WeTransfer's expiration date has been a huge headache for users, especially creatives. The problem is that if you don't download the file the moment you receive the link or email, you can easily forget to download it before the link expires. Then you have to ask them to send it again. This can be quite annoying for both parties.
The company is aware of the issue and now appears to be trying to alleviate it by allowing recipients to change the expiration date of a file in their mobile app via a new “Save Now” option. However, this is not a complete solution.
On Tuesday, WeTransfer made a confusing announcement on its X account. It said that users could extend their expiration date by up to 30 days on its mobile app, and claimed that “WeTransfer links will no longer expire.” The company later clarified that the number of days an expiration date can be extended depends on the plan. Links can also expire if users do not use the Save option.
Users were not impressed with WeTransfer’s messaging, as it gave the impression that it would completely eliminate link expiration. But that’s not the case. You still need to take steps to prevent link expiration.
To prevent links from expiring, users can now save sent links in a separate folder in the WeTransfer mobile app. This is possible via the “Save Now” feature, similar to a bookmark icon.
This feature can be useful if you don't have time to download a file right away, but want to access it later without checking your email inbox.
In our testing, we found that you can extend the link expiration date in the app for up to 7 days with a free account. The default is 3 days from the link creation date. We have asked WeTransfer to clarify the extension limit for paid plans and will update the story when we hear back.
Italy-based Bending Spoons acquired WeTransfer last month, adding it to its app portfolio that includes other veteran assets like Evernote and Meetup. At the time of the announcement, WeTransfer CEO Alexandar Vassilev said the file transfer platform had amassed 600,000 subscribers and 80 million monthly active users over the past decade of platform development.
