How to Use Eramio
A timeline app that lines up your family's moments side by side, photos first. Time runs down the screen, and each family member gets a column. Events from the same day line up at the same height.
Getting started
- When you first open Eramio, you'll see a fictional family's timeline as a Sample. You can open the sample cards, but you can't edit them
- Save your first event with + at the bottom right, and the sample disappears and your own family's timeline begins. The sample won't come back
- If you haven't added any family members yet, tapping + first takes you to add the first one (you)
Family
- Add: Tap the + frame at the right end of the row of names above the timeline. With many columns, scroll sideways to reach it
- Name and birth date: Type the birth date into the month, day and year fields. Leave any part you don't know blank, and it becomes month-and-year only or year only
- Photo: Choose one photo from your library if you like. It's cropped to a circle from the center
- Reorder: Touch and hold a name, then drag it left or right. This order is the order of the columns
- Edit or delete: Touch and hold a name and release without moving to open Edit Family Member. Delete Family Member at the bottom also deletes the events in that person's column. Events in the Everyone column stay; the person is simply removed from them
- Pets can have their own column, just like people. There's no limit on family members
Creating events
Tap + at the bottom right to open New Event. Fill it in from the top and tap ✓ at the top right to save. Tap × at the top left to close.
- Photos
- Choose as many photos as you like from the dashed + frame. The first photo appears on the timeline card (On Timeline). Touch and hold to reorder, or tap × at the top left to remove. Photos are copied into the app at a smaller size, and location information is removed.
- Title
- Required. You can't save without one.
- When
- Tap to open the calendar. Tap a day for a full date, tap the month label at the top for month and year only, or tap Year Only at the bottom for just the year. Tap the year label to type a year (1800–2100).
- Who
- Tap family members' faces to select them. With one person, the event goes in that person's column; with two or more, it goes in the Everyone column on the far left.
- Notes
- Optional, free text.
- Documents
- Use Add Document and choose Files to pick a PDF, or Scan Document to scan paper into a PDF. Keep things like the program from a school sports day or a recital with the event. Up to 10 MB each, with no limit on how many. Touch and hold to reorder.
To change an event, open it and tap Edit at the bottom, or touch and hold its card on the timeline. To delete it, tap Delete Event at the bottom of Edit Event.
Three views
The button to the left of the gear at the top right switches the view each time you tap it. You keep your place when you switch.
- Photos: Events appear as photo cards. Just below each year's divider, the year's best shots line up
- Titles: Photos are hidden, leaving date labels and titles, so you can see years at once
- Year Photos: Only each year's best shots, to browse in every direction. Tap a year to jump to it in the Photos view
Tap the Eramio wordmark at the very bottom of the screen to return to the top of the timeline (the newest events).
Year Photos (best shots)
- In the Photos view, tap the + frame just below a year's divider to add any photos from your library. They don't have to be event photos, and each year can have as many as you like
- Touch and hold a photo until the photos jiggle. Drag to reorder, or tap × at the top left to remove one
Viewing an event
- Tap a card and the event opens large over the timeline. Swipe through its photos. Tap a photo to see it full screen, where you can also share it
- Each family member in the event is shown with their age that day. When a date or birth date isn't exact, the age is shown as “about.” No age is shown for events before someone was born
- Tap a document's thumbnail to open it full screen
- Close it with × at the top left, by tapping outside, or by pulling down from the top
Search
Tap the magnifying glass at the bottom left to search. Eramio looks through event titles and notes, and the text and file names of documents, and rebuilds the timeline from the matching events.
Settings
- Appearance: Choose Ring, Family Colors, Sunrise or Navy, all free. Light and dark switch automatically with your iPhone settings. With Family Colors, each person gets their own color
- Purchase and Restore Purchase: see Purchase below
- Export and Import: see Export and new iPhones below
- About This App, How to Use, Support, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use
Export and new iPhones
- Export: Settings → Export puts all your family members, events, photos and documents into one file. Enter a password of 8 or more characters twice to lock it, then choose where to save it, such as Files or AirDrop. The total size is shown before you export
- Import: Settings → Import, choose the file, and enter the password you set when exporting. Your current data is completely replaced by the file's contents
- Undo: One copy of the data from before the replacement is kept. Settings → Undo Last Replacement brings it back
- New iPhone: Your data also moves when you transfer your whole iPhone (Quick Start, iCloud Backup and so on). Eramio's data is included in your iPhone backup, like any other app
- If you forget the password, no one can open the file. Keep it somewhere safe
Purchase
- For free, you can create up to 30 events, with every feature and all four looks. There's no limit on family members or photos. Sample events don't count
- When you try to add a 31st event, the purchase screen appears. You can also open it from Purchase in Settings. A one-time purchase lets you add as many events as you like
- After changing devices or reinstalling, use Restore Purchase in Settings. Family Sharing is supported