Gated recordings: what Over Storage, Over Plan Length, and Plan Downgraded really mean

Seeing a recording in Media Library that will not play is alarming, especially when the row and the file are still there. In these cases, the recording usually finished. The library is withholding playback because a limit was checked when the finished file became available.

The three labels describe different conditions: Over Storage, Over Plan Length, and Plan Downgraded. ApexStream keeps the object and explains the gate instead of deleting a completed recording.

The file is kept first

Cloud recording stitches its chunks into a seekable MP4, uploads the result, and then creates the library row. At that boundary, the service checks the current tier's storage quota, recording duration, and recording entitlement.

The account may have changed while a long show was running. The final file size may be larger than the available quota. The finished duration may be beyond the current plan. Those checks are only accurate once the recording exists, so the system stores the object and labels the row instead of throwing the work away.

Playback, download, and restream use the row's gated status. The asset remains visible with an explanation so you can take the action that clears the condition.

Over Storage

Storage quotas are 5 GB on Free, 25 GB on Hobby, 100 GB on Creator, 500 GB on Scale, and 10 TB on Enterprise. At completion, ApexStream compares the space already used with the new file's size. If the total crosses the quota, the row becomes OVER_QUOTA and the card says Over Storage.

To unlock it, free space or move to a plan with a higher quota. You can delete other recordings or let older items reach their normal retention expiry. The service does not automatically delete the newly finished file to make room, because quota enforcement should not become surprise data loss.

The retention window still applies to a gated file: 7 days on Free, 15 on Hobby and Creator, 30 on Scale, and 365 on Enterprise. A storage gate is not a permanent archive.

Over Plan Length

Maximum stream and recording lengths are 2 hours on Free, 6 on Hobby, 8 on Creator, 10 on Scale, and 24 on Enterprise. The system lets chunks continue through the session rather than cutting the file into an unexplained partial recording the instant a timer is reached. The final duration is known after stitching.

If the completed recording exceeds the current tier's maximum, its status becomes OVER_DURATION and the card shows Over Plan Length. The file is complete, but playback remains locked until the account is on a tier that covers that duration.

The library may also use the [Over Plan Limit] title prefix so the condition is visible outside the badge.

Do not read Over Plan Length as evidence that the capture worker failed. It means the finished object is longer than the current tier permits. If the show was intentionally long, the useful action is to choose a tier that covers future sessions before recording the next one; changing the title or refreshing the library will not clear the gate.

Plan Downgraded

Free cannot cloud-record. If a paid session finishes after the account has moved to Free—through cancellation, a failed payment, or an intentional downgrade—the recording is marked UNAVAILABLE_PLAN_DOWNGRADE. This condition takes priority because the recording entitlement itself is no longer active.

Plan Downgraded uses a separate 14-day grace window. The system stamps the asset with an expiry 14 days in the future. Re-upgrade before that date to keep the recording accessible; otherwise the temporary hold ends. Normal retention does not turn this state into indefinite Free storage.

How to unlock each label

• Over Storage: delete or expire other recordings until the projected usage fits, or upgrade the storage allowance.
• Over Plan Length: upgrade to a tier whose maximum recording length covers the finished file.
• Plan Downgraded: restore a paid recording entitlement before the 14-day window closes.

There is no support switch that should make a genuine condition disappear without changing the account or the data that caused it. The gate is the explanation.

Why the check happens at the end

Storage is not final until the upload size is known. Duration is not final until the stitch is complete. The plan can change during a multi-hour session. Checking at the library boundary gives the customer the same answer the library can enforce.

Persist the recording, label the limit, and give the owner a clear way to unlock it. A limit should not erase the work it is meant to describe.

When a gated card appears, read its label as a next step: make room, choose a plan that covers the file, or restore the paid entitlement before the grace period ends.

Which gate are you seeing?

State	Reason	Next step
Over Storage	The completed file crosses the plan's storage quota	Free space or move to a plan with more storage
Plan Downgraded	The account no longer has the recording entitlement	Re-upgrade within the 14-day grace window
Over Duration	The finished recording exceeds the plan's maximum length	Use the message as a planning signal for the next show