Snapchat is introducing new monthly charge for heavy users
The social media app has announced that it will soon be charging users to keep their 'Memories'
There are two types of people online - those who use Snapchat, and those who aren't stuck in 2016.
Jokes aside, the social media company revealed that in Q1 2025, they had 460 million daily active users and 900 million monthly active users.
Some may have believed that the messaging app was left behind in the 2010s, but with more content creators and features on Snapchat than ever before, the whispers are wrong.
You may have heard of Snapchat+, a premium subscription service which allows users to enjoy features such as custom app icons, custom wallpapers, and story rewatch indicators, among others.
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While this costs £4.49 for a monthly plan and £33.99 for an annual subscription, the company have announced that a more controversial charge will be introduced, which will affect the majority of users.
As part of an official blog post, the app's parent company Snap has announced that people with more than five gigabytes of Memories will need to pay a fee to avoid losing them forever.
They state that over one trillion Memories have been saved by users since the launch of the feature in 2016, adding that 'Memories on Snapchat are special because Snapchatters choose to save the moments that really matter.'
The American company explained that they 'never expected it to grow to what it has become today', before making the bombshell announcement.
"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," they wrote.
Snap went on: "For the vast majority of Snapchatters, who have less than 5GB of Memories, nothing will change. For Snapchatters with more than 5GB of Memories, meaning thousands of Snaps, we are rolling out new options to upgrade and increase storage. The introductory Memories Storage Plans offer 100GB, 250GB with Snapchat+, or 5TB with Snapchat Platinum."
You'll have a while to make your decision though, as there's said to be 12 months of temporary Memories storage for those above the five GB limit, allowing users to download what they'd like.
Snap declined to tell BBC News how much these storage plans would cost UK users, instead saying it would be part of a 'gradual global rollout'.
TechCrunch reports that a spokesperson revealed that the 100GB storage plan will cost $1.99 (£1.48) per month, while 250GB would be included in the $3.99 (£2.96) cost of a Snapchat+ subscription - though the latter is currently £4.49 in the UK.
"These changes will allow us to continue to invest in making Memories better for our entire community, they claimed, writing that they hope it's 'worth the cost' for users.
Users have long saved 'snaps' on the app, with the ability to post them as a memory or throwback later on - many even keep the app around to have access to the years-old pictures and videos.
Taking to Instagram, one user commented: "And there goes another good app," with another writing: "The memories was one of the only good things that Snapchat had to offer, this is such an L."
And a third added: "Bro, I am a founding member. I deserve all the benefits."
Topics: Snapchat, Social Media, Money
Joshua Nair