It's not certain what prompted the apparent turnaround. We've asked Google for comment.

While this isn't necessarily a deal-breaker if you're buying a Pixel 4, especially if you're already paying for more Google storage, it's probably not what you were hoping to hear if you're a Pixel-toting photographer. You now have to either pay extra (unless you can live off of 15GB) or accept that your snapshots will lose a tiny bit of luster when they reach Google Photos. If there's a consolation, it's that Google seemingly has more confidence in the Pixel line -- it doesn't feel the need to sweeten the deal with cloud storage or similar perks.