Guide: activate and use Google Cloud Identity Free Edition

Application: Nomid MDM Document: V1.1.0 Last updated: 02/07/2026 Editorial owner: Nomid MDM Documentation Last editorial review: 02/07/2026 Editorial language: en-US

This technical guide was developed to help businesses set up Google Cloud Identity Free, create corporate accounts for their users, and use these accounts on Android devices securely and manageably — replacing the use of free email addresses like @gmail.com.

Important: Cloud Identity organizes identity and access, but it does not replace Nomid as the EMM. To bind Android Enterprise and define who manages devices, read Google Workspace and fully managed Android and Integrations.

IMPORTANT: Do you already have Google Workspace?

If your organization already uses Google Workspace, you do not need to activate Cloud Identity: it is already included in the environment. To create users with identity-only access without consuming Gmail, Drive, or another unwanted paid license, control automatic license assignment before creating or moving users.

Check Billing > Subscriptions and confirm that the Cloud Identity Free subscription is active.
In organizations with Workspace, review automatic paid-license assignment in the organizational unit where the user will be created.
Create or move the user into the correct organizational unit.
Confirm that the user has Cloud Identity Free and no unwanted paid license.

Skip directly to How to validate licensing in the Admin Console.

Objective

Replace personal and free accounts used on corporate Android devices with managed accounts @yourdomain.com, with full control by the IT team — at no cost.

Prerequisites

A custom domain (e.g., yourcompany.com)
Access to the domain's DNS management
A personal Google account to start the configuration (only for the first time)

Note that you can directly request up to 50 users (initial free limit per domain) without reseller intervention.

1. Activate Google Cloud Identity Free

Link: https://cloud.google.com/identity/docs/setup?hl=pt-br
Click on "Get started for free"

1.2 Fill in organization details

Company name
Estimated number of users
Contact email (can be Gmail at this point)

1.3 Provide and verify the domain

Enter your corporate domain (e.g., yourcompany.com)
Verify domain ownership via:
- TXT or CNAME record in DNS
- HTML file upload on the website
Follow the instructions displayed in the wizard

Details: https://support.google.com/a/answer/60216?hl=pt-BR

1.4 Create the initial administrator

Create the account admin@yourdomain.com
This account will be used to access the Google Admin Console
Set a secure initial password

2. Access the Admin Console

Access: https://admin.google.com/
Log in with admin@yourdomain.com
Complete the initial steps of the administration panel

3. Create Users in Cloud Identity

3.1 Create users individually

In the side menu: Directory > Users
Click on Add new user
Fill in the data (name, email, password)
The email must follow the format user@yourdomain.com

3.2 Create users in bulk (optional)

Access: Users > Manage bulk users
Download the CSV template
Fill in with employee data
Upload to the console

4. How to validate licensing in the Admin Console

Cloud Identity Free uses site-based licensing: new users automatically receive the free license, which does not need to be manually assigned and cannot be removed from an existing user. Initial signup increases the organization's free user cap by 50; eligible organizations can request an increase.

To check available capacity and avoid unwanted paid-license consumption:

Go to Billing > Subscriptions
Click Cloud Identity Free
Review the subscription total, existing users, and remaining capacity
If necessary, use the increase request form available to super administrators

In organizations that also use Google Workspace, disable automatic paid-license assignment in organizational units where new users should receive only Cloud Identity Free.

After creating the user, open the user record in the Admin Console and confirm which services/licenses are active. If a paid license was applied by an automatic rule, adjust the organizational unit or rule before creating the next batch.

5. How to Use Cloud Identity Accounts on Android Devices

Cloud Identity accounts are corporate accounts that can be manually added to Android devices for authentication and access to internal company apps — even outside the initial provisioning flow or an MDM.

On fully managed devices, the ability to add accounts depends on the applied policy. Before instructing a user, review account restrictions in Policies.

5.1 Manually Adding the Account on Android

To add a @yourdomain.com account to an already configured device:

On the Android device, go to Settings.
Tap Accounts (or Users & accounts).
Tap Add account > Google.
Enter the email user@yourdomain.com and tap Next.
Enter the corresponding password.
If prompted, accept the terms and policies for account usage.
The account will be linked to the device and appear as a managed account.

This account can be used for apps that require Google authentication, logging into internal apps, or corporate validation.

If an application (such as Chrome, YouTube, or a company app) requests login with a Google account:

Tap Sign in in the app.
Select Add new account.
Enter the email user@yourdomain.com.
Proceed with the same authentication process as above.

This process is useful when the MDM does not require automatic account addition or when the device is already provisioned.

6. Relevant Limitations for Nomid MDM Users

For those already using Nomid MDM to manage devices and security policies, these are the limitations of Cloud Identity Free that may still impact its use:

Feature	Available?
Gmail (inbox)	❌ No
Google Drive and Docs	⚠️ No dedicated storage; access and collaboration depend on sharing, policy, and storage supplied by another license
Password control and 2FA authentication	✅ Yes
Direct technical support with Google	❌ Limited
Initial cap increased by 50 users	✅ Yes; an additional increase may be requested and is subject to approval

All other functionalities for authentication, managed identity, and linking with Android devices via Android Enterprise are compatible with MDM usage and work normally with Nomid MDM.

Important Notes

Cloud Identity accounts cannot be used to create free Gmail
It is not possible to use the same @yourdomain.com email to create a personal Gmail account
Cloud Identity Free provides no individual storage, but users may access or collaborate on shared files when organization policy and available storage allow it

Conclusion

Google Cloud Identity Free is the most secure and cost-free way to provide managed corporate accounts for authentication on Android devices, replacing the insecure use of personal accounts. With it, your IT team gains control, visibility, and security — without paying for Gmail or Google Drive.

For MDM integrations and Android provisioning workflows, follow First 3 steps.

📖 Official References: