Retro App Launches Rewind Feature to Time-Travel Through Your Photo Memories

The Retro app is launching a new feature called Rewind. This tool lets users revisit old photos from their camera roll. It is a private, personal journey through your digital past. The app currently focuses on sharing weekly photos with a close friend group.

Rewind aims to solve a modern problem. People take more photos than ever but rarely revisit them. The feature makes personal photo archives more engaging and accessible. This news was confirmed by the company’s co-founder.

How Rewind Works and Its Core Appeal

The feature is inspired by a popular existing Retro element. Users could already view their photos from the same week a year prior. However, this was limited to users with a long history on the app. Rewind opens this experience to everyone.

You access it from the app’s central navigation tab. A haptic dial lets you scroll through months or years of memories. Photos cycle on screen, and you can pause on any to view it fully. According to Reuters, this tactile experience is a key part of its design.

You can share any memory with a tap. A timestamp is added so friends know it’s an old photo. You can also hide certain photos or jump to random memories. The feature is private by default, putting you in control.

Positioning in a Crowded Market of Memory Apps

The concept of revisiting photo memories is not new. Apps like Timehop pioneered it years ago. Facebook and native phone galleries later added similar “On This Day” features. Yet, Retro believes its social-first focus sets it apart.

The company argues platforms like Facebook now prioritize ads and news over friend content. Meanwhile, Apple Photos and Google Photos are seen more as storage utilities. Retro positions itself as the dedicated space for authentic friend sharing and personal reflection.

This move is a subtle push against algorithm-driven feeds. It emphasizes real human connections and personal history. For Retro’s nearly one million users, it’s a new way to engage daily.

The new Rewind feature transforms Retro from a simple sharing tool into a personal memory vault. It directly tackles the digital amnesia of the smartphone era. This focus on genuine photo memories could redefine how we interact with our visual past.

Thought you’d like to know

Is the Rewind feature private?

Yes. Rewind is a private experience by default. The photos you see are only from your own camera roll. You choose if and when to share any memory with friends.

Do I need a long history on Retro to use it?

No. That was the old limitation. The new Rewind feature works for new users immediately. It pulls from your phone’s existing camera roll, not just your Retro uploads.

How does Retro’s feature differ from Apple or Google Photos?

Retro is built as a social app first. Its core is sharing with close friends. Rewind adds a private memory layer to that social experience, while other apps are primarily seen as photo storage.

Can I remove photos from Rewind?

Yes. You can hide specific photos you don’t want to see again. If you delete a photo from within the Retro app, it will also be deleted from your device’s camera roll.

What was the inspiration for the Rewind feature?

Co-founder Nathan Sharp says it came from user behavior. People loved seeing their own “a year ago” photos in the app. They wanted to expand that joy to all users and all their old photos.