Questions and answers

For hosts

What does this app do?

It turns your guests' phones into disposable cameras. Guests scan a QR code, type a nickname, and start shooting. No download, no sign-up.

The photos "develop" together at the time you choose. After the event, the photos your guests took are waiting in one place, so you don't have to chase anyone for them.

How do I create an event?

Enter your email and we send you a sign-in link. There is no password.

Once you're in, you set up the event in 3 steps: (1) name and date, (2) shots per guest, when to develop, and an optional passphrase, (3) plan and payment.

The free plan works right away. Paid plans are in preparation and not open yet.

The sign-in email didn't arrive.

Check your spam or junk folder first.

The link works for 15 minutes and only once. If you request a new one, only the newest link works.

If you request it many times in a short while, we pause sending for a bit. Wait a few minutes and try again.

How do I invite guests?

Open the "Invite" tab of your event. You'll find a QR code, a share link (send it by LINE or any messaging app) and printable table cards.

Table cards come in A6 (postcard size, one per table), A5 (for a reception desk) and an A3 poster (for an entrance or wall). Guests just scan with their phone camera.

How many guests can join, and how many photos can each take?

Both limits depend on your plan. You can set the number of shots per guest from 5 to 36, up to your plan's limit.

The free plan, the only plan open right now, allows 10 guests and 15 shots each. Paid plans with more guests and shots are in preparation.

Guests over the limit can't join, and each guest stops at their shot limit. Guests see how many shots they have left.

When can the photos be developed?

You choose one of four: "9:00 the next morning," "a set number of hours after the event ends" (1 to 72), "right away," or "manual." The 9:00 is in the event's local time.

With manual, the photos develop when you press the button. If you forget, they develop automatically 2 weeks after the event ends.

I can't wait. Can I develop now?

Yes. Press "Develop now" in the event page. It works with any develop setting.

Shooting stops once the photos develop, so wait until the event is over before you press it.

Can I look at the photos before they develop?

No, and neither can anyone else, including you. It works like a real disposable camera, and that's what makes the reveal fun.

What you can see on the event page are numbers: how many photos were taken and how many guests joined.

How will I know the photos have developed?

You get an email when they develop. Guests get one only if they entered an email address, and hosts and co-hosts get one too.

If an email doesn't arrive, the album is still open at the develop time.

There's a daily limit on how many emails we can send, so for big events the emails can arrive late.

Can I save all the photos at once?

Yes. After developing, use the album management page to download everything as one ZIP file. The ZIP is built on your own device.

Photos are deleted automatically when the storage period ends, so save what you want to keep before then.

How long are the photos kept?

They're kept for the storage period of your plan, counted from the develop time (or from the end time, if the develop time is earlier). The free plan keeps them for 30 days.

After that they're deleted automatically. "Storage extension," which adds more time, is in preparation and not available yet. Save the photos you want to keep as a ZIP before the 30 days are over.

An event that was never paid for (a draft) is deleted after 7 days.

Can I add a co-host?

Yes. From the event page, send an invitation to their email. They sign in with their own email and can manage the same event.

You can remove a co-host at any time. Only the person who created the event can delete it.

Can I show the photos on a screen at the venue?

No photos are shown. The venue screen shows the number of photos taken, the number of guests, and the time left until developing.

You see the photos in the album after developing.

Can I change the settings later?

In the "Settings" tab you can change the name, place, dates, number of shots, and the passphrase (set, change or remove).

After the photos develop, you can only change the name and the place. The dates, shots and passphrase can be changed until then.

How the develop time is chosen (9:00 next morning, hours after, right away, manual) can't be changed from the Settings tab once the event is created. If you want it sooner, press "Develop now."

I want to delete an event or my account.

The person who created an event can delete it from the event page. Its photos are deleted with it.

You can delete your account from the screen at any time. Your events and their photos are deleted too.

Only payment records (amounts and dates) stay after that, for the period the law requires (generally 7 years in Japan), as accounting records. They contain no photos or guest information.

