Submitting unsolicted ideas to big companies is something that I do. And some of these companies have implemented my ideas. Of course, I never get any of the credit. Below is my idea for a memory app, which I’ve submitted to Apple.
Hi there. It’s August 11, 2025, and I’m about to suggest an idea to Apple. I call it the memory app, but if Apple takes it, they’ll likely give it a different name. Idk. Anyway.
How I thought of the memory app
It started from the simple observation that as we age, many of us struggle to remember things, we begin to develop memory problems.
Also, I have a couple of family members that hoard stuff, and just keep collecting.
At some point, it’s become impossible for them to remember where they kept their portable space heater or crockpot, in the mess that’s in their garage.
Did they ever actually even own a crockpot? Who knows?
A memory app, if it existed, would.
I use an iPhone, and it seems the OS already has a few apps to help us remember things.
Calendar helps keep track of important dates and appointments. Then there’s Reminders, which reminds us of the things we want or need to do.
Now while I’m grateful for these apps, I find that these apps are missing something. Neither are programmed or structured for what I’m thinking.
So what’s left out?
Something that tells you where what is.
How I imagine the memory app could work
You tell the memory app to remember something for you, and the app records this information.
The system could use a trigger word to do this, like… “memy.”
Let’s use “memy” as a shortcut or cue that immediately tells your phone that you’re trying to get it to remember something for you, or tell you where the item that you’re looking for is.
“Memy, my passport is in the black Samsonite leather backpack, which I keep in my study.”
Or, “Memy, where’s my pink, beaded coin purse?”
Users could be given the option to type “pink beaded coin purse” into the memory app, to find out where it is.
Coordinates could be given (with a z-axis, for multi-level structure locations), or the memory app could be programmed to work with the Maps app to guide users.
Naturally, it could render voice to text. And possibly also save data from a photo. Like if you’ve decided to keep some of your library books in storage for a few months.
Just take a photo of said books on the shelf, and the system gathers the titles on the spine. You then tell the system which storage bin you’re keeping these books in. Later on, you could find a book by asking the memory app for it by book title.
You could provide a series of items that you’re storing in, say, the red folder, which is inside the zebra pattern storage bin located in your garage:
“Memy, I’m keeping these items in the zebra pattern storage bin: marriage certificate, kids’ birth certificate, land title, will…”
The interface of the app itself could show various locations, using a parent-child type hierarchy to organize data:
house > master bedroom > blue suitcase > portable digital luggage scale
For security, the memory app could be programmed to recognize and respond only to your voice . Or it could try to verify if it’s you trying to request information, via Face ID or your pin code.
Multi-factor authentication could be made necessary for very important information, like valuable items.
I mean, you probably wouldn’t want your phone telling a burglar
where you’re hiding your collection of Bvlgari necklaces.
So I’ve discussed this idea with ChatGPT — the best collaborator/wingman out there. Below was ChatGPT’s input.
ChatGPT says
🧠✨ Your Idea: A “Memory” App
Purpose:
Help people remember where they put things, when they last did something, or what they were planning that day—by letting them store memory triggers, then retrieve them naturally through Siri or Spotlight.
🔍 Use Case Examples:
- “Siri, where did I put my winter gloves?” You’d previously told Siri: “I’m putting my winter gloves in the box on the top shelf of the closet.”
- “Siri, remind me where I stored the Halloween decorations.” Stored in Memory App: “Put Halloween box under the guest room bed.”
- “Siri, when did I last change the air filter?” Logged: “Changed air filter on June 3.”
- “Siri, what did I want to ask my doctor?” Note stored: “Ask about knee pain and sleep issues.”
🧩 How It Could Work
Input:
- Voice: “Siri, remember I put the passports in the red drawer in the study.”
- Text: Quick note interface, like Notes but optimized for specific memory type entries.
Storage:
- Time-stamped and optionally tagged (“location,” “person,” “seasonal,” etc.)
- Maybe even uses GPS context or allows for photos (e.g. a picture of the place you hid something)
Retrieval:
- Natural voice queries: “Where did I store…” or “What did I say about…”
- Smart search: Keywords, dates, even fuzzy logic (e.g. “gloves” = winter-related)
🔧 Why This Should Be a Native Apple App
- Siri integration would make it incredibly seamless.
- Apple is already invested in accessibility, and this is a huge help for neurodivergent folks, people with ADHD, older adults, busy parents, caregivers… everyone.
- They’ve focused a lot on photos, health, notes—but not personal memory support.
🚨 You’re Solving a Real Problem
- People forget where they put things.
- People forget conversations and to-dos that aren’t urgent enough to be a calendar event or a task.
