KeyMoments

Help & guides

Short answers about every feature. You will find the same guides in the app under Profile, "Help & guides".

Getting started · Book & entries · Photos & suggestions · Family · Calendar · Subscription & pricing · Privacy & storage

Getting started

Send feedback

Profile → “Help” → “Send feedback”. Write or dictate what you noticed, and attach up to three screenshots if you like (take them in the app beforehand with the side button + volume up). The message is sent as an email to [email protected], with the app version and device included automatically. If no mail app is set up on the device, the Share menu opens.

What can KeyMoments do?

KeyMoments is your child’s book: photos, videos, voices, events, and stories in one place – together with your family. Stories are created from your own notes, using only your facts. The calendar collects events, school, and hobbies; parents who live apart plan custody there. There are also little treasures like kid quotes, height & weight, wish list, yearly interview, and time-lapse film – all in the book, top left under “More” → “Collections”. For later, there are letters and video messages that open only on the 18th birthday, and for each birthday the year is ready as a photo book. Give every moment a mood and find it again quickly with search. Profile → “Help” → “View introduction” shows you the short five-page introduction again at any time.

How do I add a child?

Profile → “Add child”. Enter a name and birthday, choose a photo and a color if you like, then “Save”. If your child isn’t born yet, enter the due date and change it later. You can change everything later in your profile: tap the book → “Edit book”, and confirm with “Done”.

How does the app find photos of my child?

Profile → Help → “Set up photos & face recognition”. Allow access to your photos and teach a face with 3–10 photos. The app then searches your entire library – right on the device – and shows how many photos it has found even while searching. First the photos stored on the device (matches appear immediately), then photos that exist only in iCloud are downloaded in small versions. It looks at videos in several places, not just at the beginning. Videos that exist only in iCloud are downloaded for this only on Wi-Fi. In Low Power Mode or when the device gets warm, the app searches more slowly to save battery. “Pause” stops the search – next time it continues from the same spot.

How do I create an entry?

In the book, tap “+” at the top right (on iPad, “New entry”). First you choose photos and videos: filter at the top (All, Photos, Videos, Favorites), tap photos (press and hold = view large), “Camera” for a new photo, and at the bottom “Continue with … photos” or “Continue without photo”. Then write a title and text, attach a voice recording with “Add audio” if you like, choose the mood, and check the date and place under “When & where”. Under “Places from the photos” you tap a different place where a photo was taken. “Tell instead of type” (the microphone in the text field) writes down what you say – even across pauses, and the keyboard closes. You can also speak the title: microphone on the right in the title field. Only one microphone listens at a time: if you tap the microphone on another photo or field, the previous one stops. “Save” at the top right puts the entry in the book; a brief “Saved to the book” confirms it, or “Milestone captured” for milestones. If you tap the place in the entry, you see it on the map. An entry holds at most 50 photos and videos – less is more: choose the best moments. For a long vacation, simply create several entries, for example one per day.

How do I flip through the book?

The book shows each month as a pinboard: the photos of your memories as prints side by side, swipe left to scroll through. Memories with many photos, milestones, and recaps are large; with 2–3 photos, two are stacked; with one photo, three are stacked. With many memories, they move a bit closer together and overlap slightly. Tap a photo: the memory opens, and you turn pages like in a book – swipe left for the next page, right to go back. The page follows your finger. At the bottom it shows which page you’re on (e.g. “3 of 12”); you can also turn pages with the arrows. Between two years of life comes a chapter page (“At age 5”) with the time span and a small pinboard: up to 12 photos, one from each month – favorites first, then the memories with the most reactions and photos. Want a different view? Top left “More” → “View”: “Pinboard”, “Gallery” (newest experience large, with a grid below), or “List” with text. On iPad in landscape, the chapters and months are on the left – tapping a month jumps there, and you can turn pages with the arrow keys of a keyboard. On iPad, “Turn as pages” at the month heading opens the month as its own page. There you swipe left or right to the next or previous month.

How do I change the app’s language?

Profile → “Settings” → “Language”. Your device’s Settings open: tap “Language” and choose German, English, French or Dutch. The app then restarts. Your entries stay as they are; only buttons and new AI texts change language.

Book & entries

Where do I find earlier years?

Each year of life (from one birthday to the next) is its own chapter. The current year is always open. You choose older years with the chapter tabs right below the book header, e.g. “At age 5”. With very large text, a “Chapter: …” button appears there instead. On iPad in landscape, the chapters are in the sidebar on the left. Entries from before the birthday are in their own chapter, “Before you were here”.

What do the notices at the top of the book mean?

Below the book header there are at most two notices, for example “Entries awaiting approval”, or new photo suggestions. If there is a custody schedule, it shows first who your child is with right now. If there are more notices, “+2” (or another number) appears next to them – a tap shows all notices, including ideas and “You were often here”. Important things always appear as their own card, for example a transfer offer, the deletion deadline of a parent copy (after your child has taken over the book – in Child access, the card “Your book is now yours!” appears beforehand), the free month ending soon and, in your own book, an expired free month or an expired subscription. This card has the button “Choose subscription” – you can still view everything; adding new entries works again with the subscription. If you can only view a shared book, below the book header next to an eye it says “You can view this book. Only people with write permissions can make entries.” Only the owner of the book can give you more permissions. In Child access, next to a lock it says “No new entries right now” when the parents’ subscription has expired. A tap on it explains why: viewing the book and the diary continue to work, and in the calendar you then see only your own events. New entries work again as soon as the parents renew the subscription.

How do I find a memory again?

In the book, tap the magnifying glass at the top right and enter a term – the search covers titles, texts, places, notes under the photos, milestones, and recaps, also by months like “July 2025” and in transcripts of voice recordings. Kid quotes, interview answers, and “Questions for the family” are found too – including what is said in their recordings. Filters are at the top: person (siblings and “People in photos” – recognized on the device or mentioned in the text), place, year of life, milestones, and mood. Filters can be combined, also with a search word. A result opens the page, and from there you keep turning pages. The search also finds guides from Help – e.g. for “Calendar” or “Wish list”.

Mood for an entry

In “New entry” or “Edit”, tap a face under “Mood”: happy 😊, funny 😂, touched 🥹, amazed 😮, tired 😴, or sad 😢. Each face has its name below it. The chosen face is highlighted and its name is bold, the others fade; tapping again removes it. The mood appears in the entry at the end of the line under the title, e.g. “😂 Funny”, and in the book at the end of the line under the photo – and you can filter by it in search.

Notes for each photo

With several photos, under “What’s happening in the photos?” there is a separate field for each photo – when telling after the suggestions and under “New entry” or “Edit”. Write or dictate briefly what is happening in the photo. With “Write all fields”, the AI turns this into a short text for each photo, which appears in the book under exactly that photo, plus a summary at the top. Whether the texts talk about your child (“Amelie played …”) or address your child directly (“You played …”) is set in your profile under “Settings” → “Photos, people & places” → “AI texts”. If your notes lack an action word, small suggestions like “played”, “received”, or “saw” appear under the field you’re writing in – a tap adds the word.

