Complete User Guide

📖 Table of Contents

1. Getting Started
2. Home Screen
3. Managing Photos & Videos
4. Albums
5. Folders
6. Circles & Sharing
7. Contacts
8. Memories & Narration
9. Chat & Messaging
10. Importing Media
11. Account & Subscription
12. Settings
13. Picture Frame Mode
14. Security & Privacy
15. Frequently Asked Questions

1 Getting Started

Welcome to Kizu! This guide will help you get the most out of your private photo sharing experience. Kizu is designed to give you complete ownership of your memories while making it easy to share them with the people you trust.

Creating Your Account

1. Download the Kizu app from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android)
2. Open the app and tap Create Account
3. Enter your email address — Kizu will send you a verification code
4. Enter the verification code to confirm your email
5. Choose your subscription plan (Free or Paid)
6. Complete your profile by adding your name and optional profile photo

Signing In

Kizu offers multiple ways to sign in:

• Email — Enter your email and receive a verification code (no password needed)
• Phone Number — Enter your phone number with country code to receive a verification code via SMS
• Face ID / Fingerprint — After your first login, enable biometric login for instant access

Choosing a Plan

When you first create your account, you'll be asked to choose between staying with the Free plan or selecting a paid subscription. Each plan offers different storage limits, photo limits, and collaboration features.

Main Navigation

The app has six main tabs at the bottom of your screen:

2 Home Screen

Your dashboard for everything happening in Kizu.

Welcome Banner

A personalized welcome message displaying your subscription or trial status.

Getting Started Checklist

An interactive checklist for new users to help you set up:

• Add a profile photo
• Import your first photos
• Create an album
• Create a circle and invite someone
• Share an album with a circle

The checklist disappears once all steps are completed.

Saved Moments

Automatically created moments grouped by location, people, events, and "on this day" memories, displayed as collage-style cards.

Activity Feed

Recent activity across your circles and albums:

• New Photos — When members add photos to shared albums
• New Memories — Comments and narrations
• Circle Updates — When members join or leave
• Album Activity — When albums are shared or updated
• Links Activity — From connected people

3 Managing Photos & Videos

Viewing Your Gallery

Two viewing modes are available:

• Grid View — Thumbnails in a scrollable grid
• Carousel View — Full-screen photo swiping

Sorting Options

• Import Date
• Creation Date
• Person (grouped by detected faces)
• Tag (custom tags)
• Type (separate photos and videos)
• Location (by geographic location)

Filtering Your Gallery

• Media Type — Photos, videos, or both
• Date Range — Start and end date
• Locations — By geographic location
• People — By specific people

Selection Mode

Long-press any photo to enter selection mode. This allows you to:

• Select multiple photos at once
• Add selected photos to an album
• Set date/location for multiple photos
• Delete multiple photos

Photo Details

Tap any photo to view it full-screen. From there you can:

• See metadata (date, location, camera info)
• Add or edit tags
• Tag people in the photo
• Add a memory or comment
• React with emojis
• Edit metadata (date, location)
• Share a photo link
• Print (iOS)

Scanned Photos

Kizu supports a flip card view for scanned photos with both front and back sides.

Share Extension

Add photos from other apps directly into Kizu via the system share sheet.

4 Albums

Organize your photos into meaningful collections.

Creating an Album

1. Go to the Albums tab
2. Tap the + button
3. Enter a title and optional description
4. Tap Create

Adding Photos to Albums

• From the album: Open the album and tap + to browse your gallery
• From the gallery: Select photos and choose "Add to Album"
• During import: Assign photos directly to an album

Managing Album Photos

• Reorder photos via drag and drop
• Remove photos from album (this doesn't delete them from your library)
• Set a cover photo

Sharing Albums

1. Open the album
2. Tap the Share button
3. Select which circle(s) to share with
4. Choose view-only or allow photo additions

5 Folders

Hierarchical organization similar to computer folders.

Creating Folders

1. Go to the Folders tab
2. Tap the + button
3. Enter a folder name
4. Optionally select a parent folder for nesting

Organizing with Folders

Folders support nesting for deep organization:

• Family > Kids > Birthday Parties
• Travel > 2024 > Italy > Rome
• Work > Projects > Website Redesign

What Can Go in a Folder

• Albums — Photo and video albums
• Documents — Text notes for recipes, stories, family history
• Spreadsheets — Simple lists and tables
• Photos & Videos — Individual media files
• Nested Folders — Folders within folders

Sharing Folders

Share entire folders with your circles. All content within the folder becomes visible to members.

6 Circles & Sharing

What is a Circle?

A circle is a private group for sharing. Common examples:

• Immediate family
• Extended family members
• Close friends
• Specific event or trip
• Shared picture frame in a relative's home

Creating a Circle

1. Go to the Circles tab
2. Tap the + button
3. Enter a circle name (e.g., "Smith Family")
4. Add an optional description
5. Tap Create

Inviting Members

1. Open the circle
2. Go to the Members section
3. Tap Invite
4. Enter email or phone number
5. Select a role
6. Send the invitation

You can also generate a QR code for instant joining.

