DIGITAL MEMORIALS
Digital memorials: what they are and how to make one for free.
A digital memorial is a lasting place to keep someone: their name and dates, their photo, their story, their prayer card, and where they rest. It lives on your phone instead of in a drawer, and you can share it with everyone who loved them. Custos makes one for free.
What is a digital memorial?
A digital memorial is an online tribute to a person or pet who has died. At its simplest it holds a name, the dates of their life, a photo, and the story of who they were. A good one holds more: the prayer or verse from their card, the obituary, the cemetery or the place their ashes were scattered, and the dates you want to be reminded of each year.
The point of a digital memorial is permanence. Prayer cards get folded into jacket pockets. Funeral programs end up in boxes nobody opens. Newspaper obituaries end up behind paywalls or in archives. A digital memorial keeps all of it in one place that cannot be lost, damaged, or thrown out by accident, and anyone you share it with can open it from anywhere.
How a digital memorial differs from an obituary page
Most families already have an obituary page. The funeral home or the newspaper publishes it, people sign the guestbook for a few weeks, and then it goes quiet. It belongs to whoever published it, it is written once, and it is built for the week of the service.
A digital memorial belongs to the family. You can add photos months later. You can mark the resting place so a grandchild can find it in twenty years. You can be reminded on a birthday or an anniversary. It is built for the years after the service, when the remembering is up to you.
The two work together. Many people start a digital memorial by importing the obituary, then add what the obituary could not hold.
What to include in a digital memorial
- Their name, and the dates of their birth and death.
- A photo. Custos holds up to four on every memorial.
- Their story. Import the obituary, photograph the funeral program, or type your own words.
- The prayer or verse from their prayer card.
- Their resting place: a cemetery, a plot, or the place their ashes were scattered.
- Who they were to you: family, friend, colleague, or pet.
- The dates that matter, so you get a quiet reminder each year.
You do not need all of it on day one. Start with what you have in your hand and add the rest when you are ready.
How to make a digital memorial for free with Custos
Custos is a free app for iPhone and Android. There are no ads, no subscriptions, and nothing to unlock. Here is how a memorial comes together.
Scan a prayer card
Point your camera at the prayer card from the service. Custos reads the name, the dates, and the words on the card and builds the memorial from them. The card you were afraid of losing becomes the first thing in it.
Import an obituary
Paste a link to the obituary and the name, dates, and story fill in on their own. You can also paste the text or type it yourself.
Add photos and mark a resting place
Add up to four photos. Then drop a pin on the Legacy Map so you, and everyone you share it with, can always find the way back.
Keep it in Apple Wallet
On iPhone, add their card to Apple Wallet. It sits next to the things you carry every day and opens with one tap.
Share it with family
Every memorial has a link and a QR code. Text the link to family, or print the QR code on a program, a prayer card, or a frame. Anyone who scans it can open the memorial.
Get a gentle reminder
Custos can remind you on birthdays, anniversaries, and the other days that matter, so the people and pets you love are never forgotten.
Digital memorials for pets
A dog or a cat is family, and the loss is real. Custos gives pets their own memorial design and their own Rainbow Bridge passage. Add their photos, mark where they rest, and keep them alongside the people you love.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions about digital memorials.
What is a digital memorial?
A digital memorial is an online tribute to someone who has died. It holds their name, dates, photos, and story, often their resting place, and it can be shared with family and friends.
Is a digital memorial the same as an online obituary?
No. An obituary page is published once by a funeral home or newspaper and is built around the service. A digital memorial is kept by the family, can be updated over time, and is built for the years that follow.
How much does a digital memorial cost?
Some memorial websites charge a monthly fee or a one-time payment. Custos is free. There are no ads, no subscriptions, and nothing to unlock.
Can I make a digital memorial from a prayer card?
Yes. Scan the prayer card with your phone's camera and Custos builds the memorial from the name, dates, and words on the card.
Can I make a digital memorial for a pet?
Yes. Pet memorials in Custos have their own design and their own Rainbow Bridge passage.
Can I edit or delete a digital memorial?
Yes. You can edit or delete any memorial you created, at any time.
Does a digital memorial need a QR code?
No, but every Custos memorial comes with one. Print it on a program, a prayer card, or a keepsake, and anyone who scans it can open the memorial.
Start their memorial today.
Free on iPhone and Android.