View a photo large while writing

When telling, in “New entry”, and in “Edit”, tap a small photo – it opens large, and you can zoom with two fingers. Videos play there. In the large view, a double tap also zooms in; “Done” takes you back to writing.

Add a voice recording or audio file

In “New entry” or “Edit”, tap “Add audio” below the text field: “Record voice” records right away, “Paste voice memo” takes a copied voice memo, and “From Files” takes a finished recording – e.g. from the Voice Memos app (share there → “Save to Files”). M4A, MP3, and WAV work; unfortunately the device can’t play WhatsApp voice messages in Opus format.

Transcribe a voice recording

KeyMoments transcribes new voice recordings right away – in entries, in kid quotes, in the interview, and in “Questions for the family”. Apple’s speech recognition does this right on the device; nothing goes to outside servers. The text appears under the recording, and you can improve it when editing. In kid quotes, the spoken sentence immediately becomes the quote if you haven’t typed anything yet. The app transcribes older recordings little by little on its own once you’ve allowed speech recognition. The transcript is shared encrypted with the family and found by search.

Live Photos and videos

Live Photos are imported with their short motion and carry the “LIVE” badge. Pressing and holding the photo plays the motion; a short tap opens it large. Videos show their length at the bottom left – tap to open them large and play them, with sound even when the silent switch is on.

Enlarge a photo

Tap a photo in the entry or spread it with two fingers – it opens large. There you can zoom up to 5× with two fingers and move it with one finger. A double tap zooms in or shows the whole photo again. Editing (crop, filters, trim video) is explained in “Edit photos and videos”. Swiping moves to the next photo, and the top shows e.g. “3 / 8”. Tapping once hides and shows the bar and the caption.

Edit photos and videos

Just like in the iPhone Photos app: in the entry window, tap the slider button at the bottom right of the photo or video – this works right after taking a picture with the camera and before saving – or later open a photo large and tap “Edit” at the top. At the bottom you choose: “Adjust” (Auto, Exposure, Brilliance, Highlights, Shadows, Contrast, Brightness, Black point, Saturation, Vibrance, Warmth, Tint, Sharpness, Definition, Noise reduction, Vignette – tap a tool and drag on the dial; double-tapping the dial resets it to 0), “Filters” (Vivid, Dramatic, Mono, Silvertone, Noir, and Apple’s classic camera filters, with an intensity slider) and “Crop” (drag the frame at corners and edges, rotate, flip, and choose aspect ratio at the top; straighten and adjust vertical and horizontal perspective at the bottom). Pressing and holding shows the original. The pen at the top opens Apple’s “Markup”: draw, text, shapes, signature, magnifier – confirm and close with “Done” in the menu at the top right. Live Photos also have “Live”: “LIVE” at the top turns the motion off and on, drag the white frame on the film strip and tap “Make key photo” to choose a different frame from the motion; below that you choose Loop, Bounce (back and forth), or Long Exposure (all frames on top of each other – lovely with water or lights). Videos also have “Video”: drag the start and end on the film strip, turn sound off and on at the top left, and lower the volume below. Trimming and muting are instant; with a filter, rotation, or crop, the video is re-rendered, which takes a moment. The checkmark at the top right saves. The original is always kept: the next time you edit, all sliders are as you left them, and “…” → “Restore original” brings it back.

How do I delete or share an entry?

Open an entry → top right “More” (the three dots) → “Share” or “Delete entry”. You can change it at the top via “Edit” and confirm with “Done”. Below the entry, “Like” sends a heart, and “Comment” opens the comment field.

The place is wrong – what can I do?

Open an entry → “Edit” at the top → tap “Place” under “When & where” → “Determine place from photos again”. The app searches again for the exact place where the photo was taken, but you can also type it in yourself. “Done” confirms the place.

How long is a shared link valid?

At most 90 days – you choose 7, 30, or 90 days. After that, the content can no longer be opened. Under Profile → “Shared links” you can revoke any link earlier. As the place, the link shows only the city, no street or house number.

Favorites and Perpetual calendar

You mark favorites with the heart at the top right – in an open entry, in the large view of a photo, and on stories. In the book you recognize them by the small white heart at the top right of the photo. You find all favorites in the book at the top left under “More”, and the Perpetual calendar under “More” → “Collections”. From one favorite you turn pages straight to the next. The Perpetual calendar contains important events with a star and milestones – year after year, with “Today … years ago”.

Capture a moment quickly

Say “Hey Siri, new moment in KeyMoments” – the app opens right away with a new entry. Even faster: put the “New moment” button in Control Center or on the Lock Screen (press and hold the Lock Screen → “Customize” → swap a button at the bottom). The round KeyMoments widget on the Lock Screen also opens a new entry directly. “Hey Siri, today a year ago in KeyMoments” reads you a memory from this day.

Widget on the Home Screen

Press and hold an empty spot on the Home Screen → “Edit” → “Add Widget” → KeyMoments. It shows “Today … ago” with a photo and the next event. If there’s no anniversary today, it shows a different favorite photo each day.

How is a story created?

Automatically: for the last month, after each birthday for the past year of life, and for detected trips or outings, the app pre-writes a recap as a draft – from what is already in the book (entry texts, titles, texts under the photos, milestones, places, calendar). It appears as the first picture with the label “Draft” in its month, and the month heading then shows “View draft”. Telling it yourself: in the book, tap “Create recap” next to the month heading (from 2 entries in the month); for a whole year, tap “Yearly recap …” on the newest month of the year. For a vacation or outing: top left “More” → “Create & share” → “Recap for vacation or outing”. The app only asks about photos that have nothing in the book yet (no caption, entry without text) – at most 10, with “Photo 3 of 8” at the top; you write or dictate brief notes. “Skip – write directly” writes immediately, and Claude fills in missing captions as it does. For the yearly recap there are no individual questions, only the note on the whole. The app preselects which photos are included: for a month, trip, and story up to 10 (favorites and milestones first, then spread across the period), for the yearly recap the best photos of the year (up to 25, milestones first, at least one from each month) – without duplicate or near-identical photos, screenshots, and documents. With “Choose photos” at the top right you add photos and videos yourself, deselect some, or swap them (at most 31, 50 for the yearly recap). “Deselect all” clears the selection, “Restore suggestion” brings back the preselection; at least 1 photo must be included. Exactly these appear in the recap. You can write or change the text under a photo at any time – even in the finished recap: tap the photo, then tap the caption icon at the top (photo with lines); there you can also dictate or have the text written with Sparks ✨. From this the story is created – using only your facts. You read and change it before you save it. Saved recaps appear in the book as the first, large picture in the month in which their period ends – so a monthly summary sits right at the front of its month. Search (magnifying glass) finds them too. Only “Save permanently” turns the draft into a permanent recap – with “Later” it stays a draft in its month.

