Home/How Rooney works

How Rooney works.

Rooney is the storyteller inside Roon — named for founder Jeff’s daughter, because it does the one thing she taught us to do: pay attention to the small stuff. Rooney works only from what your family gives it: your photos, your video, your voice, your words, and the dates they carry.

When you see Rooney in the product, that’s the assistant. The girl came first.

what rooney does

Asks. Reminds. Notices.

Rooney notices patterns

Across months and years, Rooney sees what keeps repeating in your life — the things you're too close to spot — and shows them back to you.

“Dinosaurs found their way into almost everything she loved for three summers running.”

Rooney writes the story

Not a caption. Not a slideshow. Not an album. Real chapters, with names, written in sentences from your own photos, words, and voice — honest paragraphs about what a day actually was.

“This was one of the happiest summers — and then, without much warning, so was the deep end of the pool.”

Rooney asks the right questions

Gentle, specific questions by text — never a form, never a daily nag. Some come back every year, so you can see how answers change. Weekly One asks for your favorite photo of the week. Unanswered questions never expire.

“You've never told us how she got her nickname.”

You never sort. You just relive.

You don't sort, and you don't make albums. Rooney writes moments into named chapters for you — and finds any memory by person, place, time, or what's in it.

“The Year She Wouldn't Come Inside” · 142 moments

Rooney makes the year into a film

Every January, your Year Film: the happiest moments, the hardest ones, and who mattered most. Made to be watched together — not scrolled past alone.

Family movie night, like gathering around home movies on VHS — press play and watch your year together.

Rooney holds letters until the right day

Write to someone now, seal it, and choose the day it opens — a birthday, a wedding, or a day decades from here. Rooney reminds you when one is due.

“Your dad left this for today.”

movie night

Made to be watched together.

Every January, Rooney turns your year into a film — the happiest moments, the hardest ones, and who mattered most. It’s made to be watched together: family movie night, the way families used to gather around home movies and VHS tapes. Press play, sit on the same couch, and watch your year. More on family movie night →

And underneath the film is the daily work no slideshow does: you don’t sort, tag, or make albums. Rooney organizes your moments into chapters with names, finds any memory by person, place, time, or what’s in it, and combines photos, video, voice, and writing into one story. When something’s missing, Rooney prompts you. Apple and Google show you files. Rooney asks, writes, and remembers why.

What Rooney will never do

It will never invent a memory. Every word comes from something you gave it. If it doesn't know, it asks — it doesn't fill the gap.

It will never impersonate someone. Roon preserves the people you love. It does not simulate them, generate their voice, or pretend to speak as them. That line will not move.

Your memories stay yours. Never sold. Never used to train models. You can export everything — originals included — any time.

plain answers

Questions, answered straight.

How do the questions (prompts) work?

Rooney texts gentle, specific questions — the kind your kids will want answered in thirty years. Some come back every year, so you can watch answers change over time. Weekly One asks you to pick your favorite photo of the week. There’s no homework and no deadline: unanswered questions never expire.

Do I have to upload everything I have?

No. Start with one day, one trip, or one photo. You can connect Google Photos or Apple Photos, but nothing is imported automatically — Roon suggests what looks worth keeping and you approve every item that crosses over. Disconnect any time.

Will Rooney make things up to fill gaps?

No. Every word in a chapter comes from your family’s photos, words, voice, and dates. If Rooney doesn’t know something, it asks you — it never fills the gap with a guess, and it never pretends to be a person.

Private beta · now forming

We're building this with a small group of families first.

Roon isn't open to everyone yet. We're letting in a limited first group — people who'll help shape it, get in at founding pricing, and keep that price for as long as they stay. Add your email and we'll be in touch as spots open.

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