The latest improvements to Albus, in plain language.
Outing ideas can now name a real place near you
Weekends with a little one go fast, and finding somewhere to go eats into them. Until now, an outing idea named a kind of place, like a nature center, and finding one was up to you. Save your home ZIP code in Settings and a report can name one real place near you, picked for what your child is into right now and checked against the place's own website, with a link right in the idea.
Your family, on one page you can print
When you joined, you told us what you want to pass on, what you hope stops with you, and the spark you hope never fades. We turned those answers into a short print called "In our family.", a small thank-you for being here. You can change any line so it sounds like you, switch between Light and Dark, and download it for the fridge. It's always in Settings, under Your family print.
Albus has a new look
We've redesigned the app, your reports and the PDF to make them warmer and easier to get through. Your latest report sits up top, earlier ones below, and each report is split into things to try, things to know, and the moments you shared.
Fresher ideas in every report, and far less repetition
Albus now remembers every idea it has sent your family and checks each new report against all of them. So the things to try and the things to know are new to you, not advice you have already heard in different words.
A new home for Albus
The site now shows what Albus does instead of describing it: a real text from a parent, the value it serves, and the idea Albus sent back, as one child grows up across four scenes.
Introducing Checkup Prep: the questions worth raising at your next visit
Albus reads what you've noticed and texted since the last checkup and builds a short list of questions for the next one, each with a line on why it's worth raising. Checkup Prep arrives in your report email and lives on its own page that keeps updating right up to the appointment.
Checkup Prep updates as you notice, right up to the appointment.
Report citations now tell you which journal the research comes from
Every citation in your report now shows the actual journal name and publication year (for example, "Child Development · 1986") instead of just "PubMed," so you can see at a glance how established the science behind each tip is.
Citations now show the journal and year, not just the database name.
Albus is noticeably faster to open and move through
Your report now opens right away instead of making you wait on a blank screen, and moving through the app after you sign up is quicker and smoother. Pages come up faster and taps respond sooner, so getting to what you came for takes less time.
Your texted notes now come back with a line confirming they were kept
When you text Albus a feeling or a moment you noticed in your child, the reply now closes with a brief, specific line letting you know it was saved for the next report. The line changes each time so it feels genuine rather than automatic.
Each reflection now includes a research-backed thing to try
In the 'What You Shared' section, some reflections now include a 'Try this' below them: a specific action with the research source behind it. Each one only appears when a credible source backs it up, so it is concrete and grounded in something real.
A research-backed suggestion now appears below some reflections.
A few short emails from your last report now arrive between reports
In the two weeks between reports, you'll now get one or two short emails that bring back a specific item from your last report, timed to land when it's most likely to be useful. Each one is a thing to try or a thing worth knowing, pulled from the report you already received.
A short reminder that arrives between reports, bringing back one useful item.
Every Albus email has a cleaner, easier-to-read design
Every email from Albus, from a new report to reminders and updates, now shares one upgraded design with a clearer layout, a consistent look, and type that is easier to read on any device.
One cleaner, more consistent design across every email.
Your report now opens as a page built for your phone
Your report email now opens a clean, mobile-friendly page instead of a PDF. The things to try, what is worth knowing for this stage, and your own observations are all easy to read one-handed, with quick links at the top to jump between sections. You can still download the PDF whenever you want.
Your report, now a page made for your phone.
Downloaded reports now save with your child's name and date
When you download a report as a PDF, it now saves with your child's name and the date in the filename, so you can find the right file at a glance in your downloads.
Every section of your report now shows its sources, consistently
We have significantly upgraded how Albus cites its guidance. When a piece of content draws on published research, the source name and article title now appear right on the page, presented the same way in every section so you always know where something comes from. The first section also runs each item through a research check against trusted sources before it reaches you.
Sources now appear consistently across every section.
Setup is clearer and easier to move through
Setup now has a sidebar that shows your progress and lets you click back to any step you have already completed, so you can review or update your answers without starting over. We also rewrote the setup prompts to be friendlier and easier to answer on the first read.
Jump back to any completed step without losing your answers.
Your report now opens with a map of what is inside
The first thing you see when you open your report is a short snapshot headline, followed by a quick overview of the three sections and what each one is for. The section headings have also been renamed to match ('Things to Try' and 'What We Heard'), so nothing feels unfamiliar when you get there.
The cover now orients you before you read a word.
"What We Heard" now responds to what you actually shared
The third section of your report has been rebuilt. Each observation you logged is now handled based on what it needs: some get a thoughtful reflection, others come with a citation from a trusted source when research can offer reassurance. Dates throughout your report also now appear in your local time.
Each thing you shared now gets the response it calls for.
Setting up Albus is a little clearer now
The questions you answer when first setting up Albus have been rewritten. The phrasing is simpler, the examples from other families feel more grounded, and the opening screen now starts from the instinct you already have as a parent.
A setup flow that starts where you are.
The 'things to know now' section now anticipates what's coming for your child
Instead of generic, age-based guidance, the 'At [your child's age] months' section of your report now bakes in the observations you've shared to surface what's worth anticipating next. Each item is grounded in research, so the things that matter to get ahead of don't catch you by surprise.
Each item draws on what you've told us about your child.
A 'what's next' email 24 hours after your first report
About 24 hours after your first report arrives, you'll get a short email that outlines what's next: how to send observations by text or on the web, when your next report is coming, and where to find your past reports and settings.
A quick orientation that arrives the day after your first report.
See what's new in Albus
There's now a What's New page where you can read about everything that's been added or improved. Find it at /changelog or via the link in the navigation.
Each section of your report now has a short line under its heading explaining what it’s for, and we cleaned up the cover, the section headers, and the print layout so the whole thing reads more easily.
Each section now explains what it’s for.
A simpler way to reach me
Every email from Albus now comes straight to my inbox. Just reply to any of them, or write help@helloalbus.com.
Find and revisit all your past reports in one place
Your reports page now lists every report you’ve received, with the date and your child’s age, so you can look back anytime.
Setting up Albus is quicker and clearer: the questions now show examples to help you answer, one step is optional, and going back keeps everything you’ve already written.
