Flickr application icon (Dreamstime/TNS)
Users with free Flickr accounts will be able to store only up to 1,000 photos or videos starting next year, as the image hosting service rolls out new subscription plans.
“We believe this is the right path forward to build a sustainable future for Flickr and our community so we can continue developing features and products that shape the world of photography for years to come,” said Flickr vice-president of product Andrew Stadlen, as he announced the changes.
The limit will start on Jan 8 next year, while users will have until Feb 5 to download their images, or risk having files deleted from oldest to newest, until the account contains only 1,000 files.
Free users can upgrade to a Flickr Pro account for unlimited storage at US$49.99 (RM208.36) a year or US$5.99 (RM24.97) a month.
Other Pro perks include ad-free browsing for themselves and those visiting their page, 5K resolution display, longer videos at 10 minutes (up from three minutes), advanced stats on photos viewership, plus prioritised customer service assistance.
Stadlen explains the cap was chosen due to how more than 97% of Free members have fewer than 1,000 photos and videos, while the majority of professional users had more than 1,000.
He adds that using a number rather than calculating by storage size was due to how it is easier to remember the number of images rather than its actual file size, plus this would remove the need to compress images to save space.
Some other changes include being able to login with any email rather than just with a Yahoo account, improvements to Pro accounts and additional perks for Flickr partners.
“To be candid, we’re driving toward the future of Flickr with one eye on the rearview mirror; we’re certain that Flickr’s brightest days lay ahead, but we remain acutely aware that past missteps have alienated some members of our community,” he admits.
He adds that Yahoo's decision to offer all users a “staggering” terabyte of free storage was a misstep that brought strongly negative consequences.
Stadlen says the move attracted members who were drawn by the free storage, not by engagement with other lovers of photography and hampering community interaction.
“Second, you can tell a lot about a product by how it makes money. Giving away vast amounts of storage creates data that can be sold to advertisers, with the inevitable result being that advertisers’ interests are prioritised over yours,” he says.
He assures that removing excessive free storage would allow Flickr to operate on subscriptions, making users the priority.
“Because storing tens of billions of Flickr members’ photos is staggeringly expensive, we need our most-active members to help us continue investing in Flickr’s stability, growth, and innovation,” he says.
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