Since launching its “Memories” feature in 2016, Snapchat has allowed users to save past Snaps (photos and videos) to revisit later. Over time, the number of Snaps saved has ballooned: users have stored over one trillion Memories worldwide. In response to this surge, Snapchat is implementing a new policy that will require users to pay for storing photos and videos, raising concerns and complaints among its user base.
Historically, Snapchat allowed unlimited access to saved Memories. However, under the new policy, any content older than 30 days will be automatically deleted — unless users subscribe to a paid storage plan. With 460 million daily active users and 900 million monthly users, Snapchat remains one of the world’s most popular social media platforms. Snapchat’s parent company, Snap Inc., announced that the change is driven by rising data storage costs and efforts to enhance app performance. “Charging users who have the most storage needs,” the company said, “will ensure that the vast majority of users will continue to have access.”
For most users — those who save less than 5GB of content — nothing will change. But those exceeding that threshold will need to pay to continue storing extra content. A company spokesperson stated that the introductory 100GB plan would cost 1.99 dollars per month, with a 250GB plan priced at 3.99 dollars per month, and a 5TB plan at 14.99 dollars per month, with prices that may vary outside of the United States. The new pricing structure is similar to cloud storage models offered by companies such as Google –– including Gmail and Drive — Dropbox, and Apple iCloud. However, it is relatively uncommon among social media platforms to store photos and videos. Snapchat emphasizes that its vast archive growth has made sustaining unlimited storage increasingly expensive. The company explained, “We want to make sure that our community can continue to store all of their Memories over the long term, so we are introducing new Memories Storage Plans to support Snapchatters with more than 5GB of Memories.”
To ease the transition, Snapchat is offering a 12-month grace period for users who exceed the free limit. During that time, they can still access and manage their content — either by upgrading storage or downloading files. After that window, content beyond the limit may be deleted or become inaccessible. Snapchatters can upgrade to a Memories Storage Plan at any time, and as always, will be able to download their Snaps directly to their devices.
News of the change has provoked a wave of reactions across social media. Many users — especially those who largely rely on Snapchat as a personal photo archive—are upset that their access to their memories will now come at a cost. An online petition dubbed the fee a “memory tax,” with commenters calling it “dystopian” and “ridiculous.”Additionally, Gust Van, a 20-year-old journalism student in London, shared on TikTok her plans to delete the app. “I decided that I needed to download all my memories as soon as I could,” she told BBC News. "Almost all of my teenage years have been documented through my Snapchat.” Others, however, see the move as an inevitable cost of digital storage. “Hosting trillions of Memories on Snapchat isn’t a trivial amount,” said social media consultant Matt Navarra. “ Snapchat has to try to find a way to cover the cost of storage, bandwidth, back-ups, content delivery, encryption — all that stuff.”
This policy marks a significant shift in Snapchat’s approach to user data and could have long-term effects on its user engagement. While the company may gain financially from its new storage fees, it risks alienating users who once viewed the app as a free vault for their personal memories. These coming months will reveal how users respond to these changes and whether Snapchat can maintain its position in the competitive social media landscape.