Memorial mode

When that time comes, the app goes quiet — and nothing is lost.

Switching to memorial mode does three things at once. It stops every health reminder, quietens the profile's colours, and opens the option of a public memorial page. Nothing is deleted: every photo, note and record stays exactly where it was.

In My pets the animal then moves into its own In memory section below the living ones, the thumbnail loses its colour and a mourning ribbon crosses one corner. Nothing disappears — it is simply no longer counted where today's work is.

The memorial page has its own address that can be sent to family or printed in a notice. It opens for anyone who has the link; no account needed. A visitor can light a candle or leave a message.

Messages are not published straight away. The family sees them first — moderation here is consideration, not an approval queue. They cannot be replied to, and that is deliberate: a condolence can be thanked with one button and one shared message from the family. Nobody in grief should end up owing forty replies.

It can be switched back, in case of a mis-tap. And the address of the memorial page never changes — people put it in announcements, and that link has to work in ten years' time.

A memorial page is not switched on by itself. Right after the change comes the question of who may see it: nobody, only whoever is sent the link, or also people browsing In memory. The first option is the default and it can be changed at any time.

The address of the page is created once and never changes. It can go into an announcement and it will still work even if the page is hidden for a while and switched on again.

On the In memory list an animal is shown with its name, its years and — if the family wishes — who is saying goodbye. That text is free: “the Novák family” or “Marie Nováková and Josef Novák”. Leaving it empty is fine.

Anyone can light a candle or leave a message on a memorial page, with or without an account. Messages appear once the family has had a chance to read them. They cannot be replied to one by one, but the family can thank everyone with a single message.

When somebody writes, you get an e-mail with what they wrote. You publish it on the memorial page: a waiting message carries a badge and a button that lets it out. Candles are not approved and show at once — there is nothing to read on a candle.