What's the difference between an entry and a story?

An entry captures a moment – a day, an experience. A story summarizes several entries: a month, a vacation, or a whole year. It appears in the book as a chapter and also goes into the photo book.

How good are the AI texts?

Without KeyMoments Plus, the AI writes the texts right on your device (Apple Intelligence) – without internet and without photos or notes leaving the device. In return, it is quite simple: it sometimes makes mistakes or sounds stiff. Treat the texts as a draft, read them, and adjust them. When telling, “Use my notes” inserts your own words; in “New entry” and “Edit”, “Restore my notes” brings them back. If you change AI texts, KeyMoments remembers general traits like “shorter” or “no exclamation marks” and follows them. In your profile under “Settings” → “Photos, people & places” → “AI texts”, “Forget what was learned” deletes this on all your devices. The optional add-on subscription “KeyMoments Plus” with the AI Claude writes nicer, complete sentences (see “KeyMoments Plus – texts with Claude”).

KeyMoments Plus – texts with Claude

KeyMoments Plus is an optional add-on subscription (€0.99 per month or €9.99 per year). Without a subscription, you can try it for free with 100 Sparks ✨ (they never expire) – a Spark ✨ is the unit used to pay for Claude texts. Then, instead of the simple model on your device, the AI Claude from Anthropic writes the texts under the photos, titles, entry texts, stories, and recaps – in complete, natural sentences, even on iPhones without Apple Intelligence. Claude recognizes on its own what is visible in the photos (including signs and writing), uses your notes if there are any, and works in place, time of day, and weather – so a proper text is created even without notes. The Spark buttons ✨ sit next to the microphone: in the title field it suggests a title, in the field under a photo or video it describes exactly that picture (at most 3× per photo), and in the “What happened?” field it writes only that text. “Let Claude write all fields” (next to “Add audio”) fills the title (if empty), the text, and all empty captions in one go – anything you wrote under a photo yourself stays. Claude understands videos through up to three still frames and what is said in them. Without Plus, the same buttons write with the free Apple AI on your device (then without “Claude” in the name and with the Apple symbol); only on devices without Apple Intelligence do they lead to turning on Plus – with 100 free Sparks ✨. With Plus you can switch to the Apple AI at any time (see “Choose Claude or Apple AI”). Stories appear word by word – faded at first, until the app has checked them. The app doesn’t let through people or numbers that appear nowhere – still read every text briefly before you save it. To turn on: Profile → “Settings” → “Photos, people & places” → “AI texts” → “KeyMoments Plus”. When you turn it on, the app asks whether you agree: for each text, your notes, the reduced-size photos (without hidden image data such as GPS coordinates; for recaps all photos of the recap, up to 31, for the yearly recap up to 50) – for videos up to three still frames and, if speech recognition is allowed, what is said in the video as text – as well as date, place name, surroundings, weather, and the names of the people the app recognized in the photos are sent via our server to Anthropic. Anthropic doesn’t use them for training and deletes them after a short time; our server stores none of it. Each month 200 Sparks ✨ are included; whatever is left over expires at the end of the subscription month. Sparks ✨ by tier: 1 field (caption or text) = 1 Spark ✨, 2–5 fields = 2, 6–10 = 3, 11–15 = 4, each additional 5 fields 1 more – this also applies to “Write all fields”. Rewriting a text costs 1 Spark ✨; rewriting a recap costs as much as a new one (5, yearly recap 15, captions included). A recap (month, trip, event) or a story costs a flat 5 Sparks ✨, a yearly recap 15 – the captions that Claude adds for photos without text are included. Titles are free. Only what passes the check and is used counts. What a button costs is shown on it (“· 1 Spark ✨”, “Write story · 5 Sparks ✨”, with the Apple AI “· free”); afterwards you briefly see “Used N Sparks ✨ – M left”. For a recap, Claude looks at all photos of the recap (up to 31, for the yearly recap up to 50) and reads all texts; what the device itself recognizes in the photos (content, people, place, time) comes along for free. You can have a title suggested up to 3× per entry for free, and a photo described up to 3× (1 Spark ✨ each). If you need more, there is a top-up there (+200 Sparks ✨ for €0.99) – it is valid for 3 months from purchase, even beyond the end of the month, and is always used first. If captions under photos are missing in a period, Claude writes them along with the recap – they are added under the photos as soon as you save the recap. Claude writes the automatic recap drafts (month, year, trips) only if you turn on “Pre-write recap drafts” on the Plus page – otherwise the device writes them. Plus isn’t available in Child access. Without internet, when the allowance is used up, or when you turn Plus off, KeyMoments writes on the device as before.

Sparks ✨ – what does a text with Claude cost?

You pay for Claude texts with Sparks ✨. With KeyMoments Plus, 200 Sparks ✨ are included each month (100 for trying it out without a subscription). How long Sparks ✨ last: monthly Sparks ✨ until the end of the subscription month – whatever is left expires, and then you get 200 again. Top-up Sparks ✨ (+200 for €0.99) are valid for 3 months from purchase and are always used first. The 100 free Sparks ✨ for trying it out never expire. Individual texts cost by tier: 1 field (caption or text) – 1 Spark ✨ · 2–5 fields – 2 Sparks ✨ · 6–10 fields – 3 Sparks ✨ · 11–15 fields – 4 Sparks ✨ · each additional 5 fields 1 Spark ✨ more. This is also how “Write all fields” is counted. Rewriting a text – 1 Spark ✨. Rewriting a recap – like a new one, 5 or 15 Sparks ✨, captions included. Recap (month, trip, event) or story, up to 31 photos – flat 5 Sparks ✨. Yearly recap, up to 50 photos – flat 15 Sparks ✨ (the app preselects the best photos of the year: up to 25, milestones first, at least one from each month; you can choose up to 50). The captions that Claude adds in the recap are included. Titles – free. Only what passes the check and is used counts. The cost is shown on each button; with the Apple AI on the device, everything is free. You can also find the table on the Plus page.

Choose Claude or Apple AI

With KeyMoments Plus, Claude is your default AI. Next to “Write all fields” you see “AI: Claude ▾” or “AI: Apple (free) ▾” – tap and choose; pressing and holding a Spark button works too. The symbols show which AI is writing: golden Sparks ✨ for Claude, the Apple symbol for the Apple AI on your device. The choice applies on this device until you change it – even after a restart. You’ll find the same setting on the Plus page under “Default AI”. With the Apple AI, nothing is counted and nothing is sent to Claude; below the text it then says “Apple AI on the device – free”, and you can see how many Sparks ✨ are left in the selection. Without notes, the Apple AI writes from what the app recognizes in the photos – if nothing comes to mind, it says so, and a few notes help. “Rewrite with Claude” and “Revise book” always use Claude. Without Apple Intelligence there is no choice – with Plus, Claude then always writes.

