SalesThumb has a storage-lifecycle system that can automatically expire job photos on a schedule tied to your shop's plan — but as of this writing, that automatic deletion is not turned on. Today, a job photo you upload stays in your account with no expiration date, full stop. This article covers what's actually live right now, what the built (but inactive) per-plan schedule looks like for when it's eventually turned on, and how to back up a photo today if you want a copy regardless.
What's true right now
No job photo is being automatically deleted today. There's no countdown, no expiration date attached to anything you've uploaded, and nothing disappearing from a job's photo gallery on its own. If you're seeing a missing photo, retention isn't the cause — look elsewhere (a failed upload, a photo removed by a teammate, etc.).
Separately, and unrelated to deletion: after the first 30 days, photos do move from "hot" storage to a lower-cost storage tier behind the scenes, purely as a cost optimization. That has no effect on you — the photo stays visible and works normally in your job history either way.
What's built for later, but not active
The code for a per-plan retention schedule already exists, and every new photo gets stamped with a would-be expiration date at upload time based on your shop's plan that day — but nothing currently acts on that date. If and when automatic deletion is switched on, these are the windows it's built to enforce, counted from each photo's upload date:
- Free trial — 90 days
- Basic — 180 days
- Starter — 180 days
- Growth — 365 days
- Pro — 365 days
Because this hasn't gone live, treat these numbers as "what to expect if this ships," not a current commitment — check back here or with support before relying on them for anything time-sensitive. If it does go live, the plan a photo was on at upload time is expected to be what sticks (an upgrade wouldn't retroactively extend an older photo's window, and a downgrade wouldn't shorten one), and there's currently no warning mechanism built for it either — so treat "back it up if it matters" as good practice regardless of whether deletion is active.
Backing up a photo, just in case
There's no bulk export or archive tool for job photos. What you can do today:
- Open a job's photo section, or go to Photos in the app, and use the Download button on an individual photo to save a copy to your device.
- The account data export under Settings → Data Export is useful for your records, but it covers customer, appointment, quote, invoice, and payment rows as CSV/JSON — it does not include the photo files themselves, so it isn't a substitute for downloading photos you specifically want to keep.
What this would and wouldn't touch, if it ever goes live
Even once/if automatic deletion is switched on, it's scoped narrowly to just the photos attached to jobs through the photo tool. A few related things are stored completely separately and wouldn't be affected by it at all:
- Warranty certificates are their own stored file, generated and saved independently of any job photo, and stay available for as long as the warranty itself does.
- Warranty claim evidence a customer uploads when filing a claim is stored separately from job photos too.
- Shop logos, product images, and other business files live in entirely different storage.
- An emailed invoice doesn't embed the photo itself, so an old invoice wouldn't be affected either way.
Frequently asked questions
Are my job photos being automatically deleted right now?
No. As of this writing, automatic photo deletion is built into SalesThumb's storage system but is not switched on. Every photo you've uploaded stays in your account with no expiration date until further notice.
If it does get turned on, when would the countdown start for a photo?
The moment it was uploaded — not when the appointment or job is marked complete, and not when it's invoiced. Every photo already carries this stamp today, even though nothing currently acts on it.
Will I get a warning before a photo would be deleted, once this is live?
No warning mechanism is built for it today — no email, in-app notice, or countdown. If this matters to you, download anything you want to keep now rather than waiting for a heads-up that won't come.
Can I back up or export job photos today?
There's no bulk export tool for photos. You can download individual photos one at a time from a job's photo section, or from Photos in the app, using each photo's Download button. The Settings → Data Export tool covers your records (customers, appointments, quotes, invoices, payments) but not the photo files themselves.
Would a warranty certificate or invoice ever be affected by photo retention?
No, even once/if automatic deletion goes live. Warranty certificates and warranty claim evidence are stored completely separately from job photos. An emailed invoice doesn't embed the photo either.