What's New

v1.2.1Unsubscribing means unsubscribedOctober 1, 2026

If someone has unsubscribed from our emails, the app now won’t email them an invitation, even if a relative tries to invite them again. You can still share the invite link with them yourself by text or message.
Behind the scenes, a few more of our emails now check that the person still wants to hear from us before sending.

v1.2.0A friendlier startSeptember 13, 2026

If you’ve signed up but haven’t joined a newsletter yet, the Home screen now shows a welcome card with the two ways to begin: join with a family member’s invite link, or start your own.
New accounts that haven’t joined a newsletter get up to two short getting-started emails. And if you start a newsletter and nobody else has joined a week before its first issue, we’ll send you one reminder with the link to share.
Mistyped a sign-in address that ends in thenewsletterapp.com? The app now catches it instead of quietly creating an empty account.

v1.1.1Signing out, one device at a timeSeptember 12, 2026

Signing out on one phone or tablet now signs out only that device. Before, it could quietly sign you out of your other devices a few days later.
You can now subscribe to Premium before starting a newsletter of your own. The app tells you clearly first that Premium only applies once you run one.

v1.1.0Premium comes to iPhone and iPadSeptember 10, 2026

Premium can now be bought on iPhone and iPad, not just on Android. It unlocks longer stories, up to ten photos on each one, your complete archive, issues every week or every two weeks, and up to five newsletters.
Only the person who starts a newsletter ever pays. Everyone else in the family just writes, exactly as before, and nothing that used to be free has become paid.
When the app can’t reach the shop to load prices, it now names the right one — an iPhone is no longer told to go and check Google Play.

v1.0.12A clearer welcome for new inviteesSeptember 7, 2026

When someone taps an invite link and doesn’t have the app yet, the page now shows them the right app store for their phone, walks them through signing in, and reminds them to come back and tap the link again once the app is installed.
On a phone, the page notices when the app didn’t open and says so, instead of a button that quietly does nothing.
The Join a Newsletter screen now accepts the whole invite link pasted in, not just the bare code — and forgives spaces and capital letters.
Invite texts and shared links now mention up front that the free app is needed.
Fixed: joining a newsletter through its shared invite link had stopped working for people who weren’t already members. It works again.

v1.0.11Invite by text messageSeptember 6, 2026

Don’t have everyone’s email? In Newsletter Settings you can now invite someone by text message. Type their number, or leave it blank and pick them from your contacts, and your phone’s Messages app opens with a friendly note and the invite link already written in.
The text is sent from your own phone, so it arrives from you — not from a number nobody recognizes.

v1.0.10Big photos just work nowSeptember 4, 2026

Photos from newer phones can be enormous — big enough that uploading one could fail. The app now shrinks a large photo to a sensible size before sending it, so it uploads quickly and still looks great in your newsletter.
Adding several photos at once is lighter on your phone’s memory than it was.
Sideways photos now come out the right way up, and photos from an iPhone are always saved in a format everyone can see.

v1.0.9Your newsletter keeps the name you gave itSeptember 4, 2026

Fixed a problem where your phone’s autofill could quietly drop your email address into the newsletter’s name (and other boxes it had no business filling in). Every box in the app now tells your phone exactly what it is for — so your email address still fills itself in where that helps, and nowhere else.
If a photo is too big to upload, the app now tells you how big it was and what to do about it, instead of just saying it failed.

v1.0.8Knowing which version you haveSeptember 2, 2026

The app now tells us which version of it you are running, and whether that is on Android or an iPhone. Nothing else about your phone is recorded. It lets us spot a phone that has stopped receiving updates and fix it before it becomes a problem for you — the privacy policy has been updated to say so.

v1.0.7The sign-in page, take twoSeptember 2, 2026

On Android, tapping the sign-in link from Gmail could still leave a page of raw computer code behind even after this morning’s fix — the phone was opening the app so quickly that the browser never got to show the friendly page. The link now goes through the main website first, so what stays on screen is a simple “Signing you in” and nothing else.

v1.0.6A tidier sign-in, and readers left in peaceSeptember 2, 2026

If you are a reader in a newsletter, the current issue no longer counts down the days “to submit your story” — it simply tells you the date the issue goes out. The Home screen says you’ll get it by email, instead of nudging you to add a story you were never able to add.
Tapping the sign-in link in your email used to leave a page of raw computer code on the screen afterwards. Signing in worked, but it looked broken — and it showed your private sign-in code in plain view. The link now opens a proper page that hands you straight to the app and clears that code away.

