Amazon pulling plug on Drive to focus on photos, videos

GaryPageau ,

Amazon notified customers it is dropping support for Amazon Drive for file backups but going to “fully focus” efforts on photo and video storage. The service will end Dec. 31, 2023. Also, on October 31, 2022, the Amazon Drive app will be removed from the iOS and Android app stores. On January 31, 2023, Amazon will no longer support uploading files on the Amazon Drive website. Users will still be able to view and download your files until December 31, 2023.

Retailers and service providers can use this as an opportunity to remind customers online services are not a foolproof method of preserving data.

Dear Amazon Drive Customer,

Over the last 11 years, Amazon Drive has served as a secure cloud storage service for Amazon customers to back up their files. On December 31, 2023, we will no longer support Amazon Drive to more fully focus our efforts on photos and video storage with Amazon Photos. We will continue to provide customers the ability to safely back up, share, and organize photos and videos with Amazon Photos.

What this means for you:

You are receiving this email because you have files stored on Amazon Drive that are not supported by Amazon Photos. On December 31, 2023, you will no longer have access to Amazon Drive. Until then, you can continue to use Amazon Drive to manage your files.

If you rely on Amazon Drive for your file storage, you will need to go to the Amazon Drive website and download your files by December 31, 2023. As an Amazon customer your photo and video files have been automatically saved to Amazon Photos. Step-by-step instructions for downloading your files, managing your paid subscription, and resources for additional help can be found on our FAQ page.

As part of this process, on January 31, 2023, Amazon will no longer support uploading files on the Amazon Drive website. You will still be able to view and download files until December 31, 2023.

You can continue to use Amazon Photos for backing up and storing photo and video files. The Amazon Photos app can be downloaded on iOS, Android, and Desktop. Prime members get free, unlimited full-resolution photo storage and 5 GB video storage. If you are not a Prime member, you get 5 GB of free storage for photos and video.

Thank you for being an Amazon customer.

The Amazon Drive team