What is bleibsel
A bleibsel, your story.
A bleibsel is an ordinary picture frame with your photo in it. No battery, no power, no SD card, no electronics that break when it falls. Stand it up or hang it, done. No fiddly cable.
The difference sits behind the picture. Hold your phone to the frame for a second, and the photo opens the story behind it. A short video, a voice, more pictures. Quiet, but there. Only someone who has the frame can see it, or whoever you give it to.
A picture is worth a thousand words? A bleibsel tells your whole story. Hang a second photo next to it, a third, and over the years a whole life runs across your wall. Fill it with your favourite memories, and one day pass it on.
You hardly open your phone gallery anymore, it's simply too full. You go looking for one particular thing, and that's exactly what spoils the feeling you were after. A frame is different. It shows the one lovely moment you're glad to see every day, without the noise of a thousand other photos.
And you don't have to worry that it will be gone one day. A cloud costs you month after month, and if you lose access, you often can't reach your own pictures anymore. A bleibsel has no subscription and no “you have to use it” pressure. Leave it hanging, look again in ten years, and you get exactly that feeling from back then.
Others make big promises. bleibsel isn't just called that, it's made to stay.
bleibsel. What stays.
Where does the name bleibsel come from?
“Bleibsel” is an old, now rare German word. It comes from “bleiben”, the German for “to stay”, and simply means the thing that stays: a keepsake, a remnant, something you hold on to because it means something to you. In German, a “Mitbringsel” is something you bring back; a “Bleibsel” is something that stays.
That's exactly what it's meant to be. Not another thing you forget in a few weeks, but the one that stays.
Frequently asked
Do I need an app or an account?
No. You hold your phone to the frame and the page opens by itself. Nothing to install, nothing to sign up for.
Does the frame need power, a battery or WiFi?
The frame itself doesn't, it just hangs there like any other picture frame. Only your phone needs internet for a moment when you want to open the memories behind it.
Does it work with every phone?
Most easily with smartphones from the last few years. iPhones from around the iPhone XS (2018) recognise the frame simply when you hold your phone to it. Most Android phones can do it too, if they have the contactless tap function (NFC). And if your phone is too old or has no NFC? No problem. You can also type the link to your memory once and save it as a bookmark in your browser, so you can reach it any time, without tapping. There's also a QR code on the little card for editing, so adding to it works without NFC as well.
Who can see my memories?
Very private, and technically so, not just as a word. Your memory is stored with us encrypted only, and the key to it sits in your frame and in your personal link, not with us. It's visible only to whoever taps the frame or has the link, and search engines can't find it. Once your frame is set up, we even delete our own copy of the key, from then on not even we can get in. So treat your link like a password and only share it with people you want to show the memory to.
Can I add more photos, videos or voices later?
Yes. You can keep filling your bleibsel over the years.
Is there a subscription or ongoing cost?
No. You pay once for your frame. No subscription, no monthly fee, no obligation to use it.
How do I pay?
By bank transfer. After ordering you get the bank details and your order number as the reference, plus a link that lets you see, any time, where your frame currently is.
Is every frame one of a kind?
Yes, every frame is made for you and your moment. Because it's a personal one-off, it's exempt from the 14-day right of withdrawal. That's why you see your design live, at your ease, before you order.
What if the frame gets knocked over?
Then it's a picture frame that got knocked over. No electronics, no display, nothing that breaks. And your memories aren't in the frame anyway, they're on your private page.
What if the frame no longer looks its best over the years?
Your memory stays, it isn't in the frame. The frame around it may age, no material stays new forever. So your memory is always beautifully held, we replace the frame for you up to three times, free, with a fresh one. We cover shipping on the first exchange; on the second and third, you do. What stays with you is the back plate, the heart of your memory. You simply set it into the new frame, and everything is there again.
Can I back up my memories? And what if you're not around one day?
Honestly, no provider can guarantee “forever”. That's why you can download your whole memory at any time as a single file. It opens on any device, even offline, and then it's yours, whatever happens. On top of that, part of every sale goes back into running things, so bleibsel lasts.
Can I give a bleibsel as a gift?
That's what it's made for. For a birthday, a wedding, a new baby, or just because.