Parent Memories — Help & User Guide

Version 1.0 · July 2, 2026 · Use Print / save as PDF (top right) to keep a copy.

1. How Parent Memories works

Parent Memories is a video journal for the people you love. You record short messages over time — everyday thoughts, birthday wishes, advice for later — and they live on your private timeline. Then two things make it different from a camera roll:

1. You can share, on your terms. Invite family to watch now, or mark videos "legacy only" so they stay private for the future.
2. Nothing is ever lost. You check in on a gentle timer. If you ever stop checking in — and don't respond to our reminders — your videos are handed to the one person you chose in advance. Not before, and never to anyone else.

2. Getting started & plans

1. Create your account (you'll start on a free Premium trial, or choose "Start on the free plan instead").
2. Click the link in your confirmation email.
3. Record your first video — it takes about two minutes.
4. When you're ready, name your trusted person (section 6). This is the heart of the service.

You can switch plans any time in Account settings → Subscription. Your videos are never deleted when you change plans.

3. Recording a video

• Video or audio-only — audio mode is great for low bandwidth or when you're not camera-ready.
• Camera & microphone pickers — choose which device to use if you have several.
• Quality — 480p (saves space), 720p (recommended), or 1080p (full HD). Higher quality uses more of your storage.
• Frame shape — widescreen 16:9, classic 4:3, or phone-style 9:16 portrait. The preview shows exactly what will be recorded.
• Pause and resume mid-recording; review before saving; re-record if it didn't feel right.

Before you save

• Let my people know — emails the family you've invited that there's a new video (never for legacy-only videos).
• Keep this private until handover (legacy only) — the video is hidden from everyone you've invited, until the day your timeline is handed over.
• Mark as important — adds a gold star on your timeline so special videos are easy to find.
• Add a note — a private note only you can see (the occasion, who it's for).

4. Your timeline (My Videos)

• Search by title or date — "June 2026", "6/20/2026", or a date range — and group your videos by month (click a month to collapse it).
• Show 25 / 50 / 100 at a time keeps long timelines fast; "Show more" reveals the rest.
• The ⋮ menu on each video: play, rename, mark important, add or edit its note, toggle legacy-only, delete.
• Deleted videos go to the Trash for 30 days — restore them any time in that window, or "Delete forever" immediately. After 30 days they're removed automatically.
• Hearts and notes your family leave appear under the player when you watch your own videos — "From your people".

5. Checking in

Your check-in timer (30, 60, or 90 days — set in Legacy settings) is how we know you're okay. Simply logging in counts as checking in. If the timer gets close, we email you a one-click check-in link — no password needed.

If the timer runs out, nothing happens suddenly: there's a final grace window (with more emails) before anything is handed over, and even a completed handover can be reversed by contacting support if it was a mistake.

6. Your trusted person

Your trusted person (and optional backup) is who receives your timeline if something happens to you. Set them in My People.

• They can't see anything now. Being named gives no access to your videos while you're active — none, ever, until a handover actually completes.
• Tell them now — or don't. When you name someone, you choose whether we email them right away (so they can confirm their address) or keep it completely private for now. You can send the email later with one click. Either way, they'll be reached if a handover ever happens.
• Confirmation — if they click the email link, your My People page shows "Email confirmed", so you know they're reachable. Fixing a typo in their name won't undo this; changing their email address will (the new address needs to confirm).
• At handover — they receive everything, including legacy-only videos, with 180 days of free access to watch and download. Your timeline is sealed as your chapter.

7. Sharing videos now (watchers)

• In My People, invite family by email. They accept the invite with one click (existing members) or by creating a free viewing account.
• Watchers see your timeline except legacy-only videos, and can leave a ♥ or a short note on any video — you'll see those under your player.
• If you tick "Let my people know" when saving, watchers get an email that there's something new.
• You can remove a watcher at any time in My People — their access ends immediately, and we don't notify them.

8. Timelines shared with you

• When someone shares with you (or leaves their timeline in your care), a "Shared with me" tile appears on your dashboard.
• Watching now — timelines friends have shared: watch, heart, and leave notes.
• Left in your care — if you were someone's trusted person and their account was handed over, their videos appear here with 180 days of free access to watch and download everything. If you didn't have an account, the email you received walks you through creating one with just your name and a password.

9. Your account & security

• Profile — name, email (re-confirms if changed), optional phone, and a profile photo.
• Appearance — six themes including Dark; your choice applies to your own pages only.
• Password — change it in Account settings (you'll need your current one); we email you whenever it changes. Forgot it? Use "Forgot your password?" on the login page.
• Two-factor authentication (recommended) — adds a 6-digit code from an authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Authy, 1Password…) at login. Turn it on in Account settings: add the key to your app, enter the code, done. When you enable it you'll get recovery codes — save them somewhere safe. Lost your phone? Enter one of your recovery codes at the login code step (each works once); if you've lost those too, contact support and we can reset it after verifying it's really you.
• Subscription — the billing line always tells you the truth (trial end date, free-period end, or "billing isn't set up yet"). "Cancel subscription" switches you to the Starter plan — your videos all stay.
• Deleting your account — type DELETE to confirm. Your videos are held for a cooling-off period (so a mistake can be undone by contacting support), then permanently removed.

10. Getting help

• Signed in? Open the menu under your picture (top right) → Contact support. Your message is linked to your account automatically.
• Can't sign in? Use the contact page — use your account email so we can find you.
• Replies come to you twice: by email, and in a "Messages from support" card on your dashboard, where you can read the whole conversation and reply.
• Reporting a death? Use "Report the passing of a loved one" on the contact page — our team reviews these personally.

11. Camera & microphone problems

The most common fix is allowing your browser to use your camera and microphone:

Other common issues

12. Privacy & safety

• Your videos are yours. Nobody sees them unless you invite them — and legacy-only videos, no one until handover.
• Your trusted person cannot peek early. Naming someone gives them zero access while your account is active.
• Our staff do not watch your videos. The single exception: if a viewer reports a video as dangerous, a reviewer may watch that one video — and every such viewing requires a written reason and is permanently logged.
• Deleted means deleted. Trash empties after 30 days; closed accounts are purged after the cooling-off period.
• Protect your account: use a strong password, turn on two-factor, and keep your trusted person's email up to date.

End of guide — version 1.0 (July 2, 2026).