We're proud to announce that Capture is now Oniri. Same app on the App Store, same team, but a new name and new logo.

If you already have the app, there is nothing you need to do. Everything below is the reasoning, and the answer to the question we have been asked most: no, your dreams are not going anywhere.

Why we're changing the name#

We loved Capture. It's a good name and it served us well since we started the app in 2015.

The issue is that it sounds like a photo app. That's what most people think of when they hear the name. And in the App Store, we've been sitting among many camera tools. If you type Capture, you'll find some photo apps, and then us.

We wanted a fresh name, that comes from the world of dreams.

Where Oniri comes from#

Oniri comes from the Greek oneiros, dream.

It's a word with a long trail behind it. In Greek myth the Oneiroi are the dream spirits, children of Night. Homer sends them through two gates in the Odyssey: the dreams that pass through the gate of horn come true, and the ones through the gate of ivory deceive the sleeper. Ovid later gives one of them the name that stuck, Morpheus, the shaper, who takes human form in the dreams of sleepers.

The same root is still working today. Oneirology is the study of dreams. Oneiromancy is the old practice of reading them. And the word exists in English too.

oneiric (oniric), adjective, /əʊˈnaɪ.rɪk/: like a dream, or relating to dreams.

We like the simplicity and history of that word. It's distinctive, and unlike Capture it can only mean one thing.

A new logo too#

We really liked the dream catcher. We thought it represented the idea well, and it had been on the app a long time.

But it's a strong and specific cultural symbol that belongs to particular Indigenous traditions, and borrowing it never sat entirely right with us. We'd rather carry a mark that belongs to the app.

So: a feather, for dreams and for writing. A moon and a star, for the night.

A dark blue representing the night. Purple and cyan for the stories that happen in it.

Your dreams aren't going anywhere#

Since we announced the change, one question has come back more than any other: what happens to my dreams? Nothing. Capture and Oniri are the same app. We changed the name and the look, and that's it. There's no new app to install, no export to run.

The App Store listing and the app id stay the same too. Update, sign in like you always do, and every dream you wrote in Capture is still in your journal, tags and images included.

If something looks off after the update, get in touch through the contact page and we'll figure it out together.

What the app is for#

Oniri is a dream journal, and it's built for one awkward moment: the first minutes after waking, when the dream is already fading. Most of a dream is gone before breakfast, so the app has to work half-asleep, in the dark. You can record a dream by voice and let Oniri tag and file it for you.

Keep at it for a few weeks and the journal starts to show you things. A symbol that keeps coming back, or an emotion tied to one particular place. No single night reveals much on its own; twenty nights side by side do. If you're just getting started, how to remember more dreams is the place to begin.

A journal is also the foundation for lucid dreaming. Dream signs, the recurring oddities that tip you off that you're dreaming, only become reliable once you've logged enough nights to spot them. New to the idea? Lucid dreams: what they are and why they are awesome covers the basics.

And it's why we think dream meaning should start from your own journal, not a fixed dictionary: the reading of a symbol worth having is the one that fits the rest of your nights.

What's next#

Along with the new name, there's a new website. Follow us on Instagram or TikTok to hear about what we ship next.

We have big plans for Oniri. The app is free on iOS and Android, and for journaling your dreams it always will be.