Frequently asked questions

Giving River is a phone-based service that captures your loved one’s life stories through warm, guided conversations. Your parent or grandparent receives regular phone calls from an AI companion who listens, asks thoughtful questions, and helps stories emerge naturally. You receive the recordings, transcripts, and eventually a hardcover book of their life story.

Answer the phone. That’s it. No apps, no passwords, no accounts, no tech lessons. They receive a phone call at a scheduled time, and a warm voice greets them by name. If they ever want to talk on their own time, they can call our number directly: +1 (303) 847-4870.

Our companions are trained in StoryCorps-inspired interview techniques. They ask one question at a time, follow emotional threads, and are comfortable with silence. Many people who say “I don’t have any stories” end up talking for 30 minutes once the right question lands. There’s no pressure — if a call is short, that’s perfectly fine.

Giving River can still be meaningful. Our companions are patient, never rush, and adapt to the pace of the conversation. Even fragmented memories have value. We recommend shorter call durations (10–15 minutes) and working with your parent’s best time of day. The stories captured now may be the last chance to preserve them.

Yes — and we understand why that gives some families pause. Our AI companions (River, Spencer, and Sage) are purpose-built for this: they’re warm, patient, and genuinely skilled at drawing out stories. They remember every previous conversation and build a real rapport over time. But if you’d rather be part of the conversation yourself, our “Join a Call” mode connects you and your loved one on a phone call while we quietly capture everything in the background.

You choose: 10, 15, 20, or 30 minutes. Most families start with 15–20 minutes. The companion naturally winds down as the call approaches your chosen length. Your loved one can also end the call anytime by simply saying goodbye.

You set the schedule — weekly is the most common. You pick the day, time, and frequency. Your loved one can also call in anytime they feel like talking, at no extra cost.

Our interview engine covers 16 life story categories: childhood, family, school, career, love, marriage, children, friendships, travel, life lessons, heritage, and more. The companion follows your loved one’s energy — it’s a conversation, not a checklist. You can also suggest specific topics (“Ask about his time in the Navy”) or flag topics to avoid.

Yes. We have three companions, each with a distinct voice and personality: River (warm and nurturing), Spencer (friendly and curious), and Sage (calm and thoughtful). You can preview their voices and pick the one that feels right. You can switch anytime.

After every conversation, you receive: the full audio recording in your loved one’s voice, a complete written transcript, and an AI-generated summary of the stories shared. Everything is accessible on your private dashboard.

Over time, we extract discrete stories from each conversation and organize them by life theme — childhood, career, love, family, and so on. When you feel the content is ready, you can preview the book digitally on your dashboard and order a printed hardcover copy. The book reads as a first-person memoir in your loved one’s own words, not a raw transcript. One copy is included with the annual plan.

That’s completely up to you. There’s no minimum number of calls required. If your loved one shares something incredible in two conversations and you want to print it, go for it. The coverage map on your dashboard shows which life themes have been explored, so you can see at a glance how comprehensive the story is.

Yes. Additional copies are available for $25–30 each. Many families order copies for siblings, grandchildren, and cousins.

Yes. Audio recordings are downloadable directly from your dashboard, and transcripts can be downloaded as text files. These are yours to keep.

Two options: $99 for a full year of conversations plus a hardcover life story book, or $14.99 per month for ongoing access to calls and all digital deliverables (recordings, transcripts, summaries). The annual plan is the best value and includes the book.

The $99 annual plan is a one-time purchase. No auto-renewal, no fine print. After 12 months, the service stops and you keep everything: all recordings, transcripts, and your book. If you want another year, you can re-purchase. The $14.99 monthly plan is a recurring subscription that you can cancel anytime.

The monthly plan includes a 7-day free trial. The annual plan does not — it’s already a one-time purchase at a significant discount compared to monthly.

Yes, at any time. Your remaining monthly balance is credited toward the $99 annual price, and you get the book included.

Completely. Recordings and transcripts are only accessible to you (the person who set up the account). Nothing is shared beyond your family unless you explicitly choose to share it. We do not use conversations for advertising, data resale, or AI training.

Absolutely. They can end any call by saying goodbye, and you can pause or cancel the service at any time from your dashboard. If your loved one tells the companion they’d like to stop receiving calls, we pause automatically and notify you.

No. We preserve their real voice in the original recordings, but we never create synthetic copies. Our privacy commitment: no voice cloning, no advertising, no data resale, no surprise usage.

All your recordings, transcripts, memories, and book content are preserved indefinitely, even after your plan ends. We never delete your family’s stories. You can download everything from your dashboard at any time.

Yes — and it makes a wonderful gift for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, or holidays. You sign up, add your loved one’s details, and we provide a beautiful printable presentation card to put in a greeting card. The card introduces your loved one to their companion and tells them when to expect their first call.

It’s a printable PDF designed to match our brand — warm, elegant, personal. It includes your personal message, the companion’s name, when the first call is scheduled, and the phone number in case they want to call anytime. It’s meant to feel like a love letter, not a coupon.