Frequently asked questions
Here's what people usually ask. If you don't see your question, ask us directly at the bottom and we'll reply from the admin page.
- What is Homeriah?A private digital archive for families: build a page for yourself or a family member, record photos, stories, and family relationships, and write journal entries meant only for yourself or for family in the future. It's not just for remembrance after someone's gone -- we want it to be something a family actually uses every day.
- Is a page public or private by default?Private by default -- only people you invite can see it. You can make any page public at any time; once public, anyone with the link can view it, and it may appear in lists like "Popular pages." Whether and when to change that back is entirely up to you.
- What's included on the free plan?Unlimited photo and story uploads, family relationships and the family tree, the private journal, and reminders for birthdays and anniversaries are all free. The paid Plus / VIP plans unlock the AI features: AI-assisted photo descriptions, AI-generated biographies, topic search across stories, and personalized reminder wording.
- Are the AI features all paid?The follow-up question AI suggests when you pick a photo is free for everyone. Having AI draft a story for you, generate a biography, or search by topic requires Plus or VIP. AI never invents names, relationships, or events you haven't written yourself -- we still recommend reviewing anything it drafts before publishing.
- What payment methods are supported?Users in the Chinese-language region can pay with WeChat Pay; everyone else pays by card via Stripe. Pricing varies by region -- the pricing page shows the actual amount.
- Can I get a refund if I'm not happy with my subscription?Yes -- within 15 days of upgrading, you can request a refund from Account Settings, prorated by how many days you've already used. You can choose a refund to your original payment method (minus the payment processor's actual fee) or to store credit (no fee, and it can be redeemed for membership or gifted to another user). Requests are reviewed by a person, and you'll get an in-app notification with the result.
- What are points, and how do I earn or spend them?You earn points by checking in daily (with a bonus for keeping a streak going), and a public page's creator earns points once it passes 10,000 views. Once you have enough, you can redeem them for Plus or VIP membership from your account page, or gift them to another user.
- Can anyone else see what I write in my journal?The journal is for private thoughts -- for each entry, you choose whether it stays visible only to you forever, is shared with one specific person, or becomes visible to family after you pass away. Anything set to "visible after death" has a 7-day buffer before it takes effect, to prevent accidental changes, and can't be undone after that. None of this counts as a legal document -- for anything involving how property is divided, please use a proper legal process.
- What happens to my content if I delete my account?Your display name, avatar, and sign-in method are removed and the account can no longer log in. Pages you created on your own, with no other family members involved, are deleted along with the account. But if you contributed photos or stories to a page someone else created, that shared family memory stays -- it just shows your name as "deleted user" instead, so one person deleting their account doesn't erase what the rest of the family kept.
- How are public-figure memorial pages created and reviewed?A deceased cultural or historical figure can have a public memorial page. An admin can search Wikipedia and generate a draft in one click; once reviewed and approved, it appears in the public "Public figures" list for anyone to browse. The page itself is viewable before approval too -- it just hasn't been listed yet.
- How do I start the AI photo interview?There's no separate button or page -- pick a photo anywhere you'd add a story, and AI automatically looks at it and asks you one concrete question to help you remember what to write. This is completely free for everyone. Having AI draft the story itself is a paid feature, with one free lifetime trial for everyone.
- How do I export my data?Go to Account Settings and find "Export my data" -- one click downloads a file with everything you have access to, plus your own journal entries. This is a VIP-only feature; free and Plus users will see a prompt to upgrade to VIP instead.
- How do I make the site's text larger?There's a "Larger text" button at the top of the site, next to the language switcher. Click it to enlarge text across every page -- helpful for older family members -- and click again to go back to normal size.
