How it works
From one assistant to another, with you in control.
FamRelay passes approved facts between people’s assistants. It doesn’t open anyone’s conversations. Here’s the full journey of one shared item — from the moment it’s noticed to the moment you change your mind.
The journey
Six moments. One of them is the decision.
The simplest way to think about it: you tell your assistant who should know, it checks the details with you, and their assistant mentions it in their own chat — with the sender, source and timing always visible.
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Step 1 · Ask
You ask — or your assistant suggests it.
Just say who should know, in your own words. Or, when your assistant notices something useful to someone else — a date on a flyer, a pickup change in a school email — it can offer to share it. Either way, it tells you what it found and flags anything that looks sensitive.
Can you let Sam know about this christening?Sure. I found the date, time, venue and a note about the reception. There’s also your mobile number for RSVPs — I’ll leave that out unless you want it included. -
Step 2 · Approve
Your assistant checks with you first.
Nothing moves until you say yes. Your assistant shows the exact details, who they’re going to, and how long they’ll last — and you can change any of it just by saying so. “Don’t send” is always as easy as “Send it”, and nobody is ever added for you.
Here’s what I’d send Sam’s assistant: Sunday 11 October, 2:00 PM, Grace Community Hall, reception after — until the event ends. Send it?Leave out the reception bit, then send it.Done — sent the date, time and venue to Sam. -
Step 3 · Store
The approved package is held in a protected vault.
Only the package you approved is stored — never your conversation. Each item is encrypted with its own key, and that key is locked separately for each person you chose, so only they can open it.
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Step 4 · Retrieve
The recipient’s assistant picks it up, with permission.
A supported recipient assistant checks for new items on a schedule, or receives a content-free nudge that something is waiting. It then fetches the item using its own authorisation and mentions it to Sam in their own conversation. If it was offline, it simply catches up next time it checks.
SSam’s assistant · a different appAlex shared Theo’s christening details with you: Sunday 11 October, 2:00 PM at Grace Community Hall. Want me to keep them?Yes, add it to Sunday -
Step 5 · Use visibly
The recipient sees what arrived, and from whom.
Sam accepts the item before it becomes part of their assistant’s working context. Afterwards, Sam’s assistant shows where the detail came from and what it did with it — added a reminder, updated a plan, answered a question.
What time do we need to leave on Sunday?The christening starts at 2:00 PM at Grace Community Hall, so leave by about 1:30.
From details Alex shared on Monday. -
Step 6 · Change
Correct it, let it expire, or revoke it.
Plans change. Just tell your assistant. A correction, an expiry or a revocation travels the same path as the original share, so supported assistants stay current — and the record shows each change.
It’s moved to 2:30 — can you let Sam know?Updated. Sam’s assistant now has 2:30 PM, and I’ve noted the change.Corrected: 2:30 PMExpiredRevoked
Concept demo
It’s just a conversation.
Chat with Alex’s assistant using suggested replies: ask it to tell Sam, tweak what’s shared, then say “send it” — or don’t. Watch Sam’s assistant, a different app, receive it. Everything here is fictional and stays in your browser.
For the technically curious
How delivery works, without the jargon.
Most assistants can’t be interrupted by outside services. So FamRelay is being designed around the assistant checking in — with an optional nudge to make that quicker.
How delivery worksChange feed, content-free nudges, and why repeats are harmless
Sends the approved package with its recipients, purpose and expiry.
Keeps the protected item and an ordered record of every create, correction, expiry and revocation.
Check for changes since they last looked, fetch with their own authorisation, and move on.
- Checking in is the reliable baseline. Each recipient assistant asks, “what’s changed since I last checked?” If it was offline for a day, it picks up exactly where it left off.
- Nudges carry no content. An optional notification says only that an update exists. The protected item is fetched separately, after authorisation — so family details never travel through notification systems.
- Changes are events too. Corrections, expiry and revocation are recorded in order, so every connected assistant ends up with the same current version.
- Repeats are harmless. If a nudge or a fetch happens twice, the item isn’t duplicated.
This is the preferred design being built for the pilot, not a description of a live service. How quickly an update arrives will depend on what each assistant platform allows; we’ll state the real timing for every supported connection.
Control after sending
What revoking means — and what it can’t do.
You should always know exactly what happens when you change your mind. Here it is, plainly.
Plain language
Five words, explained.
Assistant
The AI tool a person already talks to — on their phone, computer or speaker. Everyone keeps their own.
Vault
The protected place where an approved item waits until the people you chose pick it up. It holds shared items only — not conversations.
Recipient
A person you chose to share with, and the assistant they’ve connected. Recipients accept items before they’re used.
Revoke
To stop sharing an item. Future access ends and connected assistants are told to remove it, within the limits described above.
Integration
A working connection between FamRelay and a specific assistant. Each one will carry a dated status saying exactly what it can do.
FamRelay pilot
Help us get the controls exactly right.
Pilot households and teams decide which controls matter, which assistants come first, and where relaying genuinely helps.