It's a good thing I downloaded my Snapchat data multiple times earlier this year. I don't know what came over me. You could call it a precognition or just mere coincidence. Turns out that Snapchat is planning to start charging for storing Memories once you exceed 5GB of data.
As expected, users are furious online and calling it everything from a memory tax to corporate greed. However, Snapchat Inc. says it’s simply covering storage costs, comparing it to paid services like iCloud and Google Drive.
Snapchat wants you to pay to keep your memories
Snapchat’s free tier was a huge part of its appeal because it let you store and share photos, videos, and Memories without paying a dime. For years, people could build a massive archive of their lives and download copies of the data at any time.
The company behind the app has since updated its support page to reflect the latest change, since their early announcement in September. Moving forward, you now have just 5GB of Memories storage at no cost.
If you want more, there are several options. Pay for the 100GB Memories-only plan, which costs $2 monthly, or get a Snapchat Plus subscription with around 250GB of storage for $4 monthly. Snapchat Plus Platinum gives you up to 5TB for $16.
If you exceed the free 5GB given to you, you have 48 hours to resubscribe or the extra Memories will be deleted. That means your old memories are safe, except for the most recent ones above 5GB.
Thankfully, Snapchat has given you 12 months of temporary storage for anything over the free 5GB limit. You can use that time to decide on how to manage your piling data.
There's still time to download your memories
It's worth noting that there's always been a camera roll backup option in Snapchat’s settings. It lets you automatically save snaps to your device as you take them. But most people never used it consistently, given that it consumes physical memory.
People would much rather save snaps selectively in the moment. It's worth considering now, alongside alternative cloud backups like Google Drive and Photos. From the Memories menu, tap the settings icon in the top right corner. Under Save destination, set “Save” button to always keep snaps in your camera roll.
You should also request a copy of your data. Snapchat sends it in a ZIP format to your email.
Open the app. From the camera menu, tap your account avatar in the top left corner. Tap the settings icon in the top right corner. Scroll down to the bottom of the menu. Then select My Data from under Account Actions.
Select the data you'd like to export. Ensure to select the Memories and Location option. Then tap Next. Choose a date range. You can go as far back as months or years. However, larger data exports take longer for Snapchat to process. Confirm your email address and tap Submit. You'll receive the data in the submitted email when it's ready.
Thanks for the clear breakdown of Snapchat’s new paid storage plans. It’s a big change for users used to free unlimited Memories. The advice on downloading data and using camera roll backups is really helpful definitely best to act before hitting the 5GB limit. best school in noida extension