Using a Smart Photo Frame to Stay Close to Loved Ones

By Aura | November 11, 2021

Whether you live near or far from loved ones, Aura is here to help you stay connected. An Aura smart photo frame makes it easier to share everyday moments and appreciate them over time with your favorite people.  

We’ve invited Prooshat Saberi, Aura's product design lead, to share some of features we’ve recently added to our frames, as well as our team’s tried and true favorites. Prooshat leads Aura’s user experience, working directly with our customers to ensure their needs and feedback shape Aura’s future features and products. Download or visit the Aura app to try them out.

Prooshat’s six tips for staying connected with Aura: 

1. Start by giving the gift of connection. 

An Aura frame usually starts as the perfect gift for parents or grandparents, but it’s something the whole family can enjoy. 

To make your gift that much more meaningful, we created a way for you to upload photos ahead of time and invite others to contribute. It’s one of our customers’ favorite features.

We’re excited to share two new updates to elevate your holiday gifting with Aura. First, you can now purchase an Aura frame from anywhere, not just on auraframes.com ( including Amazon and other partner retailers), ship direct, and personalize your gift by adding photos and inviting others to help. Second, instead of just a written message, our latest frames with integrated video/audio now offer the option to surprise your recipient by adding a video that will display on the frame when it’s set-up. Learn more about gifting Aura

2. Share videos so no one misses out on the action.

Inspired by our customers’ love of the Live Photos feature for iOS, we added video support to all Aura frames through a software update in early October. We also heard from quite a few parents and grandparents who wanted a way to share their little ones’ milestones, like first steps.

All Aura frames can now share and display videos up to 30 seconds in length. Our newer frames also have integrated speakers with the option to turn on audio and all existing frames have picture-only video support. You can easily adjust or trim videos and change volume settings in the Aura app. 

3. Just in! Email photos to your frame. 

We designed Aura to be collaborative, and the Aura app has become a point of connection between all family members—not just the one with the frame. That said, we know there are a lot of ways to share photos, and not all of them exist on our phones. So, now loved ones can send photos to your frame’s unique email address. 

In the interest of maintaining your privacy and preventing random photos from appearing on your frame, senders will need an Aura account and be invited by you. 

4. Comment, love, and react in the Aura app. 

Many customers we talk to think of Aura as a private family network where they can share, comment, and react to memories together as new photos are added in the app. 

Aura emojis tap into the feeling of sharing photos with a close-knit group. Our team created Love and There in Spirit for when you’re missing your family plus Hugs and Kisses and Family Hug for the more sentimental moments. 

This feature began with a Send Thanks option in June 2020 then grew to include additional animated reactions to show appreciation. To date, Love is the most popular. 

5. Dip into the archives with our Web Uploader. 

Photographers, the highly digitally organized, and anyone who has lived pre- and post-smartphone probably have more than a few photos stored on their desktop or hard drive. The Aura Web Uploader makes it easy to get those memories into your frame and reminisce together. 

6. Add more frames and loved ones to your Aura network. 

When it comes to Aura, the more the merrier. I myself have three frames at home and have gifted frames to each of my two sisters and our mom. We all regularly share photos, which helps everyone stay in the loop on each others’ lives and feel closer. That’s not unusual for Aura. About 75 percent of frames get new content monthly from an average of four members. 

Seeing their smiling faces is like a daily dose of happiness. An Aura frame really helps bring memories back to life, reminding you of what and who really matters. 

Learn more about our latest frames, including the recently launched Mason Luxe and Carver Luxe.