Some Snapchat users are upset over a new memory storage payment plan that threatens years of their memories. This past fall, Snapchat announced it would start charging for storing photos and videos after a person has over 5 GB of memory taken up.
The move from a free service to paid service has been criticized by some users on social media for being “unfair” and “greedy.” Since the memories feature launched in 2016, over one trillion memories have been saved. Thus, many users complained that they have built up many years’ worth of snaps and now face a choice between paying or manually downloading thousands of files.
The standalone 100GB plan would cost about $1.99 per month. 250GB is included in Snapchat+ at a reported $3.99 monthly rate. Snapchat will give users a 12-month grace period after hitting the 5 GB limit before their data starts being deleted.
Lauren White, a senior at PHS, expressed dismay at the change because if she doesn’t pay for the plan her memories will be erased.
“I have like 11,089 memories and 63.8 GB storage used, and that’s almost 6 years worth of memories,” said White. “It’s just upsetting because of all the memories that I have from birthdays, parties, holidays, hangouts, all those kinds of things.”
However, this change doesn’t affect all users equally. Snapchat said that nothing would change for the people who don’t exceed the 5GB limit already. Back in 2022, Snapchat introduced Snapchat+, which was a premium subscription that gave users the option of extra features that included custom app themes and advanced user experiences, but starting Sep. 26, 2025, it added its more advanced storage plan to hold its users’ memories.
Even for the people who are unaffected, many still have their own feelings towards the development. Senior, Addy Barrett, who has been paying for the Snapchat+ subscription previously, explained how this new change doesn’t affect her, yet she still has strong feelings against the change.
“I don’t agree with Snapchat charging for storage because… the entire point of the app is to take pictures and save your ‘snap memories,’” said Barrett. “Charging for storage will probably make people use the app less.”
Snapchat’s reasoning for adding this plan is that they never expected the app to have become as popular as it has, with its daily users over 460 million, and its monthly users up to 900 million. By introducing paid storage, they argue they can put greater investment into the Snapchat Memories service for all its uses.
However, for users like White, there is a greater focus on saving the at-risk memories than on improving a service.
“I’m not going to pay for (the memory plan), but I’ll definitely try and download whatever I can that is meaningful to me,” said White.
