The Amazon Drive service and apps are being discontinued. Customers are advised to take steps to prevent the loss of important documents and files stored on Drive.
- What is happening? Amazon is phasing out its online storage, dubbed Drive, saying its Amazon Photos service provides the same features as Drive. If you paid for additional Drive space, you may be eligible for a refund.
- Why care? Those using the Drive service must take action or their cloud files will become inaccessible after the deadline. Paying customers are eligible for a refund if they decide to cancel their subscription.
- What to do? You must manually upload your files or move them to Amazon Photos to prevent data loss after December 31, 2023. Amazon did not provide a migration tool to automate the process.
Amazon Drive is no longer supported
Amazon Drive was launched in March 2011 as a secure cloud storage service for Amazon customers to back up their files. Each got five gigabytes of cloud storage for free, with a few paid upgrades for those who need more space. But this service won’t be around for much longer, as the company informed Drive customers via email on July 29, 2022 that Drive will be ending support on December 31, 2023. This change will affect all Amazon Drive customers worldwide.
“Over the past 11 years, Amazon Drive has served as a secure cloud storage service for Amazon customers to back up their files,”the post reads. Amazon’s FAQ states that Drive is ending support because Amazon has focused its efforts on its Photos service to provide users with a “custom photo and video storage solution.”The online trading giant has urged customers to take action if they want to keep their personal files on Drive. Read: How to Move iCloud Contacts to Google Contacts
When can’t you access your Amazon Drive?
Starting December 31, 2023, all files in your Drive account will be unavailable. You will not be able to view, edit, or upload Amazon Drive files after December 31, 2023. From January 31, 2023, uploading new files to the service via the web interface will not be possible.
What will happen to your photos and videos on Amazon Drive?
If you have photos and videos stored in your Amazon Drive account, these media are already available to you through the Amazon Photos app on iOS [ App Store link ], Android, and desktop (assuming you’re using Amazon Photos). The company promised to continue to provide customers with the ability to securely back up, share and organize photos and videos using Amazon Photos. “After December 31, 2023, you can continue to use Amazon Photos to access your photos and videos,” the FAQ notes.
What about other files on your Amazon Drive?
It is important to note that any personal documents and project files stored on your Amazon Drive will not be migrated to Amazon Photos. “Amazon Photos offers cloud storage for photos and videos, and Amazon Drive for the most common file types,”the company notes. As a result, you will need to upload local copies of any non-media files to your Drive by December 31, 2023 . Amazon’s white paper clearly states in black and white that the Photos service does not support non-media file types.
How to download files to Amazon Drive
You can access files in your Amazon Drive on the mobile app and on the web at amazon.com/clouddrive. Select the file you want to save, then click the download icon at the top of the navigation, which is displayed in blue. Repeat this process for all files and folders you want to keep. Be sure to do so by December 31, 2023.
Overcoming Upload Size Limitations
The mobile app imposes size limits on uploading large files, so the company recommends using the Amazon Photos desktop app [ Amazon download link ] instead. After launching the application, select “Download”in the left navigation bar, then select “Download folders”. To make sure all files on Amazon Drive are selected for upload, select the All folder, then click Upload To.
Will I have to pay for Amazon Photos storage?
As with Drive, all Amazon customers (including those using Amazon Photos) get five gigabytes of cloud storage for free. Visit amazon.com/photos/storage to determine if you need to upgrade to a paid subscription based on your storage needs. Read: How to unsubscribe from App Store apps on iOS and Mac
I paid for disk space. Will Amazon refund my money?
According to the company, yes. “If you choose to cancel a paid storage plan before your subscription ends, you may be eligible for a refund.”Amazon hasn’t said how to request a refund other than that the refund information is shown when you cancel a subscription.
How to cancel your Amazon Drive subscription
In your web browser, log in to your Amazon account at amazon.com/photos/storage and click Cancel My Plan, then select End Now under the End My Plan heading and follow the instructions.
Will Amazon Drive apps continue to work?
When the service ends, the applications will also stop working. Amazon has confirmed that the Drive app for iOS [ App Store link ] and Android will be removed from app stores on December 31, 2023. Those with the app installed can keep it past the cut-off date, but Amazon will no longer support bug fixes or security updates.