Question 1

What is Heirloom and how does it work?

Accepted Answer

Heirloom is a digital platform that helps preserve personal and/or family stories, media, memorabilia, recipes, and important files in a highly secure space (called a Legacy Room). This Legacy Room can be managed for intergenerational connections, by one or more users into the indefinite future.Your Legacy Room is composed of 5 main content features:Keepsakes: digital, multimedia 'scrapbook' entriesMy Tribe: profiles of your close connectionsFamily Tree: a creative genealogy toolCookbook: family recipesDocuVault: secure file storage

Question 2

What makes Heirloom different?

Accepted Answer

Heirloom offers creative genealogy and memory archiving features in one privacy-first account that can be preserved for personal enjoyment and/or shared with current loved ones and future generations to preserve your Family's history. Heirloom's AI Weaver is always available to assist storytelling and creativity, so that you can enrich each entry to your account with heartfelt details.Multiple genealogy and creative memory archiving features in one subscription.AI-assisted storytellingHighly secure, privacy-first data encryptionCustomize your account and content privacy or publicityMulti-generational preservation: preserve your story now, be remembered next century.

Question 3

Who can use Heirloom?

Accepted Answer

Anyone with an electronic device and internet connection who wants to create a lasting digital legacy–from individuals, to families, and community groups.

Question 4

How does AI Weaver Work?

Accepted Answer

Your AI assistant, Weaver, is an LLM-based chatbot trained to guide you through areas of inspiration to help recall details of your chosen story when creating your Keepsakes. If you wish to use Weaver, you can choose between an interview style conversation, or a 'shopping list' of inspiration points to get started.

Question 5

Is my Heirloom profile public or private? How can I find out?

Accepted Answer

Your account default is set to Private (inaccessible by others). Your account profile will automatically become Public if you make a Keepsake or Recipe public. This can be done during or after the creation process.If your profile is public, only you and the people you directly share your URL with will be able to access your public content. You may have a Public profile and no public Keepsakes too, but all of this is manageable in your Privacy Settings.

Question 6

How can I invite people to Heirloom?

Accepted Answer

There are several ways to let your family and friends know that you are preserving your Legacy with Heirloom.In your account Dashboard you have a gift icon between Settings and Notifications with preloaded text (and links) to copy and send directly to your loved ones.If you have already created a Keepsake or Recipe, you can also share it directly with your close connections by copying the link or exporting it to a social media platform, such as WhatsApp.

Question 7

What is the difference between the Primary account, Patron account and Trustee account?

Accepted Answer

Users can be in charge of three types of accounts after creating an account on the Heirloom Platform.A Primary account is a self-authored legacy where the User narrates their own life story.Trustee accounts are an account where a Person has been invited to take custody of the account in the future. A Trustee has to be invited and accept the invitation, and assumes Trustee responsibilities once the owner of the Entrusted account passes away, and their death is verified.Patron accounts give users the ability to tell the life story of another person (for example, of a living or deceased friend or relative).It will always be signaled to the general audience whether the Legacy Room was created by the person themselves, by a Patron, or whether the account is an account of a deceased person and is under limited management by Trustees.

Question 8

How does the 'legacy part' of Heirloom work? In other words, what happens when I pass away?

Accepted Answer

The longevity of an account is ensured by inviting a trusted person you know to take care of your account after your passing has been verified. Having at least 1 Accepted Trustee (someone who accepted your invitation) at the time of your passing ensures that your account subscription can be managed, any instructions regarding your Legacy Room can be followed and any posthumous wishes you indicate can be respected. If you do not have a Trustee to manage your account, then your account and its contents will be frozen from any further access.For further information and examples about Trusteeship, click here.

Question 9

What is Trusteeship?

Accepted Answer

A tool that ensures life’s legacy reaches future generations.Designate your spouse, child, or close friend to take care of your Legacy beyond your lifetime. In the future, your Trustee will be able to protect your most meaningful moments collected in your Legacy Room, according to the permissions and privacy conditions you’ve previously set. It’s a simple, yet sensitive way to secure continuity for the legacy you created on Heirloom.

Question 10

What exactly is a Trustee’s role?

