What's New

Join video meetings from the Mac app

You can now open a meeting's video call right inside the Mac app.

Video meetings

• Up to 1.0.3 the Mac app could not use the camera or microphone, so video meetings only worked in a browser. They now work in the app too.
• The first time you join, macOS asks once whether to allow the camera and microphone. Please allow it. You can change this later under System Settings → Privacy & Security.
• Camera and microphone access is granted to storyspace.life only.

Also

• Starting with this version the Mac app supports Apple Silicon (M1 and later) only. 1.0.3 is the last version for Intel Macs; please join video meetings in a browser (Chrome or Safari) there.
• The Windows app (1.0.2) does not have this restriction, so there is no update for it.
• On an Apple Silicon Mac running 1.0.2 or later, the app updates itself.

Groups can join a church, and pastors can manage the church in the app

Small groups and churches are now connected.

Group ↔ church linking

• Group leaders can request to join a church from the group screen — search public churches or enter a church invite code.
• Churches can invite an existing group with its group invite code. Either way, the other side has to accept.
• Either side can unlink at any time. Posts and members stay put.

Church management (app)

• Pastors and admins get a Manage church card: write announcements, review group link requests, approve join requests, and manage member roles — all in the app.
• Announcements can target an audience (everyone / leaders only) and specific groups. Tap an announcement card in group chat to read the full text.
• The church LEADER role now receives leaders-only announcements.

Also

• The weekly pastoral report now arrives by email as well as push.
• Error messages are shown in your app language.

A Groups tab, and anyone can create meetings

Finding groups and gathering got easier.

Groups tab

• A Groups tab now sits at the bottom, so your groups are one tap away.
• Browse groups is now in the app. Without an invite code you can still find public groups and join right away, and filter by category.

Meetings

• Any group member can now create a meeting. You no longer have to wait for the leader. Leaders can switch it back to leaders-only in group settings.
• Fixed the stretched group buttons on the meeting form.

Also

• When a photo fails to upload, the app now tells you why.
• Fixed uploads timing out on slow connections.
• Fixed invite codes failing when typed in lowercase.

Fixed the app hanging right after login

Fixed an issue where the app stayed on a loading indicator after signing in.

What we fixed

• The story feed now loads right after login instead of spinning indefinitely.
• The app no longer makes repeated unnecessary requests while you are on the login screen, which reduces data and battery use.
• A brief network hiccup no longer signs you out.

If you are on 1.0.4, please update to this version.

The Mac and Windows app now updates itself

The desktop app now downloads and installs new versions on its own.

Automatic updates

• When a new version is out, the app downloads it quietly in the background.
• Once ready it just asks whether to restart now. If you postpone, it installs when you quit.
• No more downloading and replacing the app by hand.

Moving up to 1.0.2 needs one manual install. The 1.0.1 you have today has no updater, so grab this one from the download page — everything after that is automatic.

Also

• Both Apple Silicon and Intel builds are notarized by Apple, so they install without warnings.
• Everything you see inside the app (multiple photos, post editing, and so on) was already live — no download needed for those.

Better photos, multiple photos, and editing

Fixes for the things you told us about.

Photos

• Tap a photo in chat to see it full screen, swipe between photos, and save to your library.
• Posts can now have multiple photos (up to 10), shown as a swipeable carousel.
• Fixed the missing photo button on the write screen.

Editing posts

You can now edit a post's title, text, tags, and photos. Until now the only option was to delete and rewrite.

Chat

• Fixed being stuck in chat because the keyboard wouldn't close. Swipe the messages down, or use the ∨ button next to the input.

Notifications

• Unread messages now show as a number on the app icon, and it goes down as you read.
• The app tells you when a new version is available.

Also

• A friendly screen with a retry button instead of a blank one when you lose connection.
• Fixed being signed out during a brief server problem.
• Fixed stretched group buttons on the write and prayer screens.
• You can link an email or phone number in Settings for account recovery.

The Mac and Windows app now feels like an app

Until now the desktop app was essentially the website in a window. On Mac the window buttons overlapped the logo, and opening the app showed the marketing page first. It has been rebuilt with a proper desktop layout.

A real app shell

• A sidebar on the left with Home, Groups, Prayer, Chat, and Meetings
• The website header and footer are gone inside the app
• Opening the app takes you straight to sign-in (or home), not the marketing page
• Mac window buttons no longer overlap the content

Chat like a messenger

Your conversations are listed on the left with the chat on the right. Unread counts show per room, and opening a room marks it as read.

Notifications and badges

New messages in rooms you are not viewing arrive as system notifications; clicking one opens that conversation. Unread counts also appear on the Mac dock and the Windows taskbar.

Window memory and menus

The app remembers window size and position. There are proper menus, and ⌘1–5 switches sections. If you lose connection, you get a friendly screen instead of a browser error.

Update notices

The app tells you when a new version is out, and you can check manually from the Help menu.

Available on the download page.

Now on iPad, Mac, and Windows

Story now works comfortably on bigger screens. iPad is officially supported, and there are new desktop apps for Mac and Windows.

iPad support

Until now Story was an iPhone-only app. On iPad it opened in a small iPhone-sized window, and the same happened when you installed it on an Apple Silicon Mac.

It now uses the full iPad screen and adapts when you rotate to landscape.

Mac and Windows apps

A desktop app that runs without a browser. Resize the window freely and get notifications right away.

• Mac: separate builds for Apple Silicon and Intel, notarized by Apple so they install without warnings.
• Windows: installer and portable versions.

Grab them from the download page.

Fixed: the keyboard covering input fields

On every screen with a text field — including sign-up and sign-in — the keyboard could cover the input with no way to scroll to it. This is fixed across the app: writing, comments, chat, group settings, and more.

Sorry to everyone who ran into this.