About Celebrations
Celebrations is a personal family event tracker for iPhone and iPad. Keep track of birthdays, anniversaries, and other important dates for everyone who matters — all stored privately on your device with no account required.
Key features include:
- People & Events — Add unlimited people with birthdays, extra events (wedding anniversaries, work milestones, graduations, and more), profile photos, phone numbers, and personal notes.
- In Memoriam — Honour loved ones who have passed. Memorial anniversaries are shown in purple throughout the app so they are never overlooked.
- Calendar — A full monthly view with colour-coded dots. Red = today, orange = within 7 days, blue = within 30 days, purple = memoriam anniversary.
- Family Tree — Build an interactive visual family tree with 22 relationship types (including step and in-law relationships). Export it as a PDF to share or print.
- Statistics — Discover insights about your circle: age distribution, shared birthdays, upcoming events, oldest and youngest, and more.
- Notifications — Fully customisable local reminders up to 14 days ahead. Milestone birthdays receive a Time Sensitive alert.
- Send Messages — When an event is within 14 days, tap the message button on any person's row to send a personalised birthday or anniversary message via iMessage, WhatsApp, or SMS.
- Backup & Restore — Export and import as JSON (full backup with photos), GEDCOM (compatible with genealogy apps), or CSV (opens in any spreadsheet).
- Personalise — Choose from 8 accent colours and Light, Dark, or System appearance.
- Privacy First — No accounts, no internet connection, no third-party tracking. Your data never leaves your device.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is my data stored?
All data is stored privately on your device using Apple's SwiftData framework. Nothing is sent to external servers.
How do I add a person?
Tap the + button (top-right) on the People tab. Enter their name, date of birth, and optionally a photo, phone number, and notes. Choose a category: Birthday, Anniversary, or In Memoriam.
How do I add events to a person?
Open a person's profile and tap Add Event. You can choose from 10 event types: Birthday, Anniversary, Wedding Anniversary, Work Anniversary, Baptism / Christening, Graduation, Memorial Day, Special Day, Reminder, and Other.
How do I track a loved one who has passed away?
When adding or editing a person, set their category to In Memoriam. You can also record their date of passing. Their anniversary will appear in purple throughout the app — in the People list, Calendar, and notifications — so it is always remembered with care.
How do I build a family tree?
Go to the Family Tree tab and select a root person. Tap any relationship type to connect another person — choose from 22 relationship types including Parent, Child, Spouse / Partner, Sibling, Grandparent, Aunt/Uncle, Step-Parent, Parent-in-Law, and more. Tap View Diagram to open the interactive visual tree. Pinch to zoom, drag to pan, and tap any person's bubble to open their Family Profile. Use the share button to export the tree as a PDF.
How do I send a birthday or anniversary message?
When someone's event is within 14 days, a green message button appears on their row in the People list and Calendar. Tap it to compose a personalised message. Celebrations will open your preferred messaging app (iMessage, WhatsApp, or SMS) with the message pre-filled.
How do notifications work?
Go to Settings → Notifications to enable reminders. You can choose to be notified on the day, and/or 1, 3, 7, or 14 days in advance. Set a preferred delivery time and filter by event type (birthdays, anniversaries, special days). All notifications are generated on your device — no internet connection required. Milestone birthdays (e.g. 18, 21, 30, 50, 75, 100) receive a Time Sensitive alert.
What does the Statistics tab show?
The Statistics tab provides an overview of your circle — total people, living vs. in memoriam, upcoming events this month, people with shared birthdays, and the oldest and youngest in your list.
How do I back up my data?
Go to Settings → Data and tap Export Backup (JSON). This creates a complete backup including photos. Save the file to Files, iCloud Drive, or any location you choose. To restore, tap Import Backup (JSON) and select the file.
Can I export to a genealogy app or spreadsheet?
Yes. In Settings → Data tap Export GEDCOM (.ged) to export a file compatible with genealogy apps such as Ancestry, MacFamilyTree, or Gramps. Tap Export CSV (.csv) to export a spreadsheet-compatible file that opens in Numbers, Excel, or Google Sheets. You can import GEDCOM and CSV files back into Celebrations the same way.
How do I customise the app's appearance?
Go to Settings → Appearance. Choose from 8 accent colours and switch between Light, Dark, or System mode to match your preferences.
Can I try the app before adding my real data?
Yes. Go to Settings → Demo Data → Load Example People to add 14 fictional example people. This lets you explore all features — calendar, family tree, statistics, and notifications — before entering your own information. You can clear the demo data at any time.
Can I delete all my data?
Yes. Go to Settings → Delete All Data. This action is permanent and cannot be undone. We recommend exporting a JSON backup first.
What iOS version is required?
Celebrations requires iOS 17 or later and is optimised for iPhone and iPad.
Contact Support
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