Accepted Answer

Per Heirloom Trusteeship policy, a Trustee is granted a right to:Access all content in the Legacy Room (view-only)Edit the Family Tree (i.e. add new family members)Administer the Guest Book, which is started upon the Member’s deathChange the terms of payments/subscriptionAdd another Trustee(s) to secure continuity of the entrusted legacyIt should also be spelled out that a Trustee is not allowed to:Erase the Member’s account or any of its contentDowngrade a subscription planRemove any other Trustee(s)

Question 11

Who can I designate as a Trustee?

Accepted Answer

Anybody who is at least 18 years old and who registers with Heirloom can become your Trustee.

Question 12

Can I replace or have more than one Trustee?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can always remove a Trustee that is no longer a suitable candidate for this role, or have more than one Trustee at any moment.

Question 13

When will my Trustee gain access to my Heirloom account?

Accepted Answer

Access is only granted after confirmation of passing. Until then, your content remains fully in your control.

Question 14

How is my passing verified?

Accepted Answer

At least one Trustee who has accepted to custodially manage your Entrusted Account, must submit a copy of the Death Certificate to our legal team at contact@myheirloom.us. If the Trustee is estranged or does not have access to legal documents traditionally provided to next of kin, they may request an exceptional case through our legal team at contact@myheirloom.us.

Question 15

Can I send multiple invites to the same person?

Accepted Answer

A Trusteeship Invitation is made for each unique Person that you invite, determined by their email address. You can send another invitation, but the existing invitation becomes deactivated. The invite is unique with an alphanumeric and a QR code which is tied to their email address.

Question 16

How do I accept a Trusteeship Invitation?

Accepted Answer

To create the Trusteeship invitation, the User inviting you will have used your personal credentials (ie. your name and email address) - this is the email address by which you will receive the attached PDF invitation. To accept you must create your primary Heirloom account or log in to your existing primary account, in which you will find an ‘Accept’ and ‘Reject’ buttons in your settings. If you wish to manually input your invite, locate your Trusteeship Settings and click on ‘Entrusted’ and then select ‘Import’ where you can paste the copied alphanumeric code in your unique invitation. Also, an invited Trustee can scan the QR code on the PDF invitation to start the acceptance process.However, if the invitation has been rejected (by the Person who received it) or you have revoked the invitation from your primary account (intentionally or not) you will need to remove their Trustee Profile (which may display a Rejected status) you created in your Trusteeship settings and add them again to send a new invite.

Question 17

My Trustee lost their Trusteeship invite, what now?

Accepted Answer

You have access to the Trusteeship invitations sent to that Person, by clicking on the three dots of their Trustee Profile in your Trusteeship Settings and selecting "View Trustee Invitation". You can download and/or print a copy to send to the Person.

Question 18

How does Heirloom protect my privacy?

Accepted Answer

All Trustee actions are logged and protected by encryption. You decide what each Trustee can see and when they can see it. We do not sell, share or provide the data of our Users to any third party. With Heirloom, privacy is first. Forever.

Question 19

Can my Trustee remove or add Trustees to my Heirloom account after my passing?

Accepted Answer

A Trustee may add additional Trustees to ensure continuity, but our policy does not grant authority to remove existing Trustees.

Question 20

Is there a deadline for my Trustee(s) to accept my invite and/or verify my passing?

Accepted Answer

The Trusteeship invite is valid indefinitely-the only time an invitation is invalid is once it has been rejected from the recipient or revoked from the sender.

Question 21

How do I remove myself as a Trustee from the Entrusted account?

Accepted Answer

If the owner of the entrusted account (the person who sent you the invitation) is alive, then you can simply reject the invitation. If the owner of the entrusted account has passed and you are the sole Trustee for the account, removing yourself will not affect the account management or visibility to the public. If you are not the sole Trustee, the account will remain accessible to other Trustees, but any function/role entrusted to you will be lost.For further information navigate to our Trusteeship Support page for step-by-step guidance.

Question 22

How do I sign up for Heirloom?

