Facebook users have plenty of options to communicate with friends, other Facebook users, and the entire world via the platform.
One of these options is via live video. These are recorded and shown on Facebook. The recorded videos were stored by Facebook indefinitely, but this changes with the new policy.
Here are the details:
- Live video is stored for 30 days only on Facebook.
- Any Live video that is older than 30 days will be deleted.
- This applies to all live videos retroactively.
In other words: Facebook will soon start deleting old live videos from its users en masse.
Thankfully for users, this is not done automatically. Facebook says that it will inform users with live videos about the new ruling by email and in the app. Facebook users have 90 days from that day to download or transfer their content for safekeeping.
Facebook explains that users have several options to save videos. There is a single download option, which is listed under the three-dots menu when selecting Menu > Activity log > Live videos.
This is probably not very practical for most users, unless only a few videos need to be saved.
There is also a bulk download option according to Facebook. Note that this requires the notification that informs you about the deletion of the videos.
Here is how that works:
- Click or tap on the notification to get started.
- Select “Download live videos”.
- Pick a location to download and a date range for the live videos.
- Select “Create File”.
There are other options, including transferring videos, e.g., to Google Drive, and to convert parts of live videos to reels.
Facebook explains both options on its website.
Why is Facebook making the change?
Facebook has a simple explanation for limiting storage of live video on its network:
People all over the world use Facebook Live to share their experiences with their communities in real time. Because most live video views occur within the first few weeks of broadcasting, we’re updating how long live videos can be stored on Facebook.
In short: storing live video indefinitely is not financially viable. Facebook has to pay for storage and the earnings from the videos do not justify indefinite storage.
Closing Words
If you do broadcast live on Facebook and want to keep your videos, you may want to start downloading or transferring them as soon as you get the notification that the content will be deleted.
Facebook does not really say when content will get deleted, only that it can be deleted at any time after day 91. Users may also request an extension.
As “your” data is no longer of “value to us” we will delete it.
On Tom’s Guide there’s a explanation on how to download videos you want to keep directly to your Samsung phone (assuming you’ve got one). It’s right down near the bottom of this article: https://www.tomsguide.com/how-to/how-to-download-videos-from-facebook