Google Hangouts, once popular but now replaced by Google Chat, is undergoing changes that will lead to the shutdown of Album Archive. Users are being notified via email to back up their content using Google Takeout. Even without receiving an email, visiting the Album Archive page displays a banner stating that content will be deleted after July 19, 2023.
According to the email, content exclusively stored in Album Archive will be deleted, including Google Hangouts data, background images uploaded through the Gmail theme picker before 2018, thumbnail photos, album comments, and likes. It is important for users to take action to preserve their content before the specified date.
The Album Archive page allows users to view their past images and videos from services like Hangouts. To preserve important content, users can use Google Takeout to receive a download link via email or transfer it to cloud services such as Google Drive, Box, OneDrive, or Dropbox.
It’s important to note that the download links generated by Google Takeout via email are valid for seven days. Workspace users may need their admin’s permission to download images/videos from Takeout.
According to a support page, after July 19, users can still access and manage their content on services like Blogger, Hangouts (Chat), Google Photos, and their default Google Account, which includes profile photos.
The Album Archive page provides a nostalgic way to revisit old content shared on Google services. However, the email announcement has caused confusion for some users, especially since the images and videos will still be accessible on other Google services even after July 19, 2023.