For guests

How do I join?

Scan the QR code (or open the link) from the host, type a nickname, and you're in. It doesn't have to be your real name.

There's nothing to download and no account to make. If the host set a passphrase, you'll be asked for it.

Do I need to install an app? Which phones work?

No install. It runs in your phone's browser (Safari on iPhone, Chrome on Android, and similar), so a recent phone should work.

We've checked the whole flow on iPhone with Safari, from joining and shooting to the album after developing. We haven't tried it on a real Android phone yet. If something doesn't work, update your browser or try another one.

Your phone will ask to use the camera the first time. Choose "Allow."

How many photos can I take?

The number is set by the host for each event. You can see your remaining shots on the camera screen.

When you run out, you'll see "You've used up your film," and you can't take more.

I can't see the photos I took.

That's on purpose, just like a disposable camera. Nobody sees the photos until they develop, not even the host.

Right after each shot, the photo appears full screen for about 3 seconds so you can check it. Tap to close it sooner.

After that you can't see it until it develops. You can't take another shot while it's showing, so tap to close it if you're in a hurry.

When can I see the photos?

Each event has its own develop time. When it comes, the photos taken at the event appear. The time is also shown on your "all done" screen.

If you asked for an email, you get one message when they develop.

Can I change the photo shape or the film?

On the camera screen, pick one of three shapes: square, portrait or full screen. The app remembers your choice next time.

Switch film by swiping left or right on the viewfinder, or with the arrows at the edge (Clear, Warm, Mono, Fade, Night).

You always start on Warm. The film you have on when you press the shutter is the one that's applied, and you can't change it afterward.

I took photos with no signal. Are they lost?

No. Without a signal, the photos are saved on your phone and sent automatically when the connection comes back.

They stay on your phone until they're sent. When you have a signal, open this page again.

If you clear your browser data or switch to another phone before they're sent, they won't arrive.

Photos taken during the shooting window can still be sent for 24 hours afterward.

The shutter sound doesn't play.

On an iPhone it doesn't play when the silent switch is on. That's by design, so the app never stops music playing in other apps.

Use the speaker button on the camera screen to turn the sound on or off. When you turn it on, it plays once.

Switch the silent mode off and check that the speaker button is on.

Can I use the flash?

Tap the light button to cycle through Off, At the shot, On (stays lit) and back to Off.

If your phone's light isn't available (the front camera, or a phone that doesn't support it), the screen flashes white at the moment you shoot instead.

We've checked that "On (stays lit)" works on iPhone.

The camera went black or froze.

If a "Restart camera" button appears, tap it and the app reconnects.

If it still won't connect, check that no other app is using the camera, then tap again.

If you didn't allow the camera, allow it for this site in your browser settings.

I can't shoot. It says "view only."

You can shoot from 3 hours before the event starts until 8 hours after it ends. When the develop time comes, shooting ends too (except for events set to develop "right away").

If you joined after the photos developed, you can only look. If the event already has its maximum number of guests, you can't join. Ask the host.

It says "Can't accept photos right now."

Our photo storage is full for the moment, so new photos can't be saved. Your photos are not lost.

They stay on your phone and the app retries every 5 minutes. You can also tap "Send now." Please let the host know.

Can I save my favorites or share them on social media?

In the album after developing, you can like photos, browse by who took them, and save photos.

Pick a photo and make a "story card," a tall image (1080 x 1920) that's easy to post.

Albums are deleted when the storage period ends, so save the ones you like soon.

Do I need to enter my email for the "developed" notice?

No, it's optional. If you enter it, you get a single email when the photos develop. The album is open at the develop time either way.

We don't use the address for anything else. If it doesn't arrive, check your spam folder.

Can I record video?

Not right now. The app takes photos only.

If you want to keep a video, record it with your phone's regular camera app.

Payments

How much does it cost?

Right now the free plan is the only plan you can use: 10 guests, 15 shots each, photos kept for 30 days. It costs nothing.

