Help your mum or dad tell their story
Tell Rosa lets your parent tell the story of their life out loud, in their own words, to Rosa — a friendly host on screen who asks gentle questions and really listens. What they tell her becomes a book for the whole family — and, with a full story, videos too. This page is for you, the one setting it up.
What they’ll see and hear
- Rosa’s face on screen and her voice, with her words written underneath. She isn’t a real person — she’s a computer host, and she says so.
- She asks one thing at a time and follows what they say. There’s nothing to fill in and no menus: if they’re not sure what to do, they can just ask her.
- Only the microphone to start. The free trial is voice only; with a full story, the camera comes on only if they choose to record a proper piece on camera.
- They can stop whenever they like and nothing is lost. Next time, she remembers where they left off.
- Rather read than listen, or type than talk? They just ask.
Take the short tour to see exactly what they’ll see.
Two ways to set it up
Their own account
Best if they can tell it themselves.
- They sign in with their own email address — we send a link, so there’s no password — or with Google.
- Everything they make is theirs, and only they can download it. You can help them with that when the time comes.
- Want to add a memory while you’re sitting with them? Tap “Someone else” and take a turn — what you say is kept under your own name.
A story you keep for them
For when they’d rather not, or can’t tell it themselves any more.
- Sign in yourself, choose “Keep a story for someone else”, and say who they are to you — “Mum” is plenty.
- Rosa then asks you about them, and keeps their story separate from your own.
- Brothers and sisters can take turns in the same room, each under their own name. It all stays on your account, and only you can download it.
Sitting with them the first time
- A tablet or laptop is easiest; a phone works too. Turn the sound up.
- The first time, Rosa checks she can be heard, and the device asks to use the microphone — tap Allow.
- Have a few old photographs nearby. They can show her one and she’ll ask who’s in it.
- Stay as long as they’d like you there. You don’t need to prompt — she asks the questions. Some people like company all the way through; others would rather carry on alone once they’re settled.
What the family ends up with
From the free trial: one chapter of the book — an hour with Rosa about their childhood, written up in their own words and kept as a PDF. A full story ends up with:
- A video of each part of the story they record on camera, polished and ready to keep.
- A book you can print, or save as a PDF, laid out in chapters.
- A family website as a file you download and pass on — it isn’t put online for you.
- The words themselves — a written transcript to go with each recording.
There isn’t a single film of the whole life yet — each part is its own video. The book and website come together once the chapters are planned and the first one is recorded.
Private unless they choose
- Only the account holder can download anything. There are no share links, and we don’t share it with anyone.
- To give the family a copy, you download it and pass it on yourself — a cloud drive, a USB stick, an email.
- Anything can be deleted at any time: one sentence to Rosa is enough.
- Keep copies safe outside the account: we’re a recording studio, not a vault.
The detail is in our privacy policy.
Free to try for a week
- 7 days free. No card, no password.
- An hour with Rosa, about their childhood — just their voice, no camera. When it’s done she writes it up as one chapter of their book, which they keep as a PDF.
- We run a limited number of free trials at once. If they’re all in use, you’ll get a place in line and an email when it’s your turn.
- When the week is up, conversations stop, but the chapter is kept and can still be downloaded.
- Paid stories — including giving one as a gift — are coming soon. See the prices, and ask to be told when they’re ready.