Attaching Media

MessageFuture messages can contain more than words. You can attach images, audio recordings, and video recordings to give your message a richer, more personal feel. All media is stored securely in encrypted cloud storage and delivered to your recipient alongside your written message.

[PLACEHOLDER: Screenshot of the media attachment bar with audio waveform preview]

Supported Attachment Types and Size Limits

If a file exceeds the size limit, the composer will display an error and the file will not be attached.

Adding Images

Upload from your device (Web & Mobile)

Click or tap the Image (🖼) button in the media toolbar. A file picker opens – select one or more images from your device. On mobile, you can select up to 10 images at once from your photo library.

Take a photo with your camera (Mobile only)

On mobile, tap the Image button and choose Take Photo. Your device camera opens. Take the photo, and it is immediately attached to your message.

Tip: On iOS and Android, MessageFuture will request permission to access your photo library and camera the first time you use these features. You can manage these permissions in your device Settings.

Recording Audio

Web

Click the Microphone (🎙) button in the media toolbar. An in-browser audio recorder opens. Click Record, speak your message, then click Stop when you’re done. A preview waveform appears so you can listen back before attaching.

Mobile

Tap the Microphone button. A full-screen native audio recorder opens above the tab bar. Tap Record, then Stop. You can preview the recording and re-record as many times as you like before tapping Use This Recording.

[PLACEHOLDER: Screen recording of in-app audio recording on mobile]

Recording Video

Web

Click the Video (🎬) button. An in-browser video recorder opens using your webcam and microphone. Click Record, then Stop when finished. Preview your clip before attaching.

Mobile

Tap the Video button. A full-screen native camera recorder opens. Tap the record button to start, tap again to stop. Preview and confirm before the clip is attached.

Uploading an Audio or Video File

If you already have a recorded audio or video file on your device, you can upload it directly instead of recording in-app. Use the same microphone or video buttons – on web, the file picker includes an option to select from your device. On mobile, the attachment sheet offers both “record” and “choose from files” options.

Previewing and Removing Attachments

Once attached, each media file appears as a card in the composer:

• Images show a thumbnail
• Audio shows a playback button – tap it to preview the recording before sending
• Video shows a thumbnail with a play button

To remove an attachment, tap the × (Remove) button on its card. Removing an attachment from the composer does not affect any already-uploaded version if the draft was previously saved – you’ll see the change reflected after the next auto-save.

How Media is Stored and Delivered

MessageFuture uses a direct-to-cloud upload model:

1. When you attach a file, the app requests a secure, temporary upload URL from the MessageFuture server
2. Your file is uploaded directly to encrypted AWS S3 storage – it never passes through the MessageFuture backend
3. A metadata record links the file to your message
4. At delivery time, your recipient receives a secure, time-limited download link embedded in their email

All media files are stored under your personal account namespace. Only you (and your authorised recipients at delivery) can access your files.

Credit Cost for Media Attachments

Attaching media increases the credit cost when you finalise your message:

Use the Cost Estimate panel on the confirm screen to see the exact total before committing.

Next Steps

• Scheduling Delivery – Date Mode →
• Timeless Messages →
• How Credits Work →