Paid plans (more guests, more shots, longer storage) are in preparation and not open yet.

Is it a subscription?

No. There's no monthly fee, and nothing renews automatically.

"Storage extension," a way to keep photos longer, is in preparation and not available yet.

How do I pay? Is my card safe?

You don't pay anything on the free plan, and we don't ask for a card.

When paid plans open, you'll pay on the payment page of Stripe, our payment service. The payment methods you can use are shown on that page, and a method that isn't shown isn't available.

Stripe is the only one that receives card details. They never reach us and we don't store them.

When does my plan start?

The free plan starts as soon as you create the event.

Paid plans are not open yet. An event that was never paid for (a draft) is deleted after 7 days, and guests can't join a draft.

I paid, but the plan didn't change.

Paid plans are not open in English yet, so you shouldn't have been charged. If a payment did go through, please email support@yokuasa.com with the event name and the email you paid with.

We'll check it and refund you if it was a mistake.

Can I upgrade my plan later?

Not yet, because paid plans are in preparation.

If you need more guests or more shots than the free plan allows, please wait for the paid plans to open.

I want to keep the photos longer.

"Storage extension" is in preparation and not available yet.

For now, save your photos as a ZIP before the 30 days are over. Photos that have already been deleted can't be brought back.

Can I get a refund?

The free plan costs nothing, so there's nothing to refund. Paid plans are in preparation.

If you were charged by mistake, email support@yokuasa.com with the host's email address and the event name. We'll check and refund.

(Planned for paid plans: a full refund if you ask within 7 days of developing. When an event is refunded, its photos become eligible for deletion, so save a ZIP first.)

What's the difference between the free and paid plans?

Three things: the maximum number of guests, shots per guest, and how long photos are kept. Shooting and developing work the same way.

The free plan is 10 guests, 15 shots each, 30 days. Paid plans with higher limits are in preparation.

Photos and safety

Can anyone see the photos before they develop?

No. Until the develop time, the system doesn't hand out any way to view them, not even to the host.

One limit: the 3-second check right after you shoot can't stop someone from taking a screenshot of it.

Do the photos keep location data?

No. The photo is shrunk and redrawn on your phone before it's sent, so the place where it was taken is removed.

The server also strips any extra data before saving, just in case.

Who can see the album?

After developing, everyone who joined the event (through the QR code or link) can see the album. Each photo shows the nickname of who took it.

Anyone with the link can join, so don't post it publicly. If you're worried, the host can set a passphrase.

Are photos saved in their original quality?

No. Photos are saved as JPEGs, resized so the long side is 2048 pixels.

They may not be big enough for large prints.

I want to delete a photo I took.

In the album after developing, you can delete your own photos. Open it on the same phone and browser you joined with.

I want someone else's photo taken down.

Ask the host, or use the "Report" button on the photo.

Hosts can hide or delete any photo. A hidden photo disappears for guests (the host can still see it).

What happens when I report a photo?

You can report a photo after developing. We review it and choose one of three: hide, delete, or no problem.

To review it, we look at the reported photo only, as a small image.

When are photos deleted?

After the plan's storage period ends (30 days on the free plan), counted from the develop time, or from the end time if the develop time is earlier.

They're also deleted when the host deletes the event or the account, or when the event is refunded. "Storage extension" is in preparation and not available yet.

What personal information do you keep?

For guests: the nickname, the photos and, only if they choose to give it, an email address for the "developed" notice. We delete that address after the notice is sent.

For hosts: the email address, and payment records (amounts and dates, no photos or guest information) if they ever pay.

Data is stored with US companies (Cloudflare, Resend, Stripe). Cookies are used only to recognize your device, not for ads or tracking. We don't store card details.

For the details, see the Terms and Privacy Policy.

I got a "New sign-in" email.

We send it to you every time someone signs in, for your safety. If it was you, you don't need to do anything.

If it wasn't you, press "Sign out of all devices" on the host page.