Retro Adds ‘Rewind’ Feature to Let Users Explore and Share Old Camera Roll Memories

Retro, a photo-sharing app built around close friend groups, is rolling out a new feature designed to help users revisit and resurface old photos stored on their phones. The update, called Rewind, allows users to scroll back through months or years of images from their camera roll in a dedicated, personal view, with the option to selectively share those memories with friends.

Unlike Retro’s core experience – which focuses on weekly photo sharing within small social circles – Rewind is private by default. The feature pulls directly from a user’s existing camera roll, rather than relying only on photos previously uploaded to the app. Users can navigate through time using an interactive dial, pause on specific moments, or jump to random memories, creating a more tactile way to revisit older images.

According to Retro co-founder Nathan Sharp, the feature builds on an existing memories card that showed photos from the same week in previous years. However, that earlier tool was less useful for newer users who had not yet built up much history inside the app. Rewind addresses that limitation by tapping into the broader photo library already on a user’s device.

Rewind includes controls to hide specific images, avoid certain types of memories, or delete photos altogether – actions that also remove the images from the phone’s camera roll. When users choose to share a photo from Rewind, the app adds a timestamp to make it clear the image is from the past, not a recent capture. With nearly half of Retro’s user base engaging daily, the company expects Rewind to deepen engagement by encouraging reflection and occasional sharing without pushing content into a public feed.