 200 points on Google Maps, in order to be eligible for the offer. Points on Google Maps are acquired by writing reviews, uploading photos, correcting wrong information, adding places and answering questions regarding the service.
Adding reviews and comments about places on Google Maps works quite the same way as they do on Zomato, but this added incentive wasn’t heard of, till today. According to the official website, you can become a local guide for Google, and earn points. Earning more than 5 points gets you to Level 2, while Level 3 can be reached by earning over 50 points. Level 4 and 5 can be reached at 200 and 500 points, respectively.
Signing up to be a local guide for Google Maps is free, and gets you early access to new features from Google, along with exclusive invitations to Google-hosted events. You will also have an official Local Guides badge on Google Maps. When signing up, Google will ask you to choose your preferred location. You can start earning points once you sign up and start posting information.
Google Maps has evolved over the years, becoming quite useful for Indian users today. Features like Offline Maps and saving locations have made it even more useful, and the service’s accuracy has also improved a lot. Google also allows third parties like Uber, Ola, and many others to use the Maps service in their apps.
Further, Google allows 15GB of free Drive storage to users, with a monthly charge of $1.99 (approx. Rs. 130) for 100GB of storage, and $9.99 (approx. Rs. 670) for 1TB. There are also options for 10, 20 and 30TB of storage.
You can check out the Reddit thread here.