Rework existing texts with Claude

With KeyMoments Plus you can have Claude rewrite texts that are already in the book: in an entry or a story, top right “…” → “Rewrite with Claude”. You first see a suggestion and decide with “Accept” or “Discard”. For the whole book: in the book, top left “More” → “Create & share” → “Revise book with Claude”, or on the Plus page under “Existing texts”. There you see beforehand how many Sparks that takes. Only your own texts are revised; texts by other family members only if you turn that on there. “Stop” or leaving the page ends the run. Claude then suggests a new version text by text – for each one you decide: “Accept”, “Keep”, or change the suggestion yourself and then accept; “Accept all” does everything at once. Accepted texts can be brought back with “Undo latest changes”. Each suggestion costs 1 Spark ✨. The device remembers your previous texts: “Restore text from before Claude” brings them back.

Where do I find recaps and drafts?

Everything is in its month in the book. At each month heading there is a button: “Create recap” if there is none for the month yet (from 2 entries), or “View draft” if the app has already prepared one. The yearly recap belongs to the year of life: at the top of each chapter (e.g. “At age 6”) there is “Recap of the year at age 6” (from 3 entries) or “… – View draft”. It covers birthday to birthday and appears in the last month of the chapter. Drafts also appear themselves as the first picture in the month, with the label “Draft”. When you open a draft, you can read it, change it, and “Save permanently” – or “Tell now” if it’s still empty, or “Discard”. Saved recaps appear as a large first picture in their month (a vacation in the month in which it ends, a yearly recap in the last month of its year of life). Only people who may write in the book see drafts. You start a recap for a vacation or outing via top left “More” → “Create & share” → “Recap for vacation or outing”.

Share a memory as a card

Open an entry → top right “More” (the three dots) → “Share as card”, or tap “Share as card” on “Today a year ago”. The app turns the photo, age, and date into a nice image. It shows the first name only if you turn on the switch. The image is created on your device, without location data from the photo, and leaves the app only when you send it via the Share menu.

Mail from your child: a month as a PDF

Tap the envelope at the month heading, or in the book top left “More” → “Create & share” → “Mail from …”. This works from 5 photos in the month. The app puts 5 to 8 photos with your texts into a PDF that you forward by message or print. This happens only when you tap it, never on its own. Like the photo book, it is part of the subscription.

Kid art: scan drawings

In the book, top left “More” → “Collections” → “Kid art”. The shelf is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. The price is shown on the page. At the top right you scan a picture with the camera and give it a title and the date. It then appears on the shelf, sorted by age, and as a normal entry in the book. The family sees the entry even without the purchase. The purchase applies to your Apple ID on all devices, including after a subscription ends. On a new device, “Restore purchases” helps. There is no purchase in Child access. If you change the entry into a milestone with its own name, it no longer appears on the shelf but stays in the book.

Compare siblings

In the book, top left “More” → “Collections” → “Compare siblings”. This is available from two books of your own. You choose a year of life and see the best memories of both children side by side, with height and weight by age in a curve below. Nothing is saved and nothing is shared.

Slideshow for a birthday

In the 30 days after the birthday, the notice “Slideshow” appears at the top of the book next to the photo book as soon as the past year of life has at least 5 memories. A tap opens the slideshow with that year. Nothing is saved.

Slideshow – on your TV too

In the book, top left “More” → “Slideshow (also on TV)”. Choose this chapter or the whole book, whether videos with sound should be included, music, duration per photo, and speed of the crossfade, then “Create slideshow”. At the top right, the AirPlay symbol shows the slideshow on the TV, and next to it you can share or save it. The app doesn’t store the slideshow anywhere – you can keep it via “Share” (e.g. “Save video”). Music: tap “Search free music on Pixabay”, choose a song, and tap “Download” there – it goes straight into the slideshow. If it doesn’t arrive, it’s under “Files” → “Downloads”: then “Choose your own music” and select the song there. Or “Choose your own music” for a file (MP3/M4A) from your device. Apple Music and Spotify songs are copy-protected.

Wish list, clothing and shoe size

In the book, top left “More” → “Collections” → “Wish list & sizes”. Invited people tap “I’ll give this” on a wish – your child sees none of this. Amazon link: in the Amazon app on the item, “Share” → “Copy”, then tap “Paste link” in the wish – the item name is picked up right away. You add a picture with “Choose photo”.

Kid quotes

In the book, top left “More” → “Collections” → “Kid quotes”. Quotes with date and age, later as their own chapter in the photo book. With “Record audio” you capture the voice. You add a voice memo like this: in the Voice Memos app tap the recording → “…” → “Copy”, then here “Voice memo” → “Paste copied voice memo” (or “Choose from Files”). If the recording is already in the book – in an entry or as a voice comment under a photo – choose “Voice memo” → “Use from the book”.

Height & weight

In the book, top left “More” → “Collections” → “Height & weight”. The growth curve is built from your measurements.

Yearly interview

In the book, top left “More” → “Collections” → “Yearly interview”. The same 10 questions every year – with a comparison from the second year on. At the bottom, “Add your own question” adds more questions for this year only – they aren’t asked again every year. For each answer you can record the voice or paste a voice memo – so later you can hear how your child sounded at 4 or 8 years old. At the top of the interview you can also add a video of the interview (at most 5 minutes); “Watch all videos in a row” shows how your child grows up from year to year.

Feelings – funniest moments

In the book, top left “More” → “Collections” → “Feelings – funniest moments”, or tap the row of faces on a chapter page (“At age 5”). At the top you choose “Entire book” or a single chapter. You see how the time felt – counted from the moods of your entries – and below that the moments for laughing 😂, being touched 🥹, and amazement 😮. Tapping opens the memory. Without AI, purely from the faces you tap when making entries.

Voice then and now

In the book, top left “More” → “Collections” → “Voice then and now”. There you’ll find all voice recordings of your child from entries, kid quotes, and the yearly interview, sorted by year of life. “Listen to all in a row” plays them from the first to the newest.

Time-lapse film and weekly photo

In the book, top left “More” → “Create & share” → “Time-lapse film”. There you also turn on the Sunday reminder for the weekly photo.

Photo book and export

In the book, top left “More” → “Create & share” → “Create photo book” or “Export book”. Under each event or yearly recap there is also “Print as photo book”. With “Choose pages and cover photo” you leave out individual experiences and pick the photo for the cover; after creating it, you flip through all pages with “Browse full screen”. The export is included in the subscription: a page you can open in any browser, designed like a book – cover photo, one chapter per year of life, photos with captions. With posterXXL you have two ways: “Design yourself” puts all photos in book order into its own album and shows you the texts to copy – everything stays editable in the posterXXL editor. “Finished pages” takes the pages exactly as in the preview. For each birthday, the past year of life is ready as a photo book: a notification arrives on the birthday, and for 30 days a notice about the photo book “At … years” appears at the top of the book (from 5 memories in the year).

