Retro, an app designed for sharing photos among friends, allows you to revisit past moments in your camera roll as if traveling through time

Retro Introduces "Rewind" for Rediscovering Your Photo Memories

Retro, a photo-sharing platform centered around close friends and boasting around one million users, has unveiled a new feature called "Rewind." This tool allows you to revisit past moments from your phone’s camera roll, offering a private journey through your photographic history—unless you decide to share those memories with others. Previously, Retro enabled users to privately share weekly snapshots or collaborate on shared albums with select friends. Now, "Rewind" adds a personal touch, letting you explore your own memories in a way that’s just for you.

Inspiration Behind Rewind

Nathan Sharp, Retro’s co-founder, shared that the concept for Rewind grew out of an existing feature that had already gained traction among users. He noticed that while the app allowed users to see photos from the same week a year prior, this was only available to those who had uploaded enough images to the platform. Newer users, lacking a sufficient photo history on Retro, couldn’t access this nostalgic experience.

Image Credits: Retro

“If you’re just starting out, you don’t really get to travel back through your memories in this way,” explained Sharp, who previously spent over six years at Meta working on projects like Instagram Stories and Facebook Dating. He later teamed up with CTO Ryan Olson to launch Retro in 2022.

Sharp also pointed out another challenge: people are taking more photos than ever before, but rarely revisit them. “It’s almost as if those photos just disappear into the void,” he remarked.

A Response to Algorithm-Driven Feeds

This new feature also serves as a counterpoint to the increasing prevalence of AI-curated content and algorithm-driven feeds. Sharp believes that, despite the rise of these platforms, users will always crave genuine connections and want to see more from their friends. “The photos and videos you capture deserve a space where they reach the people you care about most,” he said.

Image Credits: Retro

Boosting Engagement with Rewind

Currently, nearly half of Retro’s users (45.7%) are active on the app daily. The introduction of Rewind is expected to further increase this engagement. You can access Rewind either by tapping the card at the end of your friends’ shared photo row or by selecting the central tab in the bottom navigation bar.

How Rewind Works

When you open Rewind, your device gives a subtle vibration as the app cycles through older photos from your camera roll. These images remain private unless you choose to share them. If you want to send a memory to a friend or post it, simply tap the share icon. You can also hide photos you’d rather not revisit—such as those featuring an ex—or tap a dice icon to jump to a random memory.

Inspired by the classic iPod dial, you can spin through your timeline, feeling a gentle haptic response as each new photo appears. Scroll forward or backward to browse through months and years of memories, pausing on images you want to linger over or share.

Image Credits: Retro screenshot/TechCrunch

• Press and hold any photo to view it uncropped.
• When sharing, a timestamp is added so friends know it’s a throwback.
• Screenshots are excluded from your archive, but other images—like receipts or work whiteboards—may appear, as they could hold personal significance.
• If you delete a photo from Retro, it’s also removed from your camera roll.

Looking Back: Not a New Idea, But a Fresh Approach

The concept of revisiting old photos isn’t unique to Retro. Years ago, Timehop gained popularity by letting users rediscover past moments through its app. Facebook later introduced a similar “On This Day” feature, and both Google Photos and Apple Photos now offer their own memory functions.

Despite these similarities, Sharp doesn’t see these services as direct competitors. Over time, Facebook’s feed has shifted away from friends’ content in favor of links, news, and advertisements. Meanwhile, most people view Apple’s and Google’s photo apps as tools for storage and organization, rather than as social platforms like Retro.