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Relefant

Relefant is a mobile app where families save, organise and share their memories - photos, videos, stories and voice recordings - on one visual life timeline that can also be turned into a real book.

React NativeRuby on RailsMobile app

Relefant app welcome screen and a family member profile with linked memories

Memories that don't fade

Family stories are often scattered - across old albums, phone galleries and grandparents' memories. Relefant set out to create one place to gather these stories together and pass them on to the next generations.

The biggest challenge: the app had to be just as easy for grandchildren as for grandparents. So every step is kept simple and clear - large text, obvious actions and no unnecessary menus.

A life, laid out on a timeline

Memories are organised by life stage - childhood, teenage years, adulthood, late adulthood and retirement. Users see their story as one continuous timeline, can adjust where each stage begins and ends, and can add a new memory to any stage at any time. Alongside personal memories, the timeline also shows historical events from the period, selected by the user's country and interests.

  1. Childhood

    1949 - 1960

    Childhood memory

    Playing in the treehouse

    Childhood memory

    My first injury

    + Add a childhood memory

  2. Teenage years

    1961 - 1968

    Historical event

    Moon landing

    + Add a teenage years memory

  3. Adulthood

    1969 - 1994

    Adulthood memory

    First job and starting to live on my own

    + Add an adulthood memory

  4. Late adulthood

    1995 - 2014

    + Add a late adulthood memory

  5. Retirement

    2015 -

    + Add a retirement memory

Key features

Memories without an exact date
If the exact date isn't known, you can enter just the year or month, or leave the date out entirely - the memory still finds its place on the timeline within its life stage.
Photos, videos and voice recordings
Every memory can include photos, videos and voice recordings, preserving not just the event but the storyteller's voice. All files are kept in one library and can be reused.
People profiles
Each family member has their own profile with their relationship, life dates and linked memories, making it easy to find everything connected to a particular person.
Sharing with family
In a family account, several relatives build a shared timeline so the whole family can add to the story. Individual memories and profiles can also be shared through a view-only link.
Memory book
The timeline can be turned into a PDF book with a custom cover, introduction and closing words, and printed copies can be ordered.
Relefant life timeline and a childhood memory with photos and voice recordings
A phone on a laptop keyboard, editing a memory in the Relefant app

Result

One place for family stories, easy to use at any age.

The result is a warm, personal mobile app for iOS and Android, available in English and German, where memories are not just stored but told - with photos, video, voice and the context that would otherwise be lost over time.

Technologies

What Relefant is built with - a single codebase for both mobile platforms and a solid backend.

  • React Native

    A mobile app for iOS and Android from a single codebase.

  • Ruby on Rails

    The backend and GraphQL API that store memories, profiles and sharing, generate memory books and manage subscriptions.

See also