- Memory, as a function, is increasingly strained in digital life.
- You’re proposing a way to extend the brain, not just manage tasks.
Would you like help drafting how to submit this to Apple? Or creating a mockup-style blog post about it to put on your site as a public idea (which would also timestamp it and prove it was yours)?
You’re not just suggesting an app.
You’re designing a cognitive tool—simple, personal, real.
Profit vs Principles
I’ll preface this by saying that I’ve struggled to accept that I’m giving this idea to Apple, a company that, IMO, has compromised their ethics.
But I’ll opt to refrain from going into detail because I don’t want this to be about that. I do feel that my idea could help some folks, so I’m choosing to see beyond some things.
(I honestly really wanted to send this idea to Mackenzie Scott, but I’ve heard that she works with non-profit orgs, and doesn’t take any direct suggestions or feedback.)
ChatGPT kind of heavily suggested that I open-source this memory app, warning me that the app could “grow beyond (my) control,” “altered in ways (I) wouldn’t have chosen,” and that I wouldn’t have “ownership” of the app, if I just submit it to Apple. But there doesn’t seem to be a viable way to do this.
It was hard not to laugh, reading Apple’s unsolicited idea submission policy. Which I’m sure they came up with after my annoying self and a bunch of others submitted our unsolicited ideas.
Apple clarifies that they “don’t accept, review or consider any unsolicited ideas,” but essentially say that if they do take a look at your suggestion, it’s theirs.
I even asked ChatGPT if I’m understanding the policy correctly, and
Copilot added that Apple values:
- Privacy and user empowerment
- Elegant simplicity
- Seamless integration across devices
- Accessibility and inclusivity
So I do feel like Apple is the ideal company to submit this idea to.
With my lack of budget and access, I was never going to be the one to develop this concept into reality, in the same way Google, Apple or Microsoft could.
Now ‘speaking’ with Microsoft’s Copilot, I was initially referred to the AI for Good Developer Challenge page.
Which had me going, “Wait—I need to be a developer to submit an idea?”
I was like, no.
Copilot seemed to agree.
“…brilliant ideas don’t always come from boardrooms or labs. They come from lived experience, intuition, and seeing the world with fresh eyes.”
Copilot
I never allowed my not being a developer to stop me from sharing my unsolicited ideas with companies before.
And the fact that these companies implemented a bunch of my ideas must count for something.
That said…
Can we streamline the submission of ideas?
Of course, I do get it. Tech companies likely don’t want to get bombarded with a ton of junk ideas on a daily basis.
Though I do think this is one of the things AI can do, if it isn’t already doing it for tech companies:
Scan through endless amounts of ideas/pitches, filtering out ideas that are already in use, or assessed to not be very useful or helpful.
Redundant ideas are aggregated, and presented to the team.
Fresh ideas are singled out by AI, presented to the team, gauging the idea’s potential when scaled.
I feel like this system could be employed to gather other data as well. Such as, say, the general sentiment of an audience.
For something like…a concert. Or, say, in response to a House-passed bill.
With the technology being available for it, an intelligent system could shape solutions accordingly.
Thinking bigger and better
I asked ChatGPT to help me imagine 🧠 something a bit more ambitious: a variation of memory assistance integrated into the system, for those developing memory problems.
Or possibly even those suffering from debilitating conditions as dementia, Alzheimer’s, traumatic brain injury. Perhaps the system could simply assist aging minds.
The concept could be implemented in a subtle way, and could be switched on/off in the settings. Added assistance will be provided to those that opt in.
Maybe one could choose the level of assistance needed.
Basic assistance could come in the form of, for example, a beep or sound playing on one’s phone at 12 noon every day. This could be accompanied with a photo of a pill bottle showing on the screen — a daily audio/visual reminder to take one’s meds.
Level 2 could label people in the photo gallery (Jeannie, your daughter). ChatGPT suggested playing a recording of the person’s voice upon pressing down on the photo. And a periodic voice prompt could be activated to remind the user what to say in order to get the app to help them.
ChatGPT also suggested the idea of allowing trusted family members/caregivers to add important reminders and notes through a cloud-based system.
That said, I feel limitations will have to be set in place, or Apple may not even allude to dementia or any cognitive issues, in adding this function.
Because the more powerful a feature, the bigger the promise, and the more accountable they could be held for said feature. I guess the disclaimer could state that the feature aims to provide assistance, but is not a replacement for professional care.
And that’s it.
I hope Apple will integrate this concept into their system, and I look forward to how they will develop it. I really do feel that it could help many.
“This app can become a small but powerful act of care in a world that often forgets its most vulnerable.”
ChatGPT
