Starting November 25, 2026, VideoSDK is updating how long detailed session diagnostic data remains available, based on your subscription plan.
Under the updated policy, diagnostic data will be retained for:
- Free: 1 day
- Pay As You Go: 7 days
- Enterprise: 30 days
- Enterprise with custom retention: As specified in your contract
Your sessions, recordings, participant records, and billing history are not deleted under this update. This update applies only to detailed diagnostic data used for troubleshooting, monitoring, and analyzing session performance.
To support this transition, eligible historical diagnostic data will have a temporary recovery window until December 24, 2026. During this window, you can recover hidden data by upgrading your plan, within your new plan's retention period.
What Data Is Affected?
The updated retention policy applies to observability data used to investigate session quality, errors, and performance.
This includes:
- Call quality metrics: Detailed information about session performance and quality.
- Errors: Diagnostic error information used for troubleshooting.
- Logs and traces: Technical logs and traces associated with sessions.
- AI agent transcripts: Transcripts stored as part of session observability.
- AI agent response times: Performance metrics used to analyze AI agent interactions.
- Webhook delivery logs: Logs of webhook deliveries to your endpoints.
- Alert incidents: Incidents triggered by your alert rules.
What Is Not Deleted Under This Update?
The following data is not deleted under this update:
| Data Type | What It Includes | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Account and settings | Projects, API keys, webhooks, alert rules, phone numbers, routing rules | Not affected. Kept while your account is active |
| Billing and usage | Invoices, payments, usage minutes | Not affected. Kept as required by law |
| Session records | Rooms, sessions, participants, HLS and RTMP stream records, telephony call records | Not deleted currently. Deletion period to be set in a later phase. |
| Recordings on VideoSDK storage | Recordings, transcriptions, summaries | Not deleted currently. Deletion period to be set in a later phase |
| Analytics summaries | Totals, trends, country, platform, SDK and device breakdowns, derived from session records | Not deleted currently. Follows session records |
| Recordings on your own storage | Recordings sent to your AWS, Azure or GCP bucket | Out of scope. Controlled by you |
Important: A session may remain visible in your session history even after its detailed diagnostic data has expired.
For example, you may still see a session from two weeks ago, but its call quality metrics, error logs, and traces may no longer be available.
Note: Session records, recordings on VideoSDK storage, and analytics summaries are not deleted currently. A deletion period for them will be set in a later phase.
Diagnostic Data Retention by Plan
Your subscription plan determines how long detailed diagnostic information remains accessible.
| Plan | Retention Period | To Keep Them Longer |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 1 day | Upgrade to Pay As You Go |
| Pay As You Go | 7 days | Upgrade to Enterprise |
| Enterprise | 30 days | Talk to Sales |
| Enterprise with custom retention | As contracted | Contact the account manager |
If your team requires longer retention for troubleshooting, quality monitoring, or operational reviews, you can explore a plan with a longer retention period.
Enterprise customers can contact the designated account manager to discuss custom retention requirements.
Important Dates and Transition Timeline
The updated policy will be introduced in stages to give customers time to review their requirements and request recovery of eligible historical diagnostics.
November 25, 2026 - New Retention Policy Takes Effect
Starting November 25, detailed session diagnostics older than your plan's retention period will be hidden from normal access.
For example:
- Free customers will have access to the most recent 1 day of diagnostics.
- Pay As You Go customers will have access to the most recent 7 days.
- Enterprise customers will have access to the most recent 30 days, unless their contract specifies otherwise.
Your session history, recordings, participant records, and billing history will not be deleted under this update.
November 25 - December 24, 2026 - Recovery Window
During this transition period, customers can recover hidden diagnostic data by upgrading their plan. The new plan's retention period decides how much data is restored. For example, upgrading from Pay As You Go to Enterprise restores up to 30 days.
If you need eligible diagnostic data older than your new plan's retention period, please contact our team before December 25, 2026.
Customers who require longer retention going forward can follow the upgrade path for their plan in Diagnostic Data Retention by Plan.
Please note: Recovery is subject to the availability of historical diagnostic data. Upgrading restores hidden data only within your new plan's retention period.
From December 25, 2026 - Permanent Deletion
Beginning December 25, diagnostic data exceeding the applicable retention period will be permanently deleted under the updated policy.
This will apply on an ongoing basis.
For example, on a Pay As You Go plan, diagnostics exceeding the 7-day retention period will be subject to permanent deletion.
Once diagnostic data has been permanently deleted, it cannot be recovered by Support or restored through a later plan upgrade.
Upgrading only helps new sessions.
Custom Enterprise retention will continue to follow the terms of the applicable contract.
What Should You Do?
We recommend taking the following steps before November 25:
- Review your current plan. Confirm the diagnostic retention period applicable to your account.
- Evaluate your troubleshooting requirements. Determine whether your team regularly needs to investigate sessions older than your retention window.
- Consider longer retention. If necessary, follow the upgrade path for your plan.
- Request historical diagnostics if needed. Upgrade your plan during the recovery window, before December 25. For data older than your new plan's retention period, contact VideoSDK Support.
For assistance, contact VideoSDK Support or Talk to Sales.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Will my sessions or recordings be deleted?
No, not under this update. This update only affects detailed session diagnostic data. A deletion period for session records and recordings stored on VideoSDK will be set in a later phase, with 30 days' notice. Recordings stored in your own AWS, Azure, or GCP bucket are out of scope and controlled by you.
2. Why can I see a session but not its diagnostic details?
Session records and diagnostic data follow different retention rules.
A session may remain visible in your history even after its diagnostic details exceed your plan's retention period.
3. Can I recover older diagnostic data?
During the transition period from November 25 to December 24, 2026, you can recover hidden diagnostic data by upgrading your plan, within your new plan's retention period. For older data, you can contact VideoSDK Support to request recovery of eligible historical diagnostic data.
Recovery depends on whether the requested data is still available.
4. Will upgrading my plan restore historical diagnostic data?
Yes, during the recovery window. Upgrading restores hidden diagnostic data within the retention period of your new plan.
However, an upgrade does not restore data that has already been permanently deleted. After the recovery window, upgrading only helps new sessions.
If you need hidden diagnostics older than your new plan's retention period, contact Support to discuss recovery options.
5. What happens after December 24, 2026?
Starting December 25, diagnostic data exceeding your plan's retention period will be permanently deleted on an ongoing basis.
Permanently deleted data cannot be recovered.
6. Can Enterprise customers request longer retention?
Yes. Enterprise customers can talk to Sales or discuss custom diagnostic retention requirements with their account manager.
Any agreed custom retention period will follow the applicable contract.
7. Does this affect billing or recording storage?
No. This update does not change your billing history or recording retention arrangements.
It applies specifically to detailed diagnostic and observability data.
Need Help?
We recommend reviewing your diagnostic data requirements before November 25, 2026.
If you need historical diagnostic data, upgrade your plan during the recovery window ending December 24, 2026. For data older than your new plan's retention period, please contact our team.
For longer retention requirements, our team can help you find the right plan.
Thank you for building with VideoSDK.