top of page
-
Where can I learn how to curate?Within the app is an entire section devoted to Curating Basics. To get there, just tap on "More" and then tap on "Curating Basics."
-
How many images should I skip?It depends, but you'll be much happier if you skip a lot. As a point of comparison, the average Backstory user skips 80% of all their images. You probably have 10,000+ videos and photos. With Backstory, you'll curate them incredibly fast, but only save the ones that you'll really want to see in the future. Don't sweat skipping! The original images are still on your phone. You can always add them to your Backstory later.
-
How often should I use albums?You have a lot of images to get through, so don't worry about organizing every image into an album. That will take too long. A good rule of thumb is, use "Shared" albums when you want your closest family to see the video or photo.
-
How do I delete Skipped Images and free up storage? (iOS/Apple)The Backstory app does not delete skipped images. Instead, it creates a folder in Apple Photos called "Backstory - Skipped." You can see all your skipped videos/photos there. You can then delete the videos/photos from that album. Here's how: Open the Apple Photos app. At the bottom of the screen tap "Albums" and navigate to the album: "Backstory - Skipped" At the top of the screen tap "Select" then "Select All". A checkmark will appear on every image. At the bottom of the screen tap the trash icon. A popup will appear asking if you want to "Remove from Album" or "Delete". Choose "Delete". If you use iCloud Photos, a popup notifies you that the photo will be deleted from all iCloud Photos on all devices. Tap "Delete Photo." Your phone's storage won't instantly increase because deleted images on Apple Photos are not immediately deleted. Instead, they're moved to Apple Photos trash for 30 days. You'll need to empty that trash to immediately free up space on your phone. To empty the trash in the Apple Photos app, tap "Albums" at the bottom of the screen. Scroll down to the bottom and tap "Recently Deleted". It will have a trash can icon. Repeat steps 4 and 5 above. Another popup will appear notifying you that the photo will be deleted and this action cannot be undone. Choose "Delete Photo" and the storage on your phone increases. When you delete a photo from Apple Photos, it does not affect your saved memories on Backstory. Those saved memories will remain in your Backstory account.
-
If I delete an image from the Apple Photos app, does that remove it from Backstory?When you delete photos or videos from the Apple Photos app, it does not affect your Saved Memories in Backstory. However, it will delete any Skipped Images. Skipped Images are not saved to your Backstory account, so when they're deleted from your phone, Backstory can no longer display them.
-
How do I upload Apple Photos AlbumsUnfortunately, we are unable to upload your existing Apple Albums. We tried this feature, but Apple slows down how much activity any app can do your phone, and the feature operated painfully slowly where it took weeks to upload a few hundred images. Apple does that for good reason; they need to conserve your battery, etc. We hope that eventually Apple will make an exception for the Backstory App, but until then, we cannot offer that feature.
-
How do I create new Apple Photos Albums?Any album you create in Backstory is also added to your Apple Photos app. When you add a video or photo to a Backstory album, it's also added to the same album in Apple Photos. ​ When you're in Apple Photos, you'll see the albums created in Backstory. The word "Backstory" is added before each album name. For example, a Backstory album called "Mementos" will appear in Apple Photos as "Backstory - Mementos."
-
How do I delete Skipped Images and free up storage? (iOS/Apple)The Backstory app does not delete skipped images. Instead, it creates a folder in Apple Photos called "Backstory - Skipped." You can see all your skipped videos/photos there. You can then delete the videos/photos from that album. Here's how: Open the Apple Photos app. At the bottom of the screen tap "Albums" and navigate to the album: "Backstory - Skipped" At the top of the screen tap "Select" then "Select All". A checkmark will appear on every image. At the bottom of the screen tap the trash icon. A popup will appear asking if you want to "Remove from Album" or "Delete". Choose "Delete". If you use iCloud Photos, a popup notifies you that the photo will be deleted from all iCloud Photos on all devices. Tap "Delete Photo." Your phone's storage won't instantly increase because deleted images on Apple Photos are not immediately deleted. Instead, they're moved to Apple Photos trash for 30 days. You'll need to empty that trash to immediately free up space on your phone. To empty the trash in the Apple Photos app, tap "Albums" at the bottom of the screen. Scroll down to the bottom and tap "Recently Deleted". It will have a trash can icon. Repeat steps 4 and 5 above. Another popup will appear notifying you that the photo will be deleted and this action cannot be undone. Choose "Delete Photo" and the storage on your phone increases. When you delete a photo from Apple Photos, it does not affect your saved memories on Backstory. Those saved memories will remain in your Backstory account.