Photo calendar: a wall calendar with your photos

In the book, top left “More” → “Create & share” → “Create photo calendar”, or in the profile under “Print & share”. The calendar is a one-time purchase, not a subscription, and remains valid even after a subscription ends. The price is shown on the page. You get as many calendars as you like for as many years as you like. Choose a book and a year. The app places one photo per month, ideally from the same calendar month, favorites first. Tap a sheet to swap the photo. Videos, drafts, entries not yet approved, and the diary never go into the calendar. If the book has fewer than 12 photos, the app tells you, and you decide whether months stay empty or photos repeat. The grid always shows the children’s birthdays and the important events from the Perpetual calendar. Holidays are added if a region is chosen in the family calendar. Family events and custody are off and appear only on request, with the title only. You share or print the A4 PDF via the Share menu. For posterXXL, the app creates its own album: finished pages or just the photos. There, choose the wall calendar “A4 portrait”, which is 20 × 30 cm. When you come back, the app asks whether the album can be removed again. In Germany there is also “Order from WIRmachenDRUCK”: the app creates a print file, you save it in “Files” and upload it on the order page. There, space is left at the top for the spiral binding, so the photo sits slightly differently than in the PDF. Payment and ordering happen directly there.

Letters and video time capsule

In the book, top left “More” → “Letters to …”. Everyone in the family – including Grandma and Grandpa – writes their own letters and can attach a video message. No one else can read them. They are opened on the chosen day, e.g. on the 13th or 18th birthday. If your child has their own access, each letter arrives sealed right away. Your child gets a notification with the opening date when a letter is added or deleted, and also one week and three days before and on the day itself. Without their own access, the letters arrive at the handover of the book.

What a full book looks like

At key-moments.de/beispiel, a fictional family shows what a book looks like after a few years. You’ll also find the link at the end of the introduction.

Photos & suggestions

Import all photos of a child from the Photos app

The Photos app often already knows your child under “People”. Easiest: in the Photos app open “People” → your child, tap “Select” at the top → “Select All”, then the Share button at the bottom left → “KeyMoments”. Choose “As suggestions” at the top (with more than 50 photos this happens automatically), choose the book, and tap “Import”. The next time you open KeyMoments, the photos are under “Suggestions”, and the app learns the face at every age from them – nothing is copied. The app finds the photos by capture time and size; individual ones, e.g. with a date changed later, it may not find, and it tells you how many. Alternatively: add all photos to an album in the Photos app and in KeyMoments choose “Suggestions” → “Or import photos from “People”” → “Import from an album”.

Where are the suggestions?

In the “Suggestions” tab. There you tap the found photos that should go into the book – an entry is created from them. Recaps for trips or special days also appear there. If you select several photos from one day, they become one entry with a shared story. If the photos are from different days, the app asks: one separate entry per day – or everything in one entry, for example for a vacation. An entry holds at most 50 photos or videos; if you select more, the app creates a separate entry for each day.

How well does the app recognize faces?

Much better since version 1.0.2: Apple’s Vision finds the faces, even small ones, and a freely available face model (SFace) recognizes who it is – both only on the device, without internet. The app takes the age in the photo into account and never suggests a child on photos from before their birth; this way siblings are hardly confused anymore. The app converts already-taught faces itself on first launch. If that doesn’t work for a face, a notice “Please teach again” appears in “Suggestions” or under “People in photos” – then simply choose a few photos again. Accepted suggestions make recognition even more reliable over time; discarded ones make it stricter.

I don't want every photo in the book

Under “Suggestions”, tap photos and then choose “Not for the book” – they never come back as a suggestion. If your child isn’t in the photo at all, choose “Isn’t …”: face recognition learns from this and will suggest fewer wrong photos in the future.

The app mixes up other children with my child

Cousins, friends, or siblings without their own book often look alike at the same age. Two things help: under “Suggestions”, select the wrong photos and tap “Isn’t …” – the app remembers these faces as counterexamples and suggests similar faces on new photos much less often. Suggestions already found stay – simply tap further wrong photos among them too and discard them with “Isn’t …”. The features stay only on this device and are deleted with “Delete all faces and teach again”. Even better: teach children who are often in your photos with a few photos under Profile → “Settings” → “Photos, people & places” → “People in photos” (please with the parents’ consent). The app then assigns their faces to them and confuses them less often with your child on new photos – and the stories call them by name. If you’ve discarded many suggestions, “Suggestions” reminds you with a notice.

Wrong photo in a draft

In the “Tell us briefly” window, every photo has a ✕ – that removes it from the draft. You discard the whole draft at the top right with the trash can. “Later” keeps the draft for you.

Photos from the Photos app straight into the book

In the Photos app, select one or more photos or videos → “Share” → “KeyMoments”. Choose the book, write briefly what happened if you like, and tap “Add to book”. The next time you open KeyMoments, the entry is already prepared – with date and place from the photos. Alternatively, “Save in KeyMoments” is further down the list – at the very bottom, “Edit Actions” moves it up to the favorites. If KeyMoments is missing from the app row, tap “More” at the far right. If you’ve allowed notifications, KeyMoments reminds you right afterwards (and once more after an hour) to save the entry in the app.

Is the photo already in the book?

In a new entry, the app notices when a photo is already in the book – even if someone else from the family added it. It then asks: “Remove” or “Add anyway”. Below the photos it also says “… already in the book” with the “Remove” button. Photos that are already in the book don’t appear in the suggestions at all.

Recognize parents, grandparents and friends in photos

Profile → “Settings” → “Photos, people & places” → “People in photos”. Add people with a few photos – or teach your own face with “Teach my face”, which also works directly in your profile next to your name under “Edit”. You can quickly teach your child’s face under Profile → tap the book. Please only with the people’s consent. The stories then call them by name. Afterwards, the app searches the book’s photos for faces that might belong to a person. If it says, for example, “Review 5 photos of Grandma”, the app shows each photo large with the face outlined in yellow and asks “Is this Grandma?”. With “Yes” the recognition learns more, with “No” it won’t ask about this photo again, and “Skip” asks later. The app learns only what you confirm – everything runs on the device. If you aren’t allowed to edit the person, what is learned applies only on your device. For these questions, the device remembers the features of faces in the book’s photos that look similar to a person – only on the device, not in iCloud. They are deleted along with the person. You only teach your own face once; it then applies to all your books.

