Snapchat has announced it will start charging for storing photos and videos – prompting a backlash from users who have built up a large archive of old posts.

The popular messaging app has allowed users to save and store previously posted content in its Memories feature since it was introduced in 2016.

But it says people with more than five gigabytes (GB) worth of Memories will now need to pay to keep them available.

The app’s parent company Snap declined to tell BBC News how much the storage plans would cost UK users, saying only the change would be made as part of a “gradual global rollout”.

Users on social media have reacted with dismay, accusing the company of being greedy.

Snap has acknowledged it’s “never easy to transition from receiving a service for free to paying for it” – but suggested it be “worth the cost” for users.

“These changes will allow us to continue to invest in making Memories better for our entire community,” it said in a blog post announcing the move.

It said more than one trillion Memories had been saved by users since being introduced nearly a decade ago.

The feature allows users to save photos and videos shared initially for 24 hours or less on the platform, with users prompted to re-post them as a memory or “throwback” at a later date.

Users with more than 5GB of saved Memories will be prompted to upgrade to a 100GB storage plan, under the changes.

Increased levels of storage will be available to users paying for more expensive Snapchat+ and Snapchat Premium subscriptions.

The company says it will provide 12 months of temporary storage for those exceeding the limit, and users can download saved content to their device.

A company spokesperson told tech publication TechCrunch its initial 100GB storage plan would be priced at $1.99 (£1.48) per month, with 250GB included in the $3.99 (£2.96) cost of a Snapchat+ subscription.

Snap said in its blog post that its rollout of storage plans would not affect “the vast majority of Snapchatters”, whom it said had less than 5GB of Memories.

But the move has been criticised by some on social media, with users sharing messages sent by the platform telling them they need to pay for storage to keep their photos and videos.

Some say they have used Snap’s previously free storage over many years meaning they have considerably more than 5GB of data stored on the platform – so are now facing big bills.

Others say being forced to choose between paying a subscription or losing their Memories is “unfair” and “greedy” on the part of Snap.

Snap said in April that Snapchat had surpassed 900 million monthly active users – while rivals such as Instagram and TikTok boast billions respectively.

Drew Benvie, founder and chief executive of social media consultancy Battenhall, believes that eventually all social media platforms will charge for storage.

“The road to paying for storage on social media is inevitable,” he told BBC News.

“In an era where we post less, but save more, this is an evolution of messaging and social media platforms.”