How Much Snapchat Will Charge to Save Your Photo & Video Memories

Snapchat has confirmed a significant change for users who rely on the platform to save their photos and videos.

The popular messaging app, known for its ephemeral content, will begin charging for the storage of saved content in its "Memories" feature.

This announcement comes after nearly a decade of providing the service for free.

Users who wish to keep large archives of their old posts will now need to pay to access this classic feature.

Saving Precious Moments

The Memories feature was introduced in 2016. It allows users to store previously posted content, often photos and videos originally shared for 24 hours or less.

The platform has served as a space for recollection alongside immediate communication.

Since the feature’s initial rollout, users have saved an enormous amount of content. The app has confirmed that more than one trillion Memories have been saved by Snapchat users.

The New Price of Recollection

Snapchat is now introducing a strict storage limit. People with more than five gigabytes (GB) worth of saved content will be required to pay to keep those items available. Users exceeding this 5GB limit will be prompted to upgrade their storage.

The company’s parent, Snap, revealed that this rollout of storage plans is not expected to impact the "vast majority of Snapchatters". Snap stated that most users have less than 5GB of Memories.

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However, for those with extensive archives, the new plan requires an investment. The initial 100GB storage plan will be priced at $1.99 (Ksh 257) per month. Higher storage capacities are included with more expensive subscription tiers. For instance, a Snapchat+ subscription includes 250GB of storage for $3.99 (Ksh 515) per month.

Investing in the Service

Snap has acknowledged that transitioning from a free service to a paid one is "never easy".

However, the company suggested that the new cost will be "worth the cost" for users. Snap indicated that these changes are necessary to support the platform.

"These changes will allow us to continue to invest in making Memories better for our entire community," the company stated in a blog post announcing the decision.

The move has generated a reaction from users online. Many people have accused the company of being "greedy". Some users expressed dismay on social media.

They argue that being forced to choose between paying a subscription or losing their Memories is "unfair" and "greedy" on the part of Snap.

The Grace Period

The company confirmed it will provide users with 12 months of temporary storage. This period is intended to allow users who exceed the limit to download their saved content to their own device.