Family

Getting-started help for Grandma and Grandpa

Profile → tap the book → “Getting-started help for Grandma & Grandpa”. The app draws a printable card: three steps in pictures and a pointer to the Simple view. If the book is already shared, a QR code with the invitation link is on it. It works only with the Apple ID you invited. You pass on the card via “Print or send”.

Read aloud in the simple view

In the Simple view, each memory has a “Read aloud” button below it. Your device reads the title and text aloud with the best installed German voice, without internet. A second tap stops it, and it also stops when you leave the view. It sounds more natural with a better voice: Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → Voices → German, and download for example “Anna (Enhanced)”.

How do I invite someone?

Profile → tap the book → “Invite family”. Apple’s window opens, where you choose WhatsApp, Mail, and so on. Afterwards it shows when you shared an invitation; the app only sees who it went to once the person accepts. Then the app asks you whether they may read and comment or also write. If the book is already shared, the item is called “Manage people & permissions”. The person needs an iPhone or iPad with an Apple ID.

Who can do what?

Profile → tap the book → “Permissions: write, comment, view” (appears as soon as the book is shared). Per person: make entries and comment, only view and comment, or only view. Invited people – including your child with their own access – change and delete only their own entries, stories, photos, and events (including custody schedules and timetables). With “Admin – can do everything” you give someone (e.g. the other parent) the same permissions as you; only you can assign permissions. If you turn on “Approve new entries first”, entries from invited people appear only once you or an admin approves them – the notice “Entries awaiting approval” then appears at the top of the book. For individual people you allow direct entries with “Publish without approval”. Under “Visible to invited people” you decide whether invited people see the family calendar (with custody and timetable – this also applies to your child), height & weight, and the yearly interview. Without calendar sharing, everyone there sees only their own events. As the owner, you can delete comments and reactions at any time (press and hold).

Simple view for Grandma and Grandpa

Profile → “Settings” → turn on “Simple view”. The app then shows only the book: large photos, large text, the newest memories first, “New” since the last visit, with a large heart and comment below. Important notices such as an offer to take over the book appear at the top just like in the normal book. People who may write see the button “Add photo to book” at the top; people who see several books switch with “View another book” at the top. At the very bottom are “Write letter to …” and, for invited people, “Take over subscription for …”. The gear at the top right next to the name and the button below it open “Settings”, a short page with your name, three notifications (new entries, “Today a year ago”, question of the month), Help, email to support, and “Switch to normal view”; “All settings” leads to the full profile. Right below “Settings”, “Switch to normal view” takes you straight back. Invited people without their own book are asked the first time they open it whether they want the Simple view. The setting applies only on this device.

Send a voice comment

Under an entry, tap “Comment” and, with the comment field empty, tap the waveform symbol (“Record voice comment”). Then speak (up to 2 minutes), tap “Done”, and send the voice comment. In the Simple view, the large “Voice comment” button sits below the field for this. Ideal for grandparents who would rather talk than type.

Questions for the family

In the book, top left “More” → “Collections” → “Questions for the family”. Every month there is a new question, e.g. “Which story from your childhood should Emma know?”. Grandma, Grandpa, parents, and godparents answer with text or a voice recording; the answers stay in the book. Invited people get the question as a notification on the 1st of the month. You can catch up on earlier questions with “Answer too”.

Weekly greeting, monthly recap and “On this day last year”

On Sundays at 6 p.m., the weekly greeting shows how many new moments were added during the week – with a photo, and a tap opens the newest one. At the end of the month, the app suggests the best photos of the month – a tap turns them into an entry. In the morning it reminds you of experiences from exactly this day in earlier years. If nothing new has been added for two weeks, the app gives one friendly reminder – with the number of new photos from the suggestions. You turn everything off in your profile under “Settings” → “Notifications & recaps”.

Grandma should see all her grandchildren

Each family invites Grandma to their child’s book. Grandma then sees all books in her profile under “Shared with me” – with a single guest access for €0.99 per month.

Edit photos and videos in the diary

In the diary entry, tap the slider icon on the photo or video: you can crop, adjust filters and light, and trim videos, just like in the book. The picture in the diary is replaced as soon as you save the entry.

Protect the diary with a PIN

If your child has their own access, there is a “Diary” tab. There they can set a 4-digit PIN (and Face ID as well, if they like). The diary locks as soon as they leave the tab or the app. Forgot the PIN? It can be reset with the device passcode. The diary is private – even parents can’t see it.

Child access

Profile → tap the book → “Give <name> their own access” (directly below “Invite family”): with their own phone, your child sees their book and keeps a private diary – in the bar at the bottom under “Diary”. No one in the family can read the diary, not even the parents. From age 16, your child can take over the book completely.

A different iCloud account on the device

If someone signs in to iCloud with a different Apple ID on the iPhone or iPad (e.g. on a shared iPad), KeyMoments asks what should happen to the books of the previous account: sign in with the previous account again or “Remove books”. Until then, none of it is loaded into the new account. “Remove books” deletes them only from this device; in the previous account’s iCloud they remain fully intact and come back as soon as you sign in with that account again. Just signing out without another account: all books stay on the device.

Merge two books for the same child

Profile → tap the book → “Edit book” → “Merge books” → choose the other book, even one that is shared with you. The preview shows how much will come over. Copied are entries with photos, videos, recordings, and texts, comments, recaps, extras, and your own letters, events, and custody schedules after a confirmation. Not copied are taught faces, people in photos, timetables, drafts, diary, and letters from other senders. Entries that already exist are skipped, and a second run doesn’t duplicate anything. If the app is closed, it continues the next time you open it. Once everything is safely in iCloud, the app asks on its own whether the old book should be deleted and tells you what doesn’t come along. It is deleted only after two confirmations; with “Keep” it stays, and the question doesn’t come back. Invited people lose access in the process and must be invited again in the other book. As long as something is still uploading, the question comes afterwards, even after a restart. If a file is missing, the app doesn’t ask. If the old book has Child access, it stays. You can only leave a book shared with you; it stays with the other person.

Transfer a book to someone else

Profile → tap the book → “Edit book” → “Transfer book” → choose a person you’ve already invited (e.g. the other parent). If they aren’t on board yet, invite them there under “Another person”; once they’ve accepted, you can transfer. “Send message” sends them the steps along with a link to the app by email, WhatsApp, and so on, even if they don’t have KeyMoments yet. Under “Another person” it also works without inviting beforehand: “Invite person” opens Apple’s window. The name appears in the list as soon as the person has accepted. Then the app asks you whether you want to transfer to them; nothing happens on its own, and until then they can only view and comment. “Don’t transfer” leaves them invited. After 30 days the waiting ends. The person you’re offering the book to gets a notification (if allowed) and a notice when opening the app. In the book, in the book list, and in the profile under “Shared with me”, they see the card “… wants to transfer the … book to you” and tap “Take over now” (without a suitable plan, “Choose subscription and take over”). For this they need a suitable Children’s plan (a gift subscription on the book moves along) and enough space in their iCloud. After that, the book is in their iCloud. You automatically become an admin, and everyone else is invited again with their previous permissions; the invitations are accepted the next time the app is opened. Your old copy then disappears on its own. On all devices with the same Apple ID (e.g. iPhone and iPad), the book appears automatically. While the book is on offer, no one can add or change anything – so nothing is lost during the move.

