Snapchat “Memories” Feature Lets You Save Photos To App For Sharing Later

When it was first released, Snapchat described itself as a photo sharing site that allowed users to view or send images and videos for up to 10 seconds. While users have long been able to save photos to their phone’s camera roll, the messaging service is now allowing them store those snaps in a private archive inside the main app. 

Snapchat unveiled the new feature, dubbed Memories, on Wednesday, providing users with an archived collection of their snaps and stories — a 24-hour roll of images or video that you take throughout the day — stored on Snapchat’s servers.

The Memories features, which can be accessed by swiping up from the camera, allows users to revisit their past snaps by typing keywords into a search box to pull up certain photos, videos, or stories.

After finding the desired snap, chatters can create new stories or messages to send to others.

To ensure that those receiving snaps realize they are from the past, Snapchat has added a white border and timestamp to images stored in the Memories feature.

The feature also includes a section called “My Eyes Only” where users can store photos and videos that only they will see.

“We realized that Snapchatters want to feel comfortable showing their Memories to friends while they’re hanging out together, so we made it easy to move Snaps and Stories to My Eyes Only — and avoid awkward moments when a friend stumbles upon a Snap meant just for you,” the company says in a blog post.

While Memories are backed up by Snapchat, the company says that any photos or videos won’t be backed up from a phone’s camera roll unless the user saves the image there.

Memories will be rolled out selectively over the next month.