Memory Box

Grandma, will you tell me again?

Record her stories at the kitchen table, in her own voice. They stay with you, in your family's private Circle.

Join the pilotHow it works ↓

Illustrative footage

Why now

Some stories only she knows.

  • How Grandpa proposed.
  • The cake recipe nobody ever wrote down.
  • The song from her village.
  • What life was like in 1960.

Photos stay in the album. Her voice — the laugh halfway through a sentence, the sayings only she uses — stays only if someone records it.

We can't always ask again. So ask now, over a cup of tea, with no rush.

How it works

Three moments. One afternoon.

  1. App screen: questions for the conversation, such as

    01

    Sit down together

    Choose who's telling the story and what it's about. The app suggests a few gentle questions — change them however you like before you start.

  2. App screen while recording: a timer and the question on screen.

    02

    Record the conversation

    On iPhone, audio only or with video, up to 20 minutes. The question stays on screen while she tells it her way. Wander off topic — that's where the best stories are.

  3. App screen: the memory's player, the conversation written out, and chapters.

    03

    The memory waits in your Circle

    The recording, the conversation written out, and chapters go to your Circle's Chronicle. You check everything first, then share it with the family.

Real screens from the pilot app (shown in Polish). The family on them is an example.

What you keep

Her voice, and everything around it.

Example · synthetic voice, made-up people
By the river, summer 1962

Memory · The Zieliński Circle

The accordion under the window

Told by Grandma Janina · recorded by Ola

Listen to an excerpt (in Polish) · 0:57

"He came under the window with his accordion and played until Mum let him in. He only knew two tunes, so he took turns."
The whole excerpt, in English

It was the summer of sixty-two, by the river Soła. I was seventeen, with a plait down to my waist. And he came on a bicycle, with an accordion tied to the rack with string. He stood under the window and played. Mum says: “Janka, shut the window, he's a good-for-nothing.” And I didn't shut it. He only knew two tunes, so he played them in turns. “The Red Apple”, and one more… I can't remember which. He played like that for three evenings, until Mum went out on the porch and said: “Oh, come in already, the whole street is listening.” And he came in. He ate half a tray of plum cake. And in October, we were married.

  1. Summer by the river
  2. The boy with the accordion
  3. Mum says no
  4. A wedding in October

  • Voice

    Exactly as she sounds: the pauses, the laughter, her favourite words.

  • Words

    The whole conversation written out, so you can read it and find a favourite moment.

  • Chapters

    The story in parts, so you can jump straight back to "the one about the accordion".

  • Photos

    Old photographs and a cover you add to the memory.

Private

Only for your Circle.

  • Invited people only

    Memories are seen only by the people you invite to your Circle. No public links, no profiles.

  • Consent comes first

    Before you start, the storyteller agrees to be recorded — in the app, with you there.

  • Consent can be withdrawn

    If she changes her mind, the memory leaves the Chronicle.

  • Files kept in the EU

    Recordings and photos are stored on servers in the European Union. You can download a copy of your data and delete your account.

How we protect your privacy →
App screen: inviting someone to the Circle by e-mail or link.

The whole family

One person starts. The whole family listens.

Create a Circle and invite your relatives by e-mail or link. Grandchildren in London, an aunt in Gdańsk, cousins who only know Grandma from stories: everyone who joins can listen to the memories and add their own.

The pilot

Record your first story this weekend.

Memory Box is in a free pilot on iPhone (iOS 15 or later). You install it through TestFlight, Apple's app for trying new apps.

Join on TestFlight →

Got an invitation from family? Install the app, then open the invitation link again. Want to start a new Circle? Write to us at hello@novaai.ventures and we'll add you to the pilot.

QR code linking to Memory Box on TestFlight

Scan with your iPhone camera