A majority of my teenage life can be accessed via Snapchat Memories. July 2016 was when I saved my first Snap, and funny enough, it’s a selfie of 14-year-old me with the famous Snapchat flower crown. As I scroll through years of saved Snaps, I’m flooded with priceless nostalgia. I see family vacations and funny videos of old friends. My Memories have become my online archive, spanning over nine years.
So when Snapchat announced it would be starting subscription-based storage plans, I couldn’t help but feel a bit apprehensive.
On Sept. 26, Snapchat announced in a statement that it would be introducing storage plans for users with “more than 5GB of Memories.” Since its introduction in 2016, more than 1 trillion Memories have been saved across the world, and 5GB of data is anywhere from 1,200 to 1,600 pictures and videos, depending on size and quality.
The storage plan costs are split based on how much data you will store. For the 100GB plan, users would pay $1.99 per month. The Snapchat+ subscription is $3.99 per month and includes 250GB of additional storage. The platinum storage plan gives users 5TB of data, which users could save hundreds of thousands of pictures and videos, for $14.99 per month.
There are two ways to keep your Memories without paying for a storage plan. Option one is to save your Memories to your photos, or option two is to request your Snapchat data.
If you choose to save your Memories to your camera roll, there is a limit on how many you can save at a time, so it will require downloading in batches.
To save your data directly to your device:
1. Open Snapchat and go to Memories, located to the left of the camera button.
2. Tap the select button at the top.
3. Select the snaps you want to save. You can save 100 snaps at a time.
4. Tap the export button at the bottom right.
5. Hit download.
To request your Snapchat data:
1. Open Snapchat and go to your profile.
2. Find the gear icon at the top right and tap it to open settings.
3. Scroll to privacy controls and select my data.
4. On this page, you can select which data you would like to save, like Memories, chats, and other media.
5. Tap next.
6. Choose a time frame and tap submit.
Snapchat will send you an email that will have a downloadable file with all your data. The amount of data you download from your account determines how long it will take to receive the file.
Snapchat says it will provide 12 months of temporary storage to users who have more than 5GB of Memories.
Over the years, I have found myself holding on to Snapchat because of my Memories. I enjoy watching flashbacks from over the years and monthly recaps. It gives me a chance to truly see and appreciate my growth.
“It’s never easy to transition from receiving a service for free to paying for it,” Snapchat finishes. “But we hope the value we provide with Memories is worth the cost.” While I don’t want to have to pay for key chapters of my life, those moments are priceless and worth every penny.