Accepted Answer

Visit the Heirloom website and click on any button that says 'Start for free', or 'Join Now' to start your Legacy. You have two options for account creation:Use your Google AccountUse any email address and create a password

Question 23

Can I try Heirloom for free?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Heirloom offers a Basic plan free of charge, which allows you to explore the platform's core features for 1 year, after which it will go into "Freeze" mode.

Question 24

Is the plan upgrade worth it?

Accepted Answer

We know it's frustrating when key features are locked up behind paywalls, so all subscription plans have access to the same features. The key differences being storage capacity and the amount of Keepsakes you can create. Advanced features are being added all the time.

Question 25

How do I upgrade to a paid plan?

Accepted Answer

Once you have created an account, you can upgrade to any of the paid plans through your account settings located in your account menu. Paid plans enable users to utilize more storage memory, create additional Trustee Profile(s) and establish Patron account(s), etc.

Question 26

Can I create an account with someone else?

Accepted Answer

Collaborative features are coming to Heirloom soon, but a User can currently create a Primary Heirloom account to create and upload content for themselves alone. However, once you initiate an account and begin to create your Legacy Room, you can change the accessibility of specific pieces of content to Public Viewing and share the link with your loved ones.

Question 27

Can I gift an Heirloom account to someone?

Accepted Answer

This feature is coming soon. There will be 2 ways to gift an account.You can simply pay for the subscription plan, select the box "this is a gift" during the payment process and your email address to receive the details. You can print the attachment as a letter for your special someone, or you can forward the email - whichever is more your style.Create a Patron Account (you can do this with the free plan too) with the details of your special someone. You can even add a Keepsake about why they mean so much to you!

Question 28

Is there a user guide or tutorial available?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Heirloom offers a user guide and Knowledge Base to help our users get started and make the most of the platform. Tutorial videos and Mobile App user guides are coming soon!

Question 29

What if I need help or have any questions?

Accepted Answer

You have several options for support:A Knowledge Base with user guides and 'How To' documentationSupport articles for further informationAn AI Support Chatbot who can navigate you directly to the answers you're looking forA place to submit a Support Ticket if you need more further assistanceOur Support Chatbot is trained to provide you with helpful tips and suggestions on how best to navigate and utilize our platform and support resources. If the Support Chatbot or a Support Ticket does not succeed in solving your particular problem, you can email us at contact@myheirloom.us.

Question 30

What should I do if I encounter technical issues?

Accepted Answer

We recommend your first step to be a chat with our trained AI chatbot to find answers to common technical issues you may experience. You can also use our support articles for further reading and if you are unable to find a resolution, you can submit a Support Ticket or reach out to Heirloom's support team via the email address contact@myheirloom.us.

Question 31

Are there any system requirements for using Heirloom?

Accepted Answer

Heirloom is accessible via all contemporary widespread web browsers on desktops, tablets, and smartphones. For the best experience with Heirloom, please make sure that your browser is up-to-date.

Question 32

Do I need to be online when creating content?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you need to be online while creating, editing, and uploading your media files to your Legacy Room.

Question 33

Can I access my Keepsakes offline?

Accepted Answer

Heirloom is a web application, and needs an internet connection to operate.

Question 34

How much storage space do I have available?

Accepted Answer

The amount of available storage space will depend on your membership package. They range from 2GB to more than 50 GB. For more details please see Subscription and Pricing plans.

Question 35

Can I use Heirloom in different languages?

Accepted Answer

Currently, Heirloom is available only in English, but plans to support additional languages are in development.

Question 36

I submitted a Support Ticket, now what?

Accepted Answer

You will receive a confirmation email that we have received your Support Ticket. If you cannot see it in your inbox, please reload your browser or mail app and check your spam folder. We work to resolve and respond to your concerns in a timely manner. If you have not received a confirmation email within 24hrs, please email our support team at contact@myheirloom.us.

Question 37

What is the Legacy Room?

Accepted Answer

The Legacy Room is all of the content you create within your Heirloom account. Your Legacy Room is viewable throughout your dashboard. The foundational features in the Legacy Room are Keepsakes, Life Timeline, My Tribe, Family Tree, Cookbook, and Docuvault.

Question 38

How do I organize my Legacy Room?

Accepted Answer

Heirloom has an intuitive organization system, where stories, documents, recipes and other content can be easily found thanks to categorization topics built within the creation flows. We are developing advanced search and custom organization functions for your content too.

