Has Dropped Item Decay Time Changed?

Do you remember that old rule about dropping an item and having a 12 hour countdown to either pick it up or lose it?

EDIT UPDATE: Brandon Badger has commented:  “XM gremlins. They were on strike, but the gremlins will soon be out collecting abandoned loot from the ground.”

 Old school Ingressers may remember that change from back in January, lots of unclaimed keys and items were lost forever in favor of XM stability. Many of us leaving items “under the carpet” to be picked up for future use had a painful surprise when we realized after 12 hours they just lost cohesion and disintegrated according to Dr. Oliver Lyton-Wolfe.

I know many of you will say “I noticed that a while ago” but for those who weren’t already aware, here is what we know so far. There is no confirmed countdown currently, we are not sure how long will it last or if it will be adjusted again eventually. 

However, I noticed this as a mere serendipity and I have the proof. So far 48 hours for a key ( I must say, I find the unwillingness of both factions’ local players to pick it up, or their lack of greed disturbing).

I hope you find this information helpful, we never know when we need to drop items for other Ingressers to pick them up days later.