Calendar

Add an event

“Calendar” tab → tap “+” at the top right. The “New event” window opens right away. If you have several children, you choose at the top under “For” who the event is for – also several at once. Everything else – birthday, custody schedule, exception or swap, timetable, and events from the Apple Calendar – is at the top right in the “Display & schedules” menu. On iPhone that’s the slider symbol; on iPad the name is shown with it. You bring individual events from your Apple Calendar into the book there with “Import from Apple Calendar”; the “Events from Apple Calendar” switch only additionally shows them. The switch appears once access is allowed – before that, “Connect Apple Calendar” is in its place. If you want an event on a specific day, tap the day and tap “+” there.

Several children in one calendar

If you have several books – your own children or grandchildren whose books are shared with you – you see their events in one calendar. “Calendar” tab → the button with the name at the top (e.g. “Emma ▾”): check or uncheck children or choose “All children”. Above each event, a small label then shows which child it belongs to. With “+” the app asks who the event is for – only children you may add entries for are offered (your own books and books shared with write permission). For books set to “View only” you see the events but can’t add anything. The timetable then shows the schedules of all selected children one below the other. The selection applies to this device.

Add birthdays

“Calendar” tab → top right “Display & schedules” (the slider symbol) → “Add birthday”. You can also create a new event with “+” and choose “Birthday” under “Type”. The birthday appears again every year – with a birth year, also how old the person is turning. Your child’s birthday is in the calendar automatically.

Important events every year

When creating or editing an event, turn on the “Important event” switch – or later, in the open event, the “Remind every year (Perpetual calendar)” switch. Such events carry a star in the calendar and appear every year in the Perpetual calendar (in the book, top left under “More”).

Moon phases, sun and weather

“Calendar” tab → top right “Display & schedules” (the slider symbol) → “Moon, sun & weather” → turn on “Moon phases”, “Sunrise and sunset”, or “Weather” – each one separately. Small symbols then appear under the date: new moon, half moon, or full moon, a weather symbol for the next days, and the sunrise and sunset times for your location. A tap on the symbols shows the note about them. Your device calculates moon phases and sun times itself; the weather comes from Apple Weather (as in the Weather app; to the right of “Month / List” is “ Weather” with a link to the sources). Your location is used for this only to within about 10 km.

Month, list and past events

The calendar works like the Apple Calendar: the months scroll through, and the weekdays stay at the top. At the top right is the view icon: “Compact” (dots, default), “Stacked” (colored bars), “Details” (short titles), or “List”. A tap on a day opens the day view as in the Apple Calendar: the week at the top (tapping switches the day, swiping sideways moves the week), below it “All-day” (birthdays, school, custody, holidays) and the hours with the events. Swiping sideways turns to the next or previous day, “Today” jumps back, “+” creates an event on that day – or you tap directly on a free time, and the new event starts exactly then. School days with times from the timetable appear as a block in the hour grid, and “‹” leads back to the month. At the top left, “‹ 2026” opens the year overview – a tap on a month jumps there. The magnifying glass searches all events (title, place, note), including past ones. At the bottom: “Today” jumps back, and next to it you choose which calendars are shown if you have several children. “+” at the top right creates a new event.

Public holidays and school vacations

“Calendar” tab → top right “Display & schedules” (the slider symbol) → “Choose holidays” → choose country and state or canton. If a region is already chosen, its name is in the menu item, e.g. “Holidays · Bavaria” – you can change it there as well. Public holidays and school vacations then appear automatically, and on those days the timetable is omitted. If you’ve turned them off, the item is called “Holidays & vacations”; there you turn them back on with “Show holidays and vacations”.

Scan a timetable

“Calendar” tab → top right “Display & schedules” (the slider symbol) → “Scan timetable”. Photograph the timetable or choose a photo – the app reads days, periods, and subjects right on the device, and then you check and correct everything. Prefer to type it yourself? As long as there is no timetable yet, you’ll find the button “Enter by hand” under “Display & schedules” → “Timetable”. You open an existing schedule via the same menu item – if the schedule has a name, the menu item is called “Timetable · …”, e.g. “Timetable · Class 2b”. There you change it at the top right via the three dots → “Edit”; the same menu also has “Scan new schedule” and “Delete”. With times, the calendar shows the school hours. During school hours, the current period is highlighted in color in the timetable. Breaks of 10 minutes or more appear as their own row in between – they result from the times of the periods. When entering, the list next to the subject suggests common and already entered subjects to choose from. For each period, room, teacher, and time can be entered directly in the same row (the times apply to all days), and the number of periods for each day individually. Teachers already entered are offered next to the field (those of the subject first); if you choose the same subject on another day, the app suggests the teacher right away. With “Saturday and Sunday”, tutoring or sports on the weekend can be added too. “Valid until” ends a schedule (e.g. at mid-year); earlier timetables remain under “Earlier timetables” for reference.

Hide the timetable in the calendar

“Calendar” tab → top right “Display & schedules” → “Show school”. Choose “With subjects”, “School hours only” (e.g. 8:00–13:00 without individual periods), or “Hide”. The timetable itself is kept; you can change it under “Display & schedules” → “Timetable” (if the schedule has a name: “Timetable · …”) via the three dots at the top right → “Edit”. As long as school is shown, a tap on the school row with the backpack also opens it: it sits at the top of the calendar; if the calendar on iPad shows a second column on the right (e.g. in landscape), it sits there under “Today”.

See events in the iPhone calendar

Profile → “Settings” → “iPhone calendar” → “Show events in iPhone calendar”. For each child, a separate calendar “KeyMoments – Name” is created with all events, birthdays, and, if you like, the custody schedule – also on Mac and Apple Watch. KeyMoments is the main calendar here: please create and change events in the app; changes in the iPhone calendar are overwritten at the next sync.

Delete an event

Open the event → trash can at the top right. You choose whether it is deleted only in KeyMoments or in the Apple Calendar as well.

Custody schedule for separated parents

“Calendar” tab → top right “Display & schedules” (the slider symbol, with text on iPad) → “Create custody schedule” (e.g. every other weekend). The top of the calendar then shows who your child is with right now – a tap opens the schedule. If the calendar on iPad shows a second column on the right (e.g. in landscape), it appears there under “Custody”; below it are all schedules with their names, and a tap on the name opens the schedule. You’ll find further schedules in the “Display & schedules” menu under “Schedules”. You enter swaps and vacations there with “Add exception / swap”. You turn on reminders before the handover in your profile under “Settings” → “Notifications & recaps”. In the schedule there is “Share as PDF (3 months)”: a monthly calendar showing who your child is with on which day – for printing or for daycare, school, and grandparents.