Member Roles

Role	Permissions
Read-Only	View photos only
Contributor	View and add photos, edit own photos only
Editor	View, add, and edit all photos
Admin	Full control including member management

Circle Features

• Members — Manage invitations and roles
• Chat — Group messaging
• Albums — View and manage shared albums
• Folders — Shared folder organization
• Picture Frames — Manage connected devices

7 Contacts

Tag people in your photos and easily find all photos of a specific person.

Adding Contacts

• Import from your phone's address book
• Create manually with name, email, and phone
• Create from face detection when tagging photos

Tagging People in Photos

1. Open a photo
2. Tap the Tag People button
3. Tap a face or draw a box around a person
4. Select an existing contact or create a new one

Finding Photos of Someone

1. Go to Contacts
2. Tap the person's name
3. See all photos they appear in

Managing Contacts

• Edit — Update name, email, phone, avatar
• Merge — Combine duplicate contacts
• Delete — Removes the contact but not existing photo tags

8 Memories & Narration

What are Memories?

Memories are voice recordings you can attach to any photo. Use them for:

• The story of what was happening when the photo was taken
• A message to family members
• Commentary from grandparents about old photos
• Context and details you want to remember

Adding a Memory

1. Open a photo
2. Tap the Memory button (microphone icon)
3. Hold to record your voice message
4. Release to stop recording
5. Review and save

Playing Memories

• Tap the play button to hear the audio
• See who recorded it and when
• Multiple people can add memories to the same photo

Memory Reactions

React to memories with emojis to show appreciation.

9 Chat & Messaging

Circle Chat

Every circle has a built-in group chat. Use it to:

• Discuss shared photos
• Coordinate adding new content
• Stay in touch with family and friends

Direct Messages

1. Go to the Chat tab
2. Tap the compose button
3. Select a contact
4. Start your conversation

Replying to Messages

Reply to a specific message to keep conversations organized:

1. Hover over (or long-press on mobile) the message you want to reply to
2. Tap the reply arrow button
3. A preview of the original message appears above the input
4. Type your reply and send

Your reply will appear with a quoted preview of the original message. Tap the preview to jump to the original message.

Message Translation

Kizu automatically translates messages so everyone sees the conversation in their preferred language. Enable translation in chat settings and choose your language. A flag icon shows the original language of each message — tap a translated message to see the original.

Sharing Locations & Events

• Addresses — Send a location as a tappable card. Tap to open in maps.
• Calendar Events — Share event title, date, time, and venue.
• Album Links — Share a Kizu album inline.
• Website Links — Share web links with previews.

Chat Features

• Real-time message delivery
• Reply to specific messages with quoted previews
• Automatic message translation
• Share locations, calendar events, and album links
• Reactions with emoji
• Unread message badges
• Search through message history
• Share photos, videos, and stickers
• Message notifications

10 Importing Media

From Your Device

1. Tap the Import button
2. Select Camera Roll
3. Choose which albums to import from
4. Select specific photos or import all
5. Optionally enable AI analysis and deduplication
6. Start the import

From Cloud Services

Kizu supports importing from:

• Google Drive
• Microsoft OneDrive
• Dropbox

Connecting a Cloud Service

1. Go to Settings > Sources
2. Tap Connect next to the service
3. Sign in with your credentials
4. Grant permission to read photos

From Facebook

1. Download your data from Facebook (Settings > Your Facebook Information > Download Your Information)
2. Request HTML format with photos and videos
3. In Kizu, go to Import > Facebook
4. Select the downloaded export file
5. Kizu extracts photos, comments, reactions, and dates
6. Review the import preview and confirm

Share Extension

In any app, tap Share on a photo or video, select Kizu from the share sheet, and it uploads automatically.

Import Options

• Skip Duplicates — Automatically skip photos already in your library
• AI Analysis — Detect faces, objects, and text
• Assign to Album — Add directly to an album during import

11 Account & Subscription

Viewing Your Account

Go to Account or Settings > Account to see:

• Current plan and status
• Usage statistics (photos, videos, storage)
• Member limits (editors, contributors, viewers)
• Trial countdown (if applicable)

Usage Indicators

Visual progress bars show your usage for:

• Photos — Number imported
• Videos — Minutes of video
• Storage — Total space used
• Editors — Editor members across circles
• Contributors — Contributor members
• Viewers — Read-only members

Guest Access

If you were invited as a guest, you'll see a "Guest" badge on your account. Your sponsor's name is shown, and your usage counts against their limits.

