No typing, no screen to read, no weekly homework. They open the app on their iPhone and talk. Stories We Carry asks a question out loud, listens, and asks a good next question, the way you would if you had the time. Nothing for you to schedule, chase or edit.
Welcome back, Ruth. Last time you were telling me about the farm in Idaho. Would you like to pick up there, or talk about something else today?
The farm. I was thinking about my brother Delbert.
I'd love to hear about him. How do you spell Delbert?
D-E-L-B-E-R-T.
Delbert, D-E-L-B-E-R-T. Was he older or younger than you?
We email an invitation to install the test version through Apple's free TestFlight app. Install it on their iPhone, sign them in, and say the first hello together. A visit is a good time to do it.
One answer after breakfast or an hour on a quiet afternoon. They don't need to plan anything or have anyone in the room. "Stop For Now" is always on screen, and saying "I'd like to stop" works too.
Whenever they tap 'Email Me My Conversations', everything they've said since the last one arrives, with a large-print version ready to print.
There's no list of questions to work through and nothing to fall behind on. It listens to what they say and asks about that: the street, the teacher, the year the family moved. They can steer ("let's talk about my mission," "ask me how I met my husband"), and next time it remembers where they left off. If they say "I don't remember," it moves on kindly. If they say "please don't ask me about that," it won't bring it up again.
With their permission, it keeps the recording of every answer: their laugh, the pauses, the way they say a name. If they'd rather not be recorded, they can say no and everything else works the same. We don't make computer copies of anyone's voice, and we never put words in their mouth.
Every question is spoken in a natural voice, and they answer by talking. Even the permission screens read themselves aloud. We tested it with VoiceOver, the screen reader built into every iPhone. It works for parents who can't see the screen well, and for anyone who would simply rather talk than write.
“What would you give to be able to hear your grandmother's grandmother's voice describing her life in her own words? At the same time, what is it worth to you to make sure that your granddaughter's granddaughter can hear your voice describing your life in your own words?”
AJ Curtis, Founder
An answer can only be recorded once, in the moment it's spoken, so we built recording first. Ways for the family to listen come next.
Recordings are encrypted, kept for the long term, and never used to train AI.
Everything they've said since the last email, oldest first, each sitting under its date. Skip a week and nothing is lost; the next email catches up. It goes to their own email address, and they can forward it to whoever they like. Each email also has a private link to a page with everything they've kept so far, ready to download in large print.
Each email carries a PDF in big, clear type (Atkinson Hyperlegible, a typeface designed for people with low vision), with their name at the top and page numbers. Names with accents and the ʻokina print correctly. Print it at home and hand it around at Sunday dinner.
The recording of every answer, kept for the long term, with their permission.
Next, family members they invite will be able to read their stories and hear them in their own voice. That isn't available yet.
We built it around that question. There's nothing to read, type or keep up with, and nothing nags them: no streaks, no “you haven't talked in a while.” They talk when they feel like it, for as long or short as they like. No one can promise every parent will take to it. If yours doesn't, write to us and we'll help.
You help with setup once. After that there are no questions to choose, no calls to schedule and no chapters to edit. The written copy goes to them by email whenever they ask for it.
Not during the beta: it's free, and pricing isn't set yet. When paid plans start, the life-story gift will be one payment for a year of conversations, with a chapter for every part of their life. It won't auto-renew. We'll remind you before the year ends, and everything they've recorded stays theirs.
Yes. Each parent gets their own account, so their stories stay separate. During the beta it's free for both.
An iPhone with iOS 17 or later, Wi-Fi or cellular data, and a quiet spot. It also works on iPad; we use one every day while building it. It speaks English for now. It doesn't work on a landline or a flip phone yet. Someone may need to help with the first setup and sign-in.
It's emailed to your parent, at the address on their own account. From there they can share it however they like.
Write to privacy@storieswecarry.app. We'll confirm with the storyteller and delete it; recordings are gone within 7 days.
On the help page, with sections for the storyteller, for family who set it up, and for family who read and listen.
Write to hello@storieswecarry.app. The person who built it reads every note and writes back.
We built Stories We Carry first for parents and grandparents. But anyone with stories worth keeping can use it, at any age from 18 up. If you'd like to try it yourself, say so when you write.
Stories We Carry is new and small. Every note gets a reply from the person who built it.
We're in a small beta on iPhone. If you'd like your parent, or you, to be one of the next to try it, tell us a little about who'd be using it: roughly how old they are, how they get on with their phone, and what you hope they'll talk about. Because of the way the interviews work, Stories We Carry is best for people 18 and older.
The most helpful things right now are introductions to families who might like to try it, and honest feedback on what you see here. If a parent or grandparent comes to mind, write and tell us.
Tell us which one brought you here.
A lot of people mean to tell their life story and never start. They don't know where to begin, they edit themselves before they've said anything, and it never feels like there's time. I built Stories We Carry so the asking is taken care of, in short bursts or long sessions, without putting anyone out.
If it isn't working for your mom or dad, I want to know. Write to me and I'll answer myself.
For me, it's part of turning the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to their children.
AJ Curtis, Founder
Every family carries stories: the ones our parents told us, and the ones only they can tell. We carry them with us, and one day we hand them to the people who come after us. The name is a reminder that those stories are ours to keep and to pass on, and that they're worth recording before they're lost.
