Google’s decision to shut down Album Archive has raised concerns among users about the impact on their stored data. Album Archive was a popular tool for preserving old chats, videos, and photos. With the impending deletion of content starting from July 19, users are urged to take immediate action to export their data and create backups elsewhere.
Google has taken steps to notify users via email about the shutdown and has suggested alternative methods for data backup. This discontinuation will affect various types of content, including Hangout chats, pre-2018 background images in Gmail, album comments, and more.
To mitigate the impact, Google has provided users with the option to download their Album Archive data through Google Takeout. Users can choose to receive a download link for the data or transfer it to other cloud services like Google Drive, Microsoft’s OneDrive, or Dropbox.
Detailed instructions on data retrieval can be found on the support page of Album Archive. Google clarifies that even after July 19, some data may still be accessible through other Google apps such as Chat and Google Photos, using the user’s default Google account.
The response from users to this change and their willingness to take action remains to be seen. It is important to consider whether users are aware of this service and if they will be able to successfully retrieve copies of their old chats, potentially for sentimental reasons.