v1.0.5Straight talk about deadlines and rolesSeptember 2, 2026

The deadline is now honestly described as what it always was — a nudge. If you miss it, you can still add a story right up until the issue goes out, and the app says so instead of showing a closed door. (It also no longer claims “Last day to submit!” for hours after the deadline has passed.)
Readers are now truly readers: they get every issue and can comment on stories, but the “Add Your Story” button is only for contributors and admins — matching what the role explainer always said. An admin can make any reader a contributor in a tap.
If you own a newsletter whose only other “member” is an invitation nobody answered, deleting your account no longer sends you off to transfer ownership to nobody.
A comment notification is now listed in the help guide, and a few out-of-date messages were tidied up.

v1.0.4No more silent disappearancesSeptember 2, 2026

If someone taps “unsubscribe” in a newsletter email, the app now knows — they show up in Manage Members as an address we can’t reach, instead of quietly never getting another issue while everything looked fine.
Newsletter emails no longer carry a tracking pixel, and links go straight where they say — the “no trackers” promise in the privacy policy is now true to the letter.
A gentle daily limit on emailed invitations, reports, and feedback (far above what any family would send) protects the app’s email reputation, so everyone’s issues keep arriving.

v1.0.3Tighter locks on the doorSeptember 2, 2026

Admins who aren’t the newsletter’s owner can now change member roles and remove members — before, those changes looked like they worked but quietly didn’t stick.
Behind the scenes, we tightened the rules for who can join a newsletter and who can add a story to it, so the only ways in are the ones you can see: an invitation, or the family’s invite link.

v1.0.2Clearer story reportingSeptember 2, 2026

The "Report" link under a story now says what it does and no longer looks like part of the comment box.

v1.0.1Launch-day polishAugust 31, 2026

Fixed a small wording slip on the My Newsletters screen.

v1.0.0Out of beta, into the storeAugust 26, 2026

The Newsletter App is on Google Play — anyone can install it, and the beta is over.
The premium plan is available to buy: longer stories, more photos, the full back archive, more newsletters, and weekly or fortnightly issues.
Everything a free newsletter does today keeps working exactly as it does now.
The iPhone version is next.

v0.31.1A heads-up while photos attachAugust 12, 2026

When you pick several photos for a story, the app now shows “Attaching photos, please wait…” while it works — so it’s clear the app is busy instead of stuck.

v0.31.0A better look at My NewslettersAugust 12, 2026

The My Newsletters list now shows each newsletter with an icon, its schedule, how many members and issues it has, and when the next issue goes out.

v0.30.0Never lost, never stuckAugust 10, 2026

Every screen now has a 🏠 Home link at the top right — one tap takes you straight back to the Home screen from anywhere in the app.
Fixed a bug where the ‹ Back link could stop working after opening the app from an email link — Back now always takes you somewhere sensible.

v0.29.1Everything fits on every phoneAugust 8, 2026

On some phones the notification bell and your photo at the top of the Home screen were getting pushed off the edge — they now always stay in view, and a long greeting simply wraps onto a second line.

v0.29.0Updates you can’t missAugust 8, 2026

The “Update ready” message has moved to the top of the Home screen — on some phones the buttons at the bottom of the screen were hiding it.
The version number and other details at the bottom of the screen now stay clear of the phone’s own buttons too.
If a copy of the app ever gets very far behind, it can now politely ask you to install the latest version from the app store before continuing — so an old version can’t quietly misbehave.

v0.28.1A small membership fixAugust 8, 2026

The premium membership card now shows the day you actually subscribed — it sometimes said “Today” by mistake.
The card itself is tidier and takes up less of the screen.

v0.28.0Numbers to brag aboutAugust 8, 2026

The badges page is gone — in its place, Your Statistics (tap your photo on the Home screen): stories shared, photos added, comments made, total words written, and more.
A friendly "How you stack up" list shows how everyone in your newsletter compares — who’s written the most stories, shared the most photos, and racked up the most words.
Tapping a comment notification now takes you straight to the story, with the new comment highlighted — no more hunting for it.

v0.27.0Comments on storiesAugust 7, 2026

You can now leave a comment on any story in a delivered issue — open a past issue in the app, tap a story, and add your thoughts at the bottom.
The person who wrote the story (and anyone else who commented) gets a notification, so a comment can turn into a little conversation.
Everyone in the newsletter can comment — including family members who only read. Comments stay inside the app, just for the family; they never appear in the emailed newsletter or on the web edition.
You can remove your own comment any time, and admins can tidy up if needed.

