Frequently asked questions

Avireum is a warm, private place to build your family tree and stay close to the people in it. Instead of a cold chart, your family is shown as a living tree you can explore — with photos, relationships, announcements, memories, and gentle ways to keep in touch. It is designed to be welcoming for every generation, from grandparents to grandchildren.

Your family tree is everyone you have added and how they are related to one another. The constellation is one of the ways to view that tree — a softly animated, star-map style layout where each person is a node and the lines between them trace your relationships. You can also use the simpler pedigree-style layout. Both show the same family; the constellation is just a more playful, explorable view. Tap any person to pivot the view onto them and see their immediate family.

Avireum places people by how they connect to you through the relatives already on your tree. If the family members who link a more distant relative to you aren’t on the tree yet, that person can’t be placed — add the connecting relative first, then attach them. Relatives who are connected will always appear, even far-flung ones (grouped as “Extended family”) — there’s no shallow cut-off. When you upload a list or a genealogy (GEDCOM) file, anyone we can’t connect to you is shown as “needs a connector first” rather than dropped silently, so you always know exactly who still needs a link.

When you add a family member who has not joined yet, you can send them an invitation by email. They get a friendly link that lets them claim their place on the tree and set up their own profile. People who have already claimed their spot show a small green dot on their card. Unclaimed living relatives show an Invite link so you can nudge them to join whenever you like.

Avireum is private by default. Your tree and the people on it are visible to the family members who share that tree — not to the public and not to search engines. You decide who to invite. Sensitive details stay within your family circle, and a public shareable view (if you ever choose to create one) only shows what you have explicitly opted to share. If you are unsure, the safe assumption is: only your family sees your family.

Messages are private 1:1 conversations between family members who share a tree. Think of it as a quiet direct line to one relative at a time — like texting your cousin or your grandmother inside Avireum. They are not group chats and not public posts: a message is seen only by you and the one family member you are writing to. Use it for the small, personal notes that do not belong on the family-wide announcements feed.

Announcements are short updates you share with your whole family tree — the family-wide feed. New baby, a move, a graduation, “thinking of you all” — anything you want everyone in the family to see. You can mention specific relatives in an announcement, and family members can react and respond. If you want to reach just one person instead, use Messages.

Memories are a gentle space to keep the stories, photos, and moments that matter — the things you want to remember and pass on. They live alongside your tree so future generations can find them. It is a lovely way to honor the people who came before and capture the everyday moments you do not want to forget.

Karma is a small, kindhearted way Avireum recognizes the people who help the family tree grow and stay connected — adding relatives, sharing memories, welcoming new members, and keeping things tidy. It is not a competition; it is just a gentle thank-you for the care you put into your family.

Open your own card on the tree (or visit your person page) and choose Edit. You can update your name, photo, date of birth, where you live, and other details. You can edit your own profile any time; you can also edit relatives you added who have not yet claimed their own account. Once someone claims their spot, they take over editing their own details.

Yes. Avireum offers several nature-inspired themes (each tied to a tree species) that recolor your whole experience — backgrounds, accents, and the constellation itself. Pick the one that feels most like home; you can change it whenever you like from your settings, and it follows you across the app.

When a family member has a birthday, the easiest way to celebrate is to send them a private note through Messages — a personal 1:1 hello just for them. If you would rather have the whole family join in, post a quick Announcement and mention the birthday person so everyone can chime in.

Of course — pets are family too. You can add companions and attach them to their owner. In the constellation they appear as a little paw badge on their person’s card, and they get a loving place in that person’s details. Pets who have passed are remembered gently, the same way the rest of the tree honors loved ones who are no longer with us.

Your family’s information belongs to you. You can request an export of your data, and you can ask to close your account, from your account settings. If you need help with either, reach out using the contact details at the bottom of this page and we will walk you through it.