Subscription & pricing

What does KeyMoments cost?

The first month is free. After that, €1.99 per month for the first child, €0.99 for each additional child (with a family discount). Invited people pay €0.99 per month – with their own Children’s subscription this is already included. Yearly is about 20% cheaper.

What happens after the free month?

The app reminds you 3 days and 1 day beforehand, and in the last three days the card “Free month” appears in the book. Without a subscription, your own books are kept – you can view everything but not add anything new. In your own book, a card with “Choose subscription” then appears. After that, invited people need the guest access to see the books. Nothing is deleted; with the subscription it continues seamlessly.

Change or cancel your subscription

Profile → “Subscription” → “Manage subscription” → “Change or cancel subscription” – or in Settings → your name → Subscriptions. In the same “Manage subscription” menu you’ll also find “Redeem code” and “Restore purchases”.

Switch from the Children's plan to Guest access

If you only use books that others share with you (e.g. as a grandparent or the other parent), the cheaper guest access (€0.99 per month) is enough. The two subscriptions are separate at Apple, so it takes two steps: 1. Subscribe to the guest access on the payment page. 2. Cancel the Children’s plan (Profile → “Subscription” → “Manage subscription” → “Change or cancel subscription”). The Children’s plan continues until the end of the paid period. After that, you can keep viewing your own books but can no longer add anything new. In shared books, you can do everything your permissions allow with the guest access.

Grandma or Grandpa gift the subscription

Invited people (e.g. Grandma) tap in the book top left “More” → “Create & share” → “Take over subscription for …”, choose the books, and gift 12 months of the Children’s plan at the yearly price. During this time, the parents don’t have to pay anything for these books. If the parents have already paid themselves, the gift starts only afterwards – nothing is paid twice; they can cancel their own renewal. The gift does not renew automatically: a reminder comes one month before it ends, and then you can gift again. Your own guest access to shared books is not included. If the purchase first has to be approved (e.g. “Ask to Buy” in Family Sharing), KeyMoments records the gift on its own as soon as Apple confirms it.

Privacy & storage

Where is my data stored?

In your own iCloud, end-to-end encrypted. Face recognition and stories are created on the device. No ads, no tracking. Optional: app lock with Face ID in your profile under “Settings” → “Privacy & app lock”.

How can I save storage space?

Profile → “Settings” → “Storage & backup” → “Storage space” → “Save in”. Two levels: “Original” takes photos and videos unchanged and needs the most space. “Space-saving” (default) saves photos at 5 megapixels and videos in Full HD – that’s enough for photo books up to A4 and looks good on TV. If you switch from “Original” to “Space-saving”, the existing photos and videos in your books are also reduced – on the device, in iCloud, and for the family. This can’t be undone; the originals in the Photos app are kept.

Are my photos stored twice in iCloud?

Yes: the original in iCloud Photos and a reduced, encrypted copy in the book. The copy is needed so the family can see the book and your child can take it over later – with “Space-saving” it takes only about one fifth to one tenth of the original.

How much storage does KeyMoments need?

Profile → “Settings” → “Storage & backup” → “Storage space” shows how much your books take up – broken down by photos, videos, and voice recordings. Your own books count against your iCloud, shared books against the iCloud storage of the person who shared them. How much is free in your iCloud overall is shown by Apple only under Settings → your name → iCloud. Shared books are listed under “Shared with you”: they are in the iCloud of the person sharing them with you and don’t use your iCloud. For them, only what is on your device counts.

Why does a photo sometimes take a moment?

Photos, videos, and recordings are safely stored in iCloud and come to the device when you view them. What you haven’t looked at for a while, the app removes from the device again as soon as more is used than set under Profile → “Settings” → “Storage & backup” → “Storage space” → “Keep on device” (2, 5, or 10 GB, or everything). “Free up space now” cleans up immediately. The newest 100 entries per book and the cover photos always stay. Only what is verifiably in iCloud is removed; diary, letters, and anything not yet sent stay. On cellular, photos load when you view them and videos only when you open them. Photos and videos are not part of the device backup once everything has arrived in iCloud. If something is only on the device or iCloud is full, they remain in the device backup.

Why are photos from shared books smaller on my device?

Photos and videos from books you’re invited to are stored space-savingly on your device by the app (photos immediately, videos when the device is charging). In the owner’s book they remain in full quality; the app never uploads the reduced copy. For the photo book, photo calendar, export, and backup, it fetches the high-resolution version from iCloud only for that task and deletes it again right away, and likewise for editing.

Where do the photo book, calendar and backup end up?

After creating it, the app asks where the file should go (“Save to Files”), or you share it directly. It doesn’t stay in the app itself: the file sits in the temporary cache only briefly and disappears as soon as it is saved or you leave the page. If there isn’t enough space on the device, the app tells you beforehand and states the size.

How do I back up everything in one file?

Profile → “Settings” → “Storage & backup” → “Create & restore backup”. Choose a password → “Create backup” → “Save backup …” → “Save to Files”. The file contains all books with photos, videos, notes, stories, events, and letters – compressed and encrypted with your password. Restoring: there choose “Select backup file”, enter the password, “Restore”. What exists stays, what is missing comes back. Without the password, the backup can’t be opened.

Does KeyMoments work without iCloud?

Yes, but only on this one device. You can create books and save entries, photos, and videos. Without iCloud there are no invitations to the family, no Child access, and no syncing with other devices. Important: your books are then only on this device. If you delete the app or the device is lost, they are gone unless you have a backup. So it’s best to sign in to iCloud or create a backup regularly: Profile → “Settings” → “Storage & backup” → “Create & restore backup”.

What happens if I delete the app?

Everything that has already been uploaded to iCloud stays there. Drafts, photo suggestions, and taught faces exist only on the device, as does anything new when iCloud storage is full or without internet. Without iCloud, the books are gone if you have no backup. If you reinstall KeyMoments, the app first checks whether books already exist and downloads books, entries, and texts again right away. Photos, videos, and recordings come only when you view them (for the photo book, calendar, export, and backup, the app loads them itself beforehand) and then stay on the device. This way the book is there quickly and uses little storage. Without internet, a small cloud symbol shows what is still missing. Your subscription continues unchanged until you cancel it yourself in Apple’s settings. You delete a book permanently only in the app: Profile → tap the book → “Edit book” → “Delete book”, with two confirmations.

Licenses & acknowledgments

Profile → “Legal” → “Licenses & acknowledgments”. It lists which freely available components the app uses – for example the SFace face model from the OpenCV Model Zoo (Apache License 2.0) – with the full license text.

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