Question 39

What types of media can I upload to my Legacy Room?

Accepted Answer

You can upload photos (.jpg and .png), audio recordings (.mp3), videos (.mp4), and text documents (copy+paste and .md) to your Legacy Room. For every Keepsake format you start with, you will always be able to add photos, My Tribe profiles, Links and Documents (.pdf and .xlsx).

Question 40

What is a Keepsake?

Accepted Answer

A Keepsake is a multi-media story or memory of life that you add to your Keepsake area, which acts like a multi-media scrapbook. You can preserve anything from a childhood fantasy landscape, to family rituals growing up, hobbies, professional achievements, or a memory of a lost loved one.

Question 41

What types of Keepsakes can I create?

Accepted Answer

For format types, the best Keepsakes are multimedia entries. While a Keepsake is initiated as either a photo, an audio, a video or a textual reference, it can be accompanied by other supportive media. Of course, a Keepsake can function as a single medium file too. For content types, Keepsakes can be about any life story, personal belief, or even a family folk story. For examples and inspiration, .

Question 42

Is there a limit to the number of Keepsakes I can create?

Accepted Answer

The number of Keepsakes you can create depends on your subscription plan. The basic plan limits you to 5 entries, but the advanced and premium plans allow for much larger storage.

Question 43

How do I share Keepsakes with others?

Accepted Answer

Currently, you can share a Keepsake by selecting its viewability to 'Public' and sharing the URL directly with your loved ones. If the Keepsake is set to 'Private', it will not be viewable. You will soon be able to share Keepsakes with other people by sending a secure link via the platform that will invite them to view your Legacy Room.

Question 44

Who is Weaver and how does it help me?

Accepted Answer

Our LLM-based chatbot named Weaver that is integrated into the Keepsake creation process to offer areas of inspiration to help recall details of the memory for creating your Keepsake.

Question 45

What is the Life Timeline and how does it work?

Accepted Answer

Life Timeline is a chronological visualization of Keepsakes found in the Timeline view of your Keepsakes area. If you add a date to your Keepsake, it will automatically be added to your Life Timeline. There is also a horizontal Timeline bar which is a condensed version of the vertical Life Timeline.

Question 46

Who is in My Tribe?

Accepted Answer

My Tribe is composed of profiles you have made of important people in your life, namely immediate and extended family members, as well as your broader community and friendly relations (ie. Close Others such as friends, colleagues and mentors). You can view all profiles in the My Tribe area.

Question 47

Can I add people to my Family Tree who I consider relatives but are not blood related with me?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can. Besides members who are related by marriage or adoption, you can add others who are not genetically related, such as step-siblings and step-parents, unmarried spouses, etc. Heirloom supports a system that reflects many modern forms of families.

Question 48

Can I change the view of my Family Tree?

Accepted Answer

Currently, the Family Tree builder offers one visualisation format. However, you may change the view of relation types within your tree, such as Full (all family members), Bloodline (genetic relations), and Direct Line (your direct ancestors & descendants).

Question 49

Can I print my Family Tree or part of it?

Accepted Answer

The Family Tree Builder is an online visual tool for genealogy, there is currently no capacity for printing or exporting your genealogy data.

Question 50

How do I manage My Tribe members?

Accepted Answer

Users can add, remove, or edit information of profiles in the My Tribe area, with the exception of creating Family Member profiles (genetically and nongenetically related) within the Family Tree Builder.

Question 51

Can I upload genealogy information to my Family Tree?

Accepted Answer

When creating a Family Tree Node you can specify the relationship type (ie. child, parent, partner), as well as personal information including but not exclusive to name, date of birth and date of death (if applicable). If you wish to add occupation, international travel, or DNA results, you can create a Keepsake with the desired information and link it with the member's profile.

Question 52

How do I choose between Keepsakes or DocuVault for uploading documents?

Accepted Answer

Keepsakes are fun, creative, memories that you can share and reminisce over during your life, while DocuVault is a highly secure, private place where you can add important information that can remain secure even after your passing. Also, Docuvault requires a specific password for the secure area.

