diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 788d8814c..c353eb738 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -1581,4 +1581,5 @@
 * (backup) Do not abort archive if file(s) disappear
 * Show app upstream version in the info dialog
 * Add Scaleway ObjectStorage backup backend
+* Preserve update backups for 3 weeks
 
diff --git a/migrations/20190413140945-backups-add-preserveSecs.js b/migrations/20190413140945-backups-add-preserveSecs.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..73a78230a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/migrations/20190413140945-backups-add-preserveSecs.js
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+'use strict';
+
+exports.up = function(db, callback) {
+    db.runSql('ALTER TABLE backups ADD COLUMN preserveSecs INTEGER DEFAULT 0', function (error) {
+        if (error) console.error(error);
+        callback(error);
+    });
+};
+
+exports.down = function(db, callback) {
+    db.runSql('ALTER TABLE backups DROP COLUMN preserveSecs', function (error) {
+        if (error) console.error(error);
+        callback(error);
+    });
+};
diff --git a/migrations/schema.sql b/migrations/schema.sql
index c14c4ba91..83a7b3e5c 100644
--- a/migrations/schema.sql
+++ b/migrations/schema.sql
@@ -141,6 +141,7 @@ CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS backups(
     state VARCHAR(16) NOT NULL,
     manifestJson TEXT, /* to validate if the app can be installed in this version of box */
     format VARCHAR(16) DEFAULT "tgz",
+    preserveSecs INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
 
     PRIMARY KEY (id));
 
diff --git a/src/apptask.js b/src/apptask.js
index 8c92bec86..52332e475 100644
--- a/src/apptask.js
+++ b/src/apptask.js
@@ -586,7 +586,7 @@ function backup(app, callback) {
 
     async.series([
         updateApp.bind(null, app, { installationProgress: '10, Backing up' }),
-        backups.backupApp.bind(null, app, (progress) => updateApp(app, { installationProgress: `30, ${progress.message}` }, NOOP_CALLBACK)),
+        backups.backupApp.bind(null, app, { /* options */ }, (progress) => updateApp(app, { installationProgress: `30, ${progress.message}` }, NOOP_CALLBACK)),
 
         // done!
         function (callback) {
@@ -706,7 +706,8 @@ function update(app, callback) {
 
             async.series([
                 updateApp.bind(null, app, { installationProgress: '15, Backing up app' }),
-                backups.backupApp.bind(null, app, (progress) => updateApp(app, { installationProgress: `15, Backup - ${progress.message}` }, NOOP_CALLBACK))
+                // preserve update backups for 3 weeks
+                backups.backupApp.bind(null, app, { preserveSecs: 3*7*24*60*60 }, (progress) => updateApp(app, { installationProgress: `15, Backup - ${progress.message}` }, NOOP_CALLBACK))
             ], function (error) {
                 if (error) error.backupError = true;
                 next(error);
diff --git a/src/backupdb.js b/src/backupdb.js
index 0048d8f7d..146659b48 100644
--- a/src/backupdb.js
+++ b/src/backupdb.js
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ var assert = require('assert'),
     safe = require('safetydance'),
     util = require('util');
 
-var BACKUPS_FIELDS = [ 'id', 'creationTime', 'version', 'type', 'dependsOn', 'state', 'manifestJson', 'format' ];
+var BACKUPS_FIELDS = [ 'id', 'creationTime', 'version', 'type', 'dependsOn', 'state', 'manifestJson', 'format', 'preserveSecs' ];
 
 exports = module.exports = {
     add: add,
diff --git a/src/backups.js b/src/backups.js
index 8a4d3ebdd..85dabd31b 100644
--- a/src/backups.js
+++ b/src/backups.js
@@ -867,9 +867,10 @@ function snapshotApp(app, progressCallback, callback) {
     });
 }
 
-function rotateAppBackup(backupConfig, app, timestamp, progressCallback, callback) {
+function rotateAppBackup(backupConfig, app, options, timestamp, progressCallback, callback) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof backupConfig, 'object');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof app, 'object');
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof options, 'object');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof timestamp, 'string');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof progressCallback, 'function');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof callback, 'function');
@@ -892,7 +893,7 @@ function rotateAppBackup(backupConfig, app, timestamp, progressCallback, callbac
         copy.on('done', function (copyBackupError) {
             const state = copyBackupError ? backupdb.BACKUP_STATE_ERROR : backupdb.BACKUP_STATE_NORMAL;
 
-            backupdb.update(backupId, { state: state }, function (error) {
+            backupdb.update(backupId, { preserveSecs: options.preserveSecs || 0, state: state }, function (error) {
                 if (copyBackupError) return callback(copyBackupError);
                 if (error) return callback(new BackupsError(BackupsError.INTERNAL_ERROR, error));
 
@@ -933,8 +934,9 @@ function uploadAppSnapshot(backupConfig, app, progressCallback, callback) {
     });
 }
 
-function backupAppWithTimestamp(app, timestamp, progressCallback, callback) {
+function backupAppWithTimestamp(app, options, timestamp, progressCallback, callback) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof app, 'object');
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof options, 'object');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof timestamp, 'string');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof progressCallback, 'function');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof callback, 'function');
@@ -947,13 +949,14 @@ function backupAppWithTimestamp(app, timestamp, progressCallback, callback) {
         uploadAppSnapshot(backupConfig, app, progressCallback, function (error) {
             if (error) return callback(error);
 
-            rotateAppBackup(backupConfig, app, timestamp, progressCallback, callback);
+            rotateAppBackup(backupConfig, app, options, timestamp, progressCallback, callback);
         });
     });
 }
 
-function backupApp(app, progressCallback, callback) {
+function backupApp(app, options, progressCallback, callback) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof app, 'object');
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof options, 'object');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof progressCallback, 'function');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof callback, 'function');
 
@@ -961,7 +964,7 @@ function backupApp(app, progressCallback, callback) {
 
     debug(`backupApp - Backing up ${app.fqdn} with timestamp ${timestamp}`);
 
-    backupAppWithTimestamp(app, timestamp, progressCallback, callback);
+    backupAppWithTimestamp(app, options, timestamp, progressCallback, callback);
 }
 
 // this function expects you to have a lock. Unlike other progressCallback this also has a progress field
@@ -986,7 +989,7 @@ function backupBoxAndApps(progressCallback, callback) {
                 return iteratorCallback(null, null); // nothing to backup
             }
 
-            backupAppWithTimestamp(app, timestamp, (progress) => progressCallback({ percent: percent, message: progress.message }), function (error, backupId) {
+            backupAppWithTimestamp(app, { /* options */ }, timestamp, (progress) => progressCallback({ percent: percent, message: progress.message }), function (error, backupId) {
                 if (error && error.reason !== BackupsError.BAD_STATE) {
                     debugApp(app, 'Unable to backup', error);
                     return iteratorCallback(error);
@@ -1101,6 +1104,7 @@ function cleanupAppBackups(backupConfig, referencedAppBackups, callback) {
 
         async.eachSeries(appBackups, function iterator(appBackup, iteratorDone) {
             if (referencedAppBackups.indexOf(appBackup.id) !== -1) return iteratorDone();
+            if ((now - appBackup.creationTime) < (appBackup.preserveSecs * 1000)) return iteratorDone();
             if ((now - appBackup.creationTime) < (backupConfig.retentionSecs * 1000)) return iteratorDone();
 
             debug('cleanupAppBackups: removing %s', appBackup.id);