v0.26.0Your plan lives with your accountAugust 4, 2026

Tap your photo on the Home screen to find Your Plan — it shows whether you’re on Free or Premium and what each includes.
A plan belongs to your account rather than to one newsletter, so a single subscription covers every newsletter you run.
Newsletter Settings now simply tells you which plan that newsletter is on.
Handing a newsletter to someone else now warns you first if it would change the plan the family is on.

v0.25.1A tidier newsletter screenAugust 3, 2026

Newsletter Settings now sits above the list of past issues, so admins don’t have to scroll to the bottom to reach it.
Past issues no longer run on forever — the most recent few are shown, with a Show older issues button for the rest.
Reworded “fortnightly” as “every 2 weeks”, which reads the same wherever you live.

v0.25.0Knowing when an email doesn’t arriveJuly 30, 2026

Until now, once an email left our hands we had no idea whether it actually landed. If someone’s address had stopped working, their issues just quietly vanished and nobody found out.
We now hear back when a message can’t be delivered, and stop sending to addresses that don’t work — which also keeps our emails out of everyone else’s spam folder.
Manage Members shows a note beside anyone we can’t reach, so you can invite them again at a corrected address.

v0.24.0Pause it, or close it downJuly 30, 2026

New Pause option: stop issues going out without losing anything. Every story, photo and past issue is kept, and you can start again whenever you like.
Newsletter owners can now delete a newsletter properly. It removes every issue, story and photo, and takes the web editions down too — so you can ask for it all to be gone and know that it is.
Deleting asks you to type the newsletter’s name first, and shows exactly how much will be lost, because it can’t be undone.
Both are owner-only, and both live at the bottom of Newsletter Settings.

v0.23.0Invitations you can take backJuly 30, 2026

Before an invitation goes out, the app now shows you the address and asks you to confirm — a single typo would otherwise send your family’s newsletter to a stranger.
An emailed invitation is now personal: it only works for the address you sent it to, so a forwarded invite can’t be used by someone else.
Manage Members has a new Pending invitations section showing everyone who’s been invited but hasn’t joined yet — with a Cancel button that stops that invitation working immediately.
Your shared invite link is unchanged and still works for anyone you pass it to.

v0.22.2Back to the real scheduleJuly 30, 2026

Test mode is over. The orange banner is gone, and your newsletter now goes out on the day and time you actually chose instead of the sped-up testing cycle.
Issues are no longer topped up with sample “[Test story]” entries — from now on an issue contains only what your family wrote.

v0.22.1Starting a newsletter, more reliablyJuly 30, 2026

If something goes wrong while you’re setting up a new newsletter, it no longer leaves a half-finished one behind that you can’t use or remove. It’s all-or-nothing now, so you can simply try again.
Web editions are no longer picked up by search engines — your family’s issues stay reachable only by the link you were sent.

v0.22.0One box to write inJuly 30, 2026

Adding a story is simpler: there’s no separate summary to write any more. Just a title and your story.
The newsletter shows the opening of your story as the preview, so the email and the web edition look exactly the same as before — that bit just writes itself now.
Stories you sent before this change keep the summary you wrote for them.

v0.21.1Making the most of a big screenJuly 29, 2026

On a tablet, cards and lists now sit side by side instead of leaving wide empty margins, while writing forms and story text stay at a comfortable reading width.

v0.21.0Now at home on iPadJuly 29, 2026

The app now runs properly on iPad instead of in a small phone-shaped window, with the newsletter laid out in a comfortable centre column so lines of text stay easy to read on a big screen.

v0.20.1Setting up your profile got easierJuly 29, 2026

All eight avatar colors now fit on the screen when you first set up your profile — the last couple used to run off the edge where you couldn’t tap them.
If saving your profile fails because the connection dropped, the app now says so instead of showing a vague error.

v0.20.0The story form says where it goesJuly 22, 2026

The Add Your Story screen now shows which newsletter your story is headed to — handy now that email links take you straight there.

v0.19.2Back button fixJuly 22, 2026

When the app opens straight to the story form from an email link, the phone’s Back button now takes you to your newsletter instead of doing nothing.

v0.19.1Add-your-story link fixJuly 22, 2026

Tapping the email’s Add your story button while the app was closed could leave it stuck on the opening screen. Fixed — the link now opens the story form reliably every time.

v0.19.0Reminder emails open the story formJuly 22, 2026

The “days left” and “last call” reminder emails now have an Add your story button that opens the app straight to the story form — no hunting for the right screen.
The “no stories this time” email got the same button, so it’s one tap from the email to writing something for the next issue.
Tapping the button on a computer (or a phone without the app) shows a friendly page explaining how to add your story from the app.