Question 53

How does my DocuVault stay private and secure?

Accepted Answer

DocuVault has an automatic 5 minute timer that starts from the time you log into your DocuVault. It can be reset to 5 minutes by clicking on the "Extend Access" button located in the top right corner. This ensures that even if you are not logged out of your Heirloom account, your DocuVault is constantly secured and visible only to you.

Question 54

Does my entire DocuVault go to my Trustee(s) or just certain files I make accessible?

Accepted Answer

Currently, within the Privacy Settings, a User may select whether their DocuVault and the entirety of its contents are visible to "Nobody" or "Trustees" after their passing, while it remains entirely private and secure during their lifetime.

Question 55

What is Docuvault and what do I use it for?

Accepted Answer

Docuvault is a folder of important and/or sensitive documents that the user will want to preserve during and after their lifetime. These may include a list of property and bank accounts, medical records, personal notes, letters to loved ones after passing, and funeral arrangements/requests. You can make entries with uploaded photos, links and documents.We highly discourage our users to leave any type of information that can be misused during their lifetime, i.e. any passwords, credit card numbers, or private cryptocurrency account addresses.

Question 56

What is the Guest Book and how does it work?

Accepted Answer

Upon the confirmed death of the account user, the account's appearance will change into an Obituary format. Among other changes, by default a Guest Book will be located in the main space of the Obituary for a designated period of time, where people can post messages about the account owner. After this 'mourning period' the Guest Book will be turned into one of the features in the Legacy Room, located on the left side navigation panel. This feature can be deactivated by the account owner, or, when relevant, by the account Trustee.

Question 57

What is the Obituary and how does it work?

Accepted Answer

The Obituary is a feature that is activated after the user of an account has had their passing verified through the submission of legal documents to Heirloom, and their account can now be managed by their Trustees. It is managed by the Trustee(s) of the account, to accompany the account's Guestbook which also activates posthumously. As the account owner, you can select which Trustee (if you have more than one) has the responsibility to administer the Obituary and/or Guestbook.

Question 58

What are the pricing plans?

Accepted Answer

Heirloom offers a free Basic plan with essential features. Advanced and Premium plans with additional storage and Keepsake capacity are available for a subscription fee. Additional features include additional Trusteeship profiles and extra Patron account options. You can find a detailed guide to our subscription details .

Question 59

What features are included in the basic plan?

Accepted Answer

The basic plan is free of charge and includes full access to the Legacy Room features, with the limitation of 2GB of storage and the ability to create up to 5 Keepsakes.

Question 60

What additional features are available in the Advanced and Premium plans?

Accepted Answer

Additional features include extra storage space, extra Keepsakes, additional Trusteeship profiles and additional Patron accounts.

Question 61

What happens with my account when I cease paying the plans?

Accepted Answer

In case of interruption in scheduled payments, the user will not be able to edit their Legacy Room but it will remain accessible for viewing for a certain period of time. This grace period varies in different payment plans. In order to resume access or secure account longevity past the grace period, 'unfreeze' fee will be charged ($50 with Advanced and $100 with Premium plan). The Basic plan, which is free of charge, can be used for the period of 1 year and will be frozen thereafter with an unfreeze fee of $20.

Question 62

What is the 'unfreeze' fee?

Accepted Answer

In case of interrupted payment, the Legacy Room will remain accessible for viewing for a certain time. After that the Legacy Room will be 'frozen'. In order to resume edits or secure account continuity past the grace period, the 'unfreeze' fee will be charged.

Question 63

How do I change my subscription plan?

Accepted Answer

You can change your subscription plan by going to the account settings and selecting a new subscription option. If you are upgrading from a free plan, your payment details will be requested.

Question 64

What happens to my data if I cancel my subscription?

Accepted Answer

If you cancel your subscription, your data will remain accessible under the Basic plan's limitations, but you may lose access to premium features and additional storage.

FAQ

What is Heirloom?

What is Trusteeship on Heirloom?

Getting Started

Support and Accessibility

Features

Pricing

Content Moderation

Technological Integration

Legal Planning

Posthumous Account Moderation

Privacy and Data Protection

Community and Contributions

Future Developments

FAQ