Bitcoin Core developers have announced plans to eliminate the 80-byte limit on OP_RETURN outputs in the upcoming version 30, set for release on October 30, 2025. This change allows transactions to include up to 4MB of arbitrary data per output, a significant policy shift aimed at making Bitcoin a more flexible data storage platform. Critics argue that this move shifts Bitcoin away from its original purpose of peer-to-peer transactions and could encourage excessive data storage on the blockchain. The decision has sparked debate among the Bitcoin community, with some supporters advocating for broader use cases, while critics fear it undermines Bitcoin's core principles. Core contributor Gloria Zhao emphasized that the modification intends to replace harmful data storage practices that bloat the network, thus aligning Bitcoin's policies with its mining realities. Despite the ability for users to revert to the old limit configuration, this option may be phased out in future updates. The proposal follows months of discussion regarding Bitcoin's evolving role as both a cryptocurrency and a data storage medium.

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