How to use One Photo Diary and move it to a new phone

A text diary makes you find the first sentence. A photo-first diary flips the order: pick one photo from today, then put one line on it.

The photo already holds the scene, so the line can be short. Months later the photo brings the day back and the line brings back how you felt.

You keep one photo a day. On a busy day, choose the one you like most. Choosing is the looking back.

This is what the app actually does. Photo diaries differ a lot in how they store things.

Where it is stored

Photos and text stay in this browser's storage on this device. Nothing is sent to a server, so there is no account and no login.

If you clear browser data, the diary goes with it. That is why there is a backup download.

Shrinking photos

A photo you pick is shrunk on this device so its longest side is 1600 px, then saved as a JPEG. Hidden photo data such as location is dropped in the process.

Your original is never touched. The photo in your gallery stays as it is.

The line and the question

A line can be up to 140 characters. Each date gets one question. Swap it for another or write without one. The question for a date stays the same after a reload.

Questions come from a list inside the app, picked by date. They are not fetched from a server.

The photo limit

Saved photos add up to at most 100 MB. At the limit, saving stops and a notice appears. Back up, delete some old days, and you can save again.

On this day

If an earlier year has an entry on the same month and day, it shows on the home page. You see the first one after a full year.

The app does not count streaks. A day you skip is just an empty day. If you still want to write often, these help.

A photo alone is enough

On a busy day, save only the photo. The day is still kept.

Pick one fixed moment

Tie it to something that happens daily, like bedtime or after lunch. In the evening, scroll through today's shots and choose one.

Do not backfill

Filling the gaps turns it into homework. Start again with today's photo tomorrow.

Your diary lives on this device, so a new phone needs a move. With no account, you move it as a file.

Steps

On the old phone, tap Download backup under Backup and moving. You get one file with your lines and photos.

Send the file to the new phone, by message-to-self or a cloud drive. On the new phone, open the app and tap Load backup file.

Loading only merges. Days that already exist on the new phone are left as they are.

Back up often

Clearing browser data or removing the app erases the diary. A backup once a month gives you peace of mind.

Make photobook binds a chosen year, in date order, into one A5 PDF. There is a cover, then one page per day with the photo, the question and your line.

The PDF is built on this device. Photos never pass through a server. A very full year can take a while, depending on the device.

You can take the downloaded PDF to a print shop or upload it to a print service. Print quality is limited by the size the photos were shrunk to.