v0.18.0Admins can see flagged storiesJuly 22, 2026

If someone reports a story, the newsletter’s admins now see a small “⚑ Flagged for review” banner on that story, in the story list, and on its issue — so they know it’s being looked at. Nobody else sees anything, and the banner clears itself once the report is resolved.
Who reported a story, and why, stays private — the banner only says that a review is happening.

v0.17.4Test mode returns for a bitJuly 21, 2026

The newsletter is temporarily running on a fast 3-day test cycle: stories open on day 1, a last-call reminder goes out on day 2, and the issue sends on day 3 — so we can watch a full newsletter cycle every couple of days. Your normal send-day settings are ignored while this is on.
If a test issue is short on stories, the app tops it up with clearly marked sample “[Test story]” content so every test issue still looks like a real newsletter.
A banner on the Home screen explains all of this while test mode is active. It (and the fast schedule) will be removed when testing wraps up.

v0.17.3Smoother sign-insJuly 21, 2026

Fixed a bug where tapping a sign-in link could land you on a “page not found” screen instead of signing you in. That dead end is gone — the link now always brings you into the app.
If the app briefly loses its connection when you open it, it no longer makes you look signed out — the moment your connection catches up, you’re taken straight in.
If a sign-in link has expired or was already used, the app now tells you so you know to request a fresh one.

v0.17.2A clearer way to reportJuly 20, 2026

Reporting content on the web edition is now a proper full page: open a story and tap Report this story — the report page shows exactly what you’re reporting (the story, who wrote it, how many photos) and explains what happens next.
You can now report with a couple of taps: tick whether it’s the images, the text, or both — a written description is optional, so the on-screen keyboard usually isn’t needed at all.
The app matches: open a story in a past issue and tap Report — the same full report page, with the same tick-boxes and story details.

v0.17.1Reporting that always gets throughJuly 20, 2026

The “Report it” link at the bottom of every issue’s web edition now opens a short report form right in your browser, instead of your email app. Reports reach us reliably for everyone — some email providers were bouncing the old email-based reports.

v0.17.0You can see updates arriveJuly 14, 2026

The app quietly updates itself in the background. Now you can see it happen: a small “Updating…” note appears at the bottom of the Home screen while a new version downloads.
When it’s done, the note changes to “Update ready” — tap it to restart the app with the newest version, or just close and reopen the app whenever suits you.

v0.16.0Badges for the family scribesJuly 14, 2026

A new Your Achievements page (tap your photo on the Home screen) shows your personal stats — stories shared, photos added, issues you’ve been part of.
Earn badges along the way: your first story, five stories, a streak of issues in a row, starting a newsletter, and more.
It’s private — only you can see your own achievements.

v0.15.0A warmer welcomeJuly 14, 2026

The Home screen now greets you by name with the time of day and today’s date.
A new card shows your next issue at a glance — when it goes out and whether your story is in. If you haven’t added one yet, tap it to jump straight there.

v0.14.2A small photo changeJuly 13, 2026

Stories now hold up to 3 photos each (it was 5). A bigger photo allowance is planned as part of the upcoming premium plan.
Any story that already has more than 3 photos keeps all of them — nothing is ever removed.

v0.14.1Smoother startsJuly 12, 2026

Fixed a bug where the app could occasionally get stuck on the loading spinner when you opened it, until you closed and reopened it.
If the app ever has trouble connecting when it starts, it now shows a friendly message with a Try Again button instead of spinning forever.

v0.14.0A tidier home screenJuly 12, 2026

Tap your photo at the top of the Home screen to open your personal menu — Edit Profile, the how-to guide, Send Feedback, and Sign Out all live there now.
With those tucked away, the Home screen is just your newsletters: open them, start one, or join one.

v0.13.0The app catches up to the new lookJuly 12, 2026

Past issues in the app now look just like the delivered newsletter — a story list under the green masthead. Tap a story to read it.
Tap any photo to see it full-screen: swipe left and right through a story’s photos, captions and all.
The upcoming-birthdays bar now shows in the app too, matching the email and web editions.

v0.12.1Better on big screensJuly 10, 2026

The web edition now makes use of a wide screen: stories flow into two tidy columns on a computer, while phones keep the single-column list.
Reading a story on a big screen now uses a comfortable centered column instead of stretching edge to edge.
Fixed the "next issue arrives" date occasionally pointing at an issue that was skipped.

