Social Apps
Recovering timelines from chat histories, social media downloads, short-form platforms, and fragmented exports — cleanly, safely, and with maximum metadata recovery.
Overview: Why Social App Exports Need Special Care
Social apps were never designed to preserve your memories long-term. They strip EXIF, compress photos, rename files, split albums, and often break chronological order entirely.
PDR rebuilds that timeline — but your export method still determines how much realism we can restore.
This guide gives you:
- The correct export method for each major social platform
- The limitations of each platform (resolution, metadata, pairing, ordering)
- How PDR repairs them
- How to structure your exports before feeding them into PDR
- Best practices for re-uploading or archiving after PDR
- A quick-decision table so you always pick the optimal export workflow
Everything here is built for a premium, optimal experience — no trial-and-error, no wasted time.
1. Quick Decision Table — Which Export Method Should You Use?
| Social App | Best Export Method | Metadata Status | Resolution | PDR Repair Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chat Export (with Media) | Stripped | Compressed | Filename inference (IMG-YYYYMMDD) | |
| Messenger | Download Your Information | Stripped | Compressed | JSON pairing + Filename logic |
| Download Your Information | Partial | Compressed | JSON pairing + Date inference | |
| Download Your Information | Stripped | Compressed | JSON metadata reconstruction | |
| Snapchat | My Data Download | Stripped | Original (mostly) | Memory filenames + JSON dates |
| TikTok | Data Download | Stripped | Original | Date-posted inference from filename |
| Telegram | Desktop App Export | Stripped | Compressed (unless file) | Unix timestamp decoding |
2. Exporting from Each Social Platform — Premium, Optimal Best Practices
Best for: Reclaiming years of shared family photos, group chat histories, and "lost" memories.
The problem: WhatsApp strips all EXIF data. A photo taken in 2015 but saved today will appear as "today" in most apps.
Optimal Workflow
- Open the specific chat or group info.
- Scroll to "Export Chat" (bottom).
- Select "Attach Media".
- Save the resulting ZIP file.
- Feed the unzipped folder directly into PDR.
Why PDR works here: WhatsApp filenames (e.g., IMG-20190521-WA0002.jpg) contain the perfect date. PDR reads this string and injects a valid "Date Taken" timestamp back into the file itself.
Facebook (Download Your Information)
Best for: Retrieving college albums, early digital uploads, and tagged photos from 2008–2015.
Optimal Workflow
- Go to Settings & Privacy → Your Information and Permissions.
- Click "Download your information".
- Request a download for "Posts" (Photos and Videos).
- Select Format: JSON (Crucial! HTML is much harder to parse).
- Select Quality: High.
- Download and unzip into your PDR input folder.
Why JSON? The JSON files contain the exact upload time, album names, and descriptions. PDR uses this to fix the otherwise generic filenames facebook assigns.
Best for: Curated visual diaries, stories archives, and filtered memories.
Optimal Workflow
- Go to "Your Activity" → "Download your information".
- Request a download for "Content" (Photos, Videos, Stories).
- Select Format: JSON.
- Extract the ZIP.
- Drag the entire folder into PDR.
PDR will re-associate the media files with their correct creation dates found in the JSON data, fixing the "everything happened today" issue common with bulk downloads.
Messenger
Best for: One-on-one shared histories and privately sent media.
Optimal Workflow
- Use the same "Download Your Information" tool as Facebook.
- Select "Messages" only.
- Format: JSON.
- This export is often huge; extract it carefully.
PDR scans the message logs to find when an image was sent and applies that timestamp to the image file.
3. After PDR — Structuring Your Social Archive
Social media photos are usually lower resolution than camera originals. It is best to keep them slightly separate.
Recommended Folder Structure
/My Photo Library
/Camera Originals (High Res)
/Scans & Legacy
/Social Media Archive (Low Res)
/WhatsApp - Family Group
/Facebook - College Years
/Instagram - 2012-2020
By keeping them in a "Social Media Archive" folder, you preserve the memories without cluttering your high-quality print-ready timeline.
4. Common Social Export Pain Points
1. "All my photos are dated today"
This is standard behavior for downloaded files. PDR fixes this by reading the filename or JSON sidecar.
2. "The resolution is low"
Social apps compress images aggressively. PDR cannot restore pixels that were never there, but it can ensure the low-res photo appears in the correct year.
3. "My videos have no dates"
Video metadata is notoriously fragile in social exports. PDR attempts to deduce dates from the file container or surrounding file context.
Recommended Cloud Services & Upgrades
Premium cloud plans ensure your PDR-fixed library stays safe long-term. These recommended providers offer reliable storage, strong metadata retention, and seamless multi-device access.
(Affiliate links below help support PDR at no extra cost to you.)