Snapchat is a popular social media app that allows users to send photos and videos that disappear after being viewed. One of Snapchat’s key features is the ephemeral nature of the content – but this also means there are limits on how many snaps you can store.
What are the limits for saving snaps?
Snapchat does not allow unlimited storage of photos. There are a few different limits:
- Stories – Videos and photos posted to your Story remain for 24 hours and then disappear. You cannot save Stories indefinitely.
- Memories – Snapchat Memories allow you to save your sent or unopened snaps, stories, and media from links and attachments. You can save an unlimited number of Memories, but there is a storage limit.
- Storage limit – The limit for Memories storage is dependent on your device. For most devices it’s around 1-2 GB.
- Expired snaps – By default, snaps disappear once they are viewed. You can replay a snap once, but after that it’s gone. Without the sender or recipient saving the snap, it will be deleted.
So in summary, while you can save snaps to Memories, there is a finite storage limit of around 1-2GB. Unlimited, indefinite storage is not possible.
What happens when you reach the Memories limit?
When you reach the storage limit for Memories, you will stop being able to save new snaps. Snapchat will alert you when you are nearing the limit.
At this point, you need to make space by deleting old snaps if you want to continue saving new ones. The app will highlight snaps that haven’t been viewed in a while, making it easy to delete those first.
Alternatively, you can save Memories externally before deleting them from Snapchat. For example, you can:
- Use the Save to Camera Roll option to export snaps to your regular photo gallery.
- Save videos and photos to cloud storage like Google Photos or iCloud.
- Transfer Memories to a computer or external hard drive.
Deleting old snaps is the only way to continue saving on Snapchat indefinitely. Storage will not be increased unless you upgrade to a device with a larger capacity.
What are some tips to save storage space on Snapchat?
Here are some tips to conserve your Snapchat storage allowance:
- Delete viewed snaps frequently – There’s no reason to keep old snaps once you and the recipients have viewed them.
- Save only your favorite snaps to Memories – Be selective about what you decide to preserve.
- Export Memories you want to keep long-term – Save special snaps externally so you can delete them from the app.
- Use the Memories manager tab – This lets you bulk delete Memories easily.
- Avoid saving duplicate versions of snaps.
- Delete screenshots after forwarding them.
- Clear the My Eyes Only section regularly.
Following these best practices will help you avoid hitting the Memories limit as quickly.
Can I pay to expand my storage capacity?
Unfortunately, there is no option to pay Snapchat to increase your Memories storage limit.
The limit is tied to the local storage capacity on your device, rather than a hard limit imposed by Snapchat across the board.
You can increase your storage limit by upgrading to a device with more onboard storage. Many modern smartphones offer 128GB or even 256GB capacity.
Switching to a device with more storage will allow you to save much more on Snapchat before hitting the cap. But there is no setting or paid feature that can expand the limit on your existing device.
What third-party apps can I use to save Snapchats?
There are a few third-party apps that let you bypass Snapchat’s storage restrictions:
- SnapSave – Allows saving snaps, stories, and memories without leaving a notification. Available for Android and iOS.
- Snapbox – Android app for saving and backing up Snapchat media.
- iSaveSnap – Downloads and saves snaps on iOS devices.
- Casper – Advanced Snapchat client for Android that includes unlimited saving.
However, using third-party apps violates Snapchat’s terms of service. They can access your account without permission, and your account could potentially be banned. Use these tools at your own risk.
Can I use the web version to save Snapchats?
Snapchat’s web version allows you to view snaps and stories, but does not have functionality to save or download snaps.
The web app is essentially just a mirror of the mobile experience, without the full feature set. Storage and saving options are limited to the mobile apps.
So unfortunately the Snapchat web version does not offer a way around the storage restrictions or allow downloading snaps. You need a mobile device to properly save and manage Memories.
How can I recover deleted Snapchats?
Since the premise of Snapchat is ephemeral content, there is no built-in way to recover snaps after they have been deleted or expired.
However, there are a few last ditch techniques you can try:
- Scan saved data using a file recovery app in case remnants of the snaps still exist.
- Check your web browser cache on a computer where you used Snapchat web.
- Use a mobile data recovery service to scan your device storage.
- Ask the sender if they still have the snap or saved it.
But these methods are not guaranteed to work, and often won’t recover lost snaps. Realistically, deleted Snapchats are gone for good in most cases.
Can I use cloud storage to keep my Snapchats forever?
You can utilize cloud storage services to preserve your favorite Snapchat Memories beyond what the app allows:
- Save videos and photos to Google Photos or iCloud.
- Upload Memories to Dropbox or OneDrive.
- Use a tool like IFTTT to auto-sync Memories to the cloud.
Once your snaps are saved to the cloud, you can delete them from Snapchat Memories to free up local storage room.
This lets you effectively keep Snapchats forever, while still staying within Snapchat’s device storage limits. Just be sure to export Memories before deleting them from the app.
Conclusion
Snapchat does not offer unlimited storage. You can save snaps to Memories, but there is a finite limit of around 1-2GB on most devices. Saving to the cloud is the only way to truly keep Snapchats forever without filling up your phone’s storage. Be selective about what you decide to preserve as a Memory, and frequently export and delete old snaps. With some management, it’s possible to store a reasonable quantity of snaps long-term. But truly unlimited indefinite storage is not an option natively in Snapchat.