“So now even our Memories come with a subscription fee?”: Snapchat users will need to pay to keep their old Snaps—here’s how to download them before the fee begins

Snapchat just announced a big change that’s catching longtime users off guard. If you’ve been using the app for years and have thousands of saved Snaps in your Memories, you’re about to hit a paywall.

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In a statement, the company said that when it first launched Memories, it didn’t expect it to grow this large. Now, with many users storing years’ worth of Snaps and videos, Snapchat says it needs to offer “new Memories Storage Plans” to keep it sustainable.

Here’s how it works: Users with less than 5GB of Memories won’t see anything change. But for those with more than 5GB, Snapchat will begin rolling out paid plans to expand storage.

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These new plans include 100GB, 250GB (bundled with Snapchat+), or a massive 5TB option under Snapchat Platinum. And if you don’t want to pay? Snapchat will give you 12 months of temporary storage to download your content or decide to upgrade.

The company says it hopes “the value we provide with Memories is worth the cost,” but also acknowledges that it’s tough going from free to paid.

How to download your Snapchat Memories before it’s too late

If you’re not ready to pay for a subscription just to access your old Snaps, you can still save everything directly to your device. Here’s how:

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1. Open Snapchat and go to Settings.

Tap your profile icon, then hit the gear icon in the top-right corner.

2. Scroll down to “My Data.”

This is where Snapchat stores your download options.

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3. Choose what you want to download.

Select which data you want (e.g., Memories), and then set the time range — you can even choose All Time if you want everything.

4. Confirm your email.

Make sure Snapchat has your correct email address, since that’s where they’ll send your zip file.

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5. Submit your request.

It might take several hours, or even days, for Snapchat to email you the download link. Be patient.

Some users are done with Snapchat

News of the new paywall didn’t go over well online. On Facebook, users expressed frustration, with many saying this might be the final push they needed to leave the platform.

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“So now even our Memories come with a subscription fee?” one user wrote. “Feels like nothing online is truly free anymore.”

Another said, “Who [expletive] even uses Snapchat anymore!? I installed it years ago and just used IG instead.”

And one person summed it up: “AAAANNNNDDDD that’s the end of Snapchat.”

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