Upgrading Your Plan

1. Go to Account
2. Tap Upgrade or your current plan
3. Compare available plans
4. Select billing cycle (monthly or yearly)
5. Complete payment through Stripe

Applying Promo Codes

1. Go to Account
2. Tap Apply Promo Code
3. Enter the code
4. See the discount applied

12 Settings

Appearance

• Light Mode
• Dark Mode

Notifications

• New Messages — Chat and direct message alerts
• New Comments — When someone comments on your photos
• New Photos — When photos are added to shared albums
• New Members — When someone joins your circle
• Push Notifications — Enable or disable
• Email Notifications — Receive notifications via email

App Mode

• Normal Mode — Full app functionality
• Picture Frame Mode — Dedicated slideshow display

AI Settings

Control how AI helps organize your photos: face detection, object recognition, text reading, and tag suggestions.

Sources

Manage connected cloud services (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox). Connect new services, disconnect existing ones, and check for new photos.

About Me

Edit your profile: display name, profile photo, and contact information.

Other Settings

• Location Sharing — Include location data with photos
• Biometric Login — Face ID or Fingerprint
• Tutorial — Restart the getting started guide
• Contact Support — Get help from the Kizu team

13 Picture Frame Mode

Transform any tablet or dedicated device into a beautiful digital picture frame.

Enabling Picture Frame Mode

1. Go to Settings
2. Select App Mode
3. Choose Picture Frame Mode
4. Configure your display preferences

Display Options

• Photo Source — Choose specific albums or circles
• Rotation Order — Random, newest first, oldest first, or custom
• Interval — 10 seconds to 1 hour between photos
• Orientation — Portrait, landscape, or auto-detect

Frame Controls

• Tap to pause or resume the slideshow
• Swipe for next or previous photo
• Tap the microphone to add a memory to the current photo
• Access the chat overlay

Inviting People to a Picture Frame

1. Set up the frame within a circle
2. Invite family members to the circle
3. Photos they add will automatically appear on the frame

14 Security & Privacy

Kizu is designed with privacy at its core.

Biometric Authentication

1. Go to Settings > Security
2. Enable Biometric Lock
3. Confirm with your face or fingerprint

Locking the App

Go to Account and tap Lock. The app will require biometric authentication to reopen.

Device Management

• See all connected devices
• View last active time for each device
• Revoke access for unused devices

Privacy Principles

• No Ads, Ever — We never show ads or sell your data
• No Tracking — We don't track your behavior or build profiles
• Your Data, Your Control — Export your data anytime
• Secure Storage — All data is encrypted at rest and in transit

Exporting Your Data

1. Go to Settings > Export Data
2. Choose what to include (photos, albums, memories, metadata)
3. Start the export
4. Download the ZIP file when ready

15 Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is Kizu?

Kizu is a private photo sharing app designed for families and close friends. Unlike social media, Kizu gives you complete ownership of your photos with no ads, tracking, or data mining.

Where are my photos stored?

Your photos are stored securely on Kizu's servers or your own private server if you have one. All data is encrypted and only accessible by you and the people you explicitly share with.

Can I use Kizu offline?

You can view previously loaded photos offline. New imports and sharing require an internet connection.

Sharing

How many people can I share with?

The number of people depends on your subscription plan. Each plan has limits for editors, contributors, and read-only viewers.

Can someone I share with share my photos further?

No. Photos can only be viewed within Kizu by the people you explicitly share with. Members cannot download or re-share your content outside the app.

What happens if someone leaves a circle?

They lose access to all shared albums and can no longer see the photos. Any photos they contributed remain in the albums unless removed by an admin.

Subscription Plans

Plan	Price	Photos	Video	Storage	Editors	Contributors	Viewers
Free	$0	100	10 min	1 GB	0	2	5
Individual	$1.99/mo	500	25 min	5 GB	2	5	10
Plus	$3.99/mo	1,000	50 min	10 GB	2	10	25
Pro	$9.99/mo	2,000	100 min	25 GB	3	25	50
Family	$19.99/mo	10,000	500 min	100 GB	4	50	100

What's included in the free plan?

Free accounts include 100 photos, 10 minutes of video, 1 GB storage, and basic sharing with up to 2 contributors and 5 viewers.

Can I cancel my subscription?

Yes, you can cancel anytime. You'll retain access until the end of your billing period, then be downgraded to the free plan if your usage allows.

What happens to my photos if I downgrade?

Your photos remain safe. If your usage exceeds the free plan limits, you'll have a grace period to either upgrade again, delete content, or export your data.

What are editors, contributors, and viewers?

These are the roles you can assign to people in your circles. Editors can add and edit any photos. Contributors can add photos and edit their own. Viewers (read-only) can only view photos. Each plan limits how many of each role you can have across all your circles.

Do yearly plans save money?

Yes. All paid plans offer a yearly option at roughly 17% off the monthly price. For example, the Individual plan is $1.99/month or $19.99/year (saving $3.89).

Technical

How do I recover my account?

Kizu uses passwordless login, so there's no password to reset. Simply enter your email or phone number on the login screen and you'll receive a verification code. If you're not receiving codes, check your spam folder or contact support.

Why won't my photos import?

Check that you've granted Kizu permission to access your photo library. Also verify you haven't reached your plan's photo limit.

How do I contact support?

Go to Settings > Help > Contact Support or email us directly at support@kizu.com.