Microsoft bundled its AI-powered Office features into Microsoft 365 Personal and Home subscriptions last year, but that only allowed the primary account holder to access the AI benefits. Now, Microsoft is set to allow Microsoft 365 Family and Premium subscribers to share Copilot and AI usage features, as well as access to Office apps and OneDrive storage, with up to five other people on a plan.
In an email to Microsoft 365 Home and Premium subscribers seen by The edgeMicrosoft outlines upcoming changes to subscription plans over the coming months:
Storage changes seem to be the main downside to Microsoft’s updates. Instead of getting 1TB of OneDrive storage per account, Microsoft now limits that to just 2TB of shared storage across the entire plan. Microsoft says this makes storage more flexible if a member exceeds 1TB, but it appears to be an easy way for the company to sell more OneDrive storage in reality.
According to a support note, “existing subscribers in eligible markets may also benefit from transitional bonus storage.” Microsoft also plans to provide support for families who use a lot of storage
The changes come a year after the launch of Microsoft 365 Premium, which offers all the benefits of a Copilot Pro and a Microsoft 365 Family subscription for $19.99 per month. The “more flexible use of AI” change could mean that some subscribers end up paying more for AI use, depending on how they use Copilot.
Gn tech