v0.12.0A fresh look for the newsletterJuly 10, 2026

The email and web editions got a makeover — a clean story list under a green masthead, just like the sample issue on this website.
Each story shows one small photo in the list; open the story to see the rest, full-screen.
Stories without photos get a cheerful emoji tile, and birthdays now sit in a tidy green bar at the bottom of the issue.

v0.11.0Tell us what you thinkJuly 10, 2026

A new Send Feedback button on the home screen — report a problem or share an idea in a few taps. We read every message.

v0.10.1Test mode wraps upJuly 10, 2026

The fast test schedule is over — newsletters are back on their real schedule, and the yellow test notice is gone from the home screen.
Behind the scenes, we’re getting ready for the Google Play Store.

v0.10.0The envelope opensJuly 9, 2026

Opening the app is now a little moment: the envelope’s heart seal pops, a newsletter slides out, and it zooms up to become the app.

v0.9.1A little polishJuly 9, 2026

The app icon got a small touch-up — a bigger heart on a neater envelope, matched across the app, the launch screen, and this website.

v0.9.0Ready for betaJuly 9, 2026

A real app icon and launch screen — the green envelope with the heart seal, everywhere.
See who can do what: your access level (owner, admin, contributor, or reader) is shown in the app, with a plain-English explainer.
Owners can hand a newsletter over to another member with Transfer Ownership.
A complete user guide at thenewsletterapp.com/help, linked from the app’s home screen.
A Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, written to be actually readable.
A Report link under every story — in the app and on the web edition — so anything that shouldn’t be there can be taken down fast.
If nobody adds a story, the family now gets a friendly “no stories this time” note instead of silence — and every issue says when the next one arrives.
Stories without photos get a fun placeholder picture, so the issue layout stays tidy.
The app now shows its version number — and this page tracks what ships in each one.

v0.8.0One home on the webJuly 7, 2026

Everything moved to thenewsletterapp.com: this website, invite links, web editions, and all the email the app sends.
Invite links are now normal web links — tap one and the app opens straight to joining. No app yet? You get a friendly page with the invite instead.
Invite emails got a makeover: they say who invited you, to which newsletter, and how many stories are already waiting.
A public website with how-it-works, the feature list, and a contact form.
Invited family members are greeted by name-of-newsletter the moment they open the app, even before signing in.

v0.7.0Fully automaticJuly 3, 2026

The big one: newsletters now assemble and deliver themselves on schedule, with no human involved — and the next issue starts collecting immediately.
Friendly reminders: a “3 days left” nudge before each deadline and a “last call” the day before — only to people who haven’t written yet.
Pick your delivery day: any day of the week for weekly or biweekly newsletters, any date of the month for monthly ones.
Owners can rename the newsletter or change its schedule, and the family is notified of the change.
Photo captions: add a short caption to any photo, shown in the email and the web edition.
Every issue lists the family birthdays coming up in the next month.

v0.6.0Notifications & knowing who’s inJune 29, 2026

An in-app notification feed, with a bell and unread badge on the home screen.
See who’s already contributed to the current issue — a row of member faces on the newsletter screen.
Past issues in the app now show each story’s photos and the right author names.
Groundwork for free and premium plans (everything is free during the beta).

v0.5.0The newsletter itselfJune 26, 2026

Issues assemble into a magazine-style email: story cards with photos, readable on any phone or computer.
Every issue also gets a beautiful web edition with full stories and photo galleries — no app needed, perfect for grandparents.
Photos are automatically resized so issues load fast.

v0.4.0Privacy firstJune 22, 2026

Family photos are locked down at the storage level — only members of your newsletter can ever load them.
Hidden location data is stripped from every photo automatically, so a picture can never quietly reveal where it was taken.
Delete your account — and everything in it — right from the app.
Newsletters know their time zone, so delivery lands at 9 AM your time.

v0.3.0Photos & your storiesJune 20, 2026

Add photos to your stories, straight from your phone’s gallery.
Profile photos, alongside the colored-initials avatars.
See, edit, or withdraw your own stories any time before the issue goes out — and write more than one story per issue.
Admins can remove an accidental or duplicate story before it publishes (without reading anyone’s story early).

v0.2.0Getting the family inJune 17, 2026

A new home screen: all your newsletters in one place.
Invite family by share link or email, and the app recognizes invited members when they sign up.
Manage members: roles and removal, for admins.
Read past issues inside the app.

v0.1.0The first working appJune 5, 2026

Sign in with a magic link — no passwords, ever.
Create a private family newsletter and set its delivery schedule.
Join a newsletter with an invite link.
Add your first story.
Profiles with a display name, avatar color, and birthday.

🚀 Coming next

Phone notifications

Announcements

📦 Release history