Guide
Google Photos shows the wrong date after importing Snapchat — the fix
You exported your Snapchat Memories, uploaded them to Google Photos — and now years of moments are all stacked on today's date. Nothing is actually lost; the dates just never made it into the files. Here's why, and how to put them back.
Why Google Photos uses the wrong date
Google Photos decides a photo's date in this order: the date inside the file's EXIF metadata, then the filename, then the upload time. Your camera always fills in EXIF, so camera photos sort perfectly. Snapchat's export does not — it leaves the EXIF date blank and stores the real capture time in a separate memories_history.json file. With nothing to read, Google Photos falls back to the upload date, so everything looks like it happened the day you imported.
The fix: write the dates into the files first
The reliable fix is to put each memory's real capture date into its EXIF metadata before you import — then Google Photos (and Apple Photos) read it automatically and sort everything correctly. SnapMemories does exactly that: it reads the dates from your export's JSON and writes them into EXIF DateTimeOriginal for photos and the QuickTime creation-date atoms for videos. Full detail on fixing Snapchat dates and how it works.
While you're at it: location
The same export also dropped your GPS data, so nothing shows on the map.SnapMemories restores that in the same pass — see adding location back.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I fix the dates after I've already imported to Google Photos?
- It's far easier to fix the files first and re-import. Google Photos largely locks to the date it read at import; editing thousands of dates by hand in the app is painful. Fix the EXIF dates on the files, then upload the corrected copies.
- Why does only Snapchat do this — my camera photos are fine?
- Your camera writes the capture date into each photo's EXIF metadata. Snapchat's export doesn't — it keeps the date in a separate memories_history.json file, leaving the photo's own date field blank, so Google Photos falls back to the upload date.
- Does this affect videos too?
- Yes, and videos are worse: they also lose their location unless the QuickTime metadata is rewritten. SnapMemories fixes both dates and GPS for photos and videos.