If you were a frequent user of Google Hangouts or other messaging apps from Google that Google Chat replaced, you should be aware that Google is discontinuing Album Archive.
The Album Archive is where images or videos shared on older Google services are saved.
Google sent an email to users alerting them that certain content only available in Album Archive will be removed starting on July 19. This includes some Google Hangouts data stored in Album Archive, background images uploaded in the Gmail theme picker before 2018, and small thumbnail photos, album comments, and likes.
"After July 19, 2023, the Google Album Archive won’t be available. Until then, you can use Takeout to download a copy of your Album Archive data," reads the blog.
A banner on the Album Archive page also indicates that the service will be discontinued on July 19, 2023. So, you have a month to take a backup of your data.
How can you save your Google Archive data
Google recommends downloading the data on Album Archive so that you will have a backup of your Album Archive data.
To download the data, you can use Google Takeout. Once downloaded, you can receive a link via email or transfer the data to another cloud storage service such as Google Drive, iCloud, OneDrive, or Dropbox. Also, the Google Takeout download link provided in the email is only valid for seven days.
Will you still be able to access Google Archive data
Although the email indicates that some of your data stored in Album Archive will be permanently deleted after July 19, the support page offers hope that you may still be able to access it through other Google services.
According to the support page, users can continue to "view and manage" the images and videos saved on Album Archive beyond July 19 on platforms such as Blogger, Hangouts (now Google Chat), Google Photos, and their default Google Account.
