Before you begin
- An owner or editor role, or an invitation to contribute to this person
- An active trial or plan for the family archive
- A microphone and permission to use it in your browser
Open the memory composer
From the person’s memory page, choose Add a memory. This keeps the memory linked to them. If you accepted a contributor invitation, it opens this page directly.
Owners and editors can also open Add in the top bar, then choose Record a voice, or use Memories → Add a memory. On a phone, use Add in the navigation.
Record a voice
Watch: starting a voice memory, stopping it and listening back before adding it to uploads · 19s
Silent demonstration. Follow the written steps on this page at your own pace.
Step 1. Choose Record a voice, add a Recording title (optional) and choose Record a voice memory. The browser asks for the microphone the first time.
Tell it in your own voice, with the title field and the Record a voice memory button
Select the image to view the full screenshot.
Step 2. Speak. The counter runs, Pause recording pauses it and Stop ends it. A recording stops by itself just before ten minutes.
Recording in progress, showing the elapsed time, Pause recording and Stop
Select the image to view the full screenshot.
Step 3. Listen back with the player. Choose Add to uploads to keep it, Download a copy to keep one on your device too, or Discard.
The listen-back player with Add to uploads, Download a copy and Discard
Select the image to view the full screenshot.
Step 4. Wait for Saved. The recording appears in Memories with its title; a transcript can be added later.
The voice recording marked Saved
Select the image to view the full screenshot.
Find your saved memory
Return to the person’s memory page, or open Memories to find material you can see. Owners and editors can use Link people and Who can see this? to manage context and audience. Contributors can add new memories of the invited person; ask a family editor to correct or remove a saved contribution.
If recording does not work
- The microphone is blocked
- Open your browser’s site permissions and allow microphone access for Our Story. Check your device’s microphone permission too, then try again.
- Playback is silent
- Check the microphone selected in your browser or device settings. Make a short test and listen back before recording the full story.
- I pressed Stop, but cannot find the memory
- Stopping only creates a preview. Choose Add to uploads and wait for Saved. Use Download a copy to keep the recording on your device too.
Your next step
Help article by Our Story ·