-
How do I share memories?If you choose to share a memory, it's shared based on the faces you tag and any shared albums you add it to. Tagged faces, however, are only shared when you associate a mobile number or email to that face.
-
Do friends and family need the Backstory app to view shared memories?We designed Backstory so friends and family can view shared memories without installing the app. While we love for everyone to install Backstory and experience it on their own, we're not forcing them to. They can simply view shared memories on any internet browser (Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc.) Tell them to visit www.Backstory.app and tap Sign In. To view shared memories on a browser, they will need to create a Backstory account with an email/password, which can be done on the browser.
-
Can my family or friends add images to an album you created?We're considering adding that feature, but are not yet convinced it's a good idea! Our concern is that someone could ruin a well-organized album by dumping a bunch of poorly-curated videos or photos, which is something that happens often in other app's shared albums. Backstory is for CURATED memories, not just sharing every video or photo you snapped. Contact us if you disagree, and feel passionate about that feature.
-
For albums, what does "hide from partner" mean?"When you choose hide an album from your partner, they cannot see or use that album. However, if you add a memory to both a private album AND A hidden album, your partner WILL SEE the image because it's added to the album they can access. For example: Chloe has a private album "Embarrassing stuff" that she doesn't share with her partner. She also has a "Cooking" album that she does share with her partner. If Chloe adds a memory to both "Embarrassing stuff" and "Cooking" then her partner can access that image because it's in the "Cooking" album.
-
Can I edit memories added by my partner?You can edit any memory added by your partner. 1) You can tag, or untag faces* 2) You can edit the caption 3) You can add or remove albums* *This means you can share a memory with more people than your partner initially intended, so please be sensitive to your partner's wishes.
-
Can I delete memories added by my partner?You can delete a memory; however, that only deletes the memory from your Backstory. That memory will remain in your partner's Backstory. Because it's still in your partner's Backstory, any sharing they've done will remain. If you're not happy with how your partner shared the memory, do not delete the memory. Instead, edit its tagged faces or shared albums.
-
What if I accidentally share a private memory with my partner?To hide a memory from your partner, simply deselect the "Partner" album. If you forgot to deselect "Partner", tap "Undo" to revert your last save. You can also edit any image already uploaded to your Backstory's memories. Find recently uploaded memories by applying the filter "Recently Saved".
-
Can I disable partner share?So you don't want to share EVERY memory with your partner? Trust us, they don't want to see all your memories either! To keep a photo private to just you, uncheck the partner album. You can permanently disable the Partner album by contacting Backstory's support team.
-
How long does it take for partner's memories to appear in my Backstory?Partners' saved memories appear in each other's libraries almost immediately after they're uploaded. If you don't see an image, reload your library by pulling the screen down to refresh. Keep in mind that the size and amount of images, and your network connection, affect how long it takes for images to upload.
-
Will I be alerted when my partner has shared new images?Yes, you will receive a notification on your phone. Make sure you've enabled notifications for the Backstory app. On your iPhone, navigate to Settings, then scroll down to Backstory. Then tap on Notifications and make sure "Allow Notifications" is green.
-
Does my partner see images tagged with a private tag?While curating, when you apply a private album to memory, the "Partner" album will become unselected. However, you can reenable the "Partner" album. Remember that if you disable "Partner " but have also applied another album your partner has access to, they WILL SEE the memory.
bottom of page