Snapchat to start paid storage plans for old posts

Snapchat is reportedly ending boundless cloud storage for its saved posts, known as Memories, and will require users to pay for additional space if they exceed a new limit.

Snapchat is now going to start charging for storing previously posted content in its Memories feature, which was introduced in 2016.

The recent move suggests that people with more than five gigabytes (GB) worth of Memories will need to pay to keep them available to users.

The app's parent company, Snap, told BBC News that the storage plans would cost UK users to keep their Snaps and that the change would be made as part of a gradual global rollout.

In this regard, company said, “It's never easy to transition from receiving a service for free to paying for it.”

The company further hopes the value provided is “worth the cost” to users.

It has been observed that users have saved more than one trillion memories since the feature was introduced in 2016.

The feature allows users to explicitly save photos and videos (Snaps) that would otherwise be deleted after 24 hours and later repost them as a Memory.

Users with specific data can store memories

Users with more than 50GB of data will need to upgrade to a 100GB storage plan to save memories. This move implies specific changes for them.

The increased storage space will be available to users paying for more expensive Snapchat+ and Snapchat Premium subscriptions.

The company will provide temporary storage for a period of one year.

For users exceeding a specific limit, content can be downloaded and saved to their device.

Users are not currently satisfied with the recent change; Twitter users, in particular, have expressed several concerns that they will need to pay for storage to keep their photos and videos.

Drew Benvie, the founder and CEO of social media consultancy Battenhall, believes that all social media platforms will ultimately charge for storage.

He further explained, "In an era where we post less, but save more, this is an evolution of messaging and social media platforms."

The company has confirmed that Snapchat has reached 900 million monthly active users, while its competitors, such as Instagram and TikTok, boast similar user figures.