Snapchat Moves to Paid Storage: How to Save Your Memories Without Paying

Nearly a decade after becoming a digital time capsule for millions of users, Snapchat is introducing fees for its popular Memories feature. The company announced last week that free Memories storage will now be capped at 5GB.

Users whose Memories exceed this limit will need to either export their content or subscribe to one of Snapchat’s new storage plans to retain their Snaps.

According to an email shared with TechCrunch, Snapchat’s introductory storage plan provides up to 100GB of storage for $1.99 per month. Subscribers to Snapchat+ can access 250GB for $3.99 per month, while Snapchat Platinum members receive a massive 5TB of storage for $15.99 per month.

For those who exceed the 5GB free limit and do not opt for a paid plan, Snapchat will preserve the oldest Snaps while deleting the most recent ones to stay within the free allowance. The company has provided users with a 12-month grace period for Memories exceeding the limit, but some are choosing to export their content rather than pay.

Below, we break down the two main methods for preserving your Snapchat Memories.

Option 1: Export Memories Directly to Your Device

One straightforward way to safeguard your Memories is to download them to your phone’s camera roll. While this can be done directly from the app, it’s limited to batches of 100 Memories at a time, which can be cumbersome if you have thousands of Snaps.

However, this method allows users to curate the specific Memories they truly want to keep.

Steps to export Memories:

1. Open Snapchat and tap the Memories icon next to the camera button.

2. Tap Select in the top-right corner.

3. Choose up to 100 Memories you want to save.

4. Tap Export at the bottom-right of the screen.

5. Select Download to save the Snaps to your camera roll.

6. Repeat to export additional batches of 100.

Option 2: Download Your Snapchat Data

If exporting in small batches sounds tedious, Snapchat offers a “Download My Data” tool that allows you to receive a full archive via email in a .zip file.

Steps to download your data:

1. Open Snapchat and go to your Profile.

2. Tap the Settings icon in the top-right corner.

3. Scroll down and select My Data.

4. Choose Memories, HTML Files, and JSON Files (uncheck other options unless you also want additional data, like chat history).

5. Tap Next.

6. Select All Time when prompted for a date range.

7. Confirm your email address.

8. Tap Submit.

The delivery time will vary depending on how much data you have stored.

Author: Din Kumar