Twitter saves Twitpic’s domain and archive at the last minute

We reported last week that Twitpic was shutting down. It was going to close shop on 25 October and that all the photos on it would also disappear. But now there are new developments in a story that’s already been a total rollercoaster. Twitpic is still shutting down but has come to an agreement with Twitter that will keep user’s photos for longer.

The agreement is the first firm decision we’ve seen in a situation that’s been embroiled in uncertainty. Even Twitpic founder Noah Everett acknowledges that things have been pretty chaotic of late:

“First off I want to say thank you to everyone who has used Twitpic over the years and for your patience with us over the last couple of months. As you know it’s been quite the roller coaster ride”.

The agreement is that Twitpic will give Twitter its domain and photo archive. This will allow for the photos and links to be available. The news on the Twitpic page says the photos will be available for the time-being. This all sounds vague but it’s at least a start.

Twitpic further states that:

Twitter shares our goal of protecting our users and this data. Also, since Twitpic’s user base consists of Twitter users, it makes sense to keep this data with Twitter.

The new agreement will however not allow Twitpic to take on new photos or data. The photos will only be available in read-only mode. The Twitpic app has been removed from iOS and Android is no longer supported.

The positive news is that users can still log-in to their profiles and delete content or their accounts. And the other good news is that users can still export and download their data and photo archive

The news end off on a sad note from Everett.

“I want to say thank you for allowing me to be a part of your photo sharing memories for nearly seven years. It has been an honor”.