Clearer guidance when assigning custody factors

The custody factor picker now includes concise guidelines for each factor. This helps you understand what a factor is meant to cover before assigning it to a record — so tagging feels more deliberate and consistent. If you are unsure how a particular situation should be interpreted, consulting a legal professional can help you decide how best to document it.

As a reminder, custody factors are best used when a record reflects a court-relevant issue — such as missed parenting time, significant schedule deviations, important school or medical decisions, safety concerns, or repeated conduct affecting your child’s well-being.

Routine day-to-day entries (on-time exchanges, recurring expenses, everyday logistics) usually do not need individual factor tags. Instead, track them consistently and use reports to demonstrate patterns over time. When needed, you can attach a generated report to a Memo record and tag that Memo with the relevant factor(s), creating one clear reference point supported by underlying data.

For a deeper explanation of how custody factors support documentation, see Documentation in Child Custody Cases.

Improved calendar bar placement and labeling

In Alimentor, calendar bars reflect the precise length of each event, so a four-hour parenting-time block appears shorter than an entire afternoon or overnight stay. Because the bars are scaled to duration, overlaps and transitions are easier to understand at a glance. Instead of showing only dates, the view reveals how time is distributed throughout the day.

In version 2.9.5, we refined how these bars and their labels are arranged. When several events overlap, they now stack into fewer rows, reducing visual fragmentation and making the schedule easier to scan. As a result, parenting-time blocks remain clearly visible — and appear thicker and more readable — even in a busy calendar.

More control and clarity in reports

Reports are now more flexible, giving you greater control over layout and included details.

• Selectable parenting-time totals. Choose which totals appear in your report — hours, nights, percentages, or any combination of them. Include a full breakdown when needed, or hide specific totals for a simpler summary.
• Photo Size setting. Select a photo size (Large, Regular, or Compact) depending on whether you prefer larger images or a denser layout.
• Smarter photo layout. Photos adapt to their aspect ratio, allowing wider images to use horizontal space more effectively instead of being forced into uniform frames.
• Optional page numbers. Turn page numbers on or off in reports.
• Improved pagination. Longer notes and detailed entries break across pages more naturally, reducing awkward splits and unnecessary white space.

We’d love your feedback

If you notice anything that could be improved in calendars, reports, or factor guidance, we’d appreciate your thoughts at feedback@alimentor.org.

Expanded custody factors framework

You now have access to 57 custody factors, up from 27 previously, allowing you to classify records with greater precision and consistency.

If you are new to custody factors, they represent common areas of consideration when evaluating a child’s best interests. These are typically reviewed by judges, custody evaluators, mediators, and other professionals involved in custody matters. Organizing your records using these factors helps align your documentation with how custody-related issues are commonly reviewed and discussed.

• Faster and clearer factor selection — You can now search within the custody factor picker to quickly find relevant factors by keyword.
• Custody factors visible directly in the timeline — Assigned custody factors are now clearly displayed in the timeline, including both Diary and Planned views. This lets you review records chronologically while immediately seeing which custody considerations they relate to, without opening each record individually.
• Smarter timeline search using custody factors — Timeline search now includes custody factors, enabling filtering by custody-related themes in addition to text.

For a deeper explanation of custody factors, see Documentation in Child Custody Cases.

New alerts for follow-up documentation

This version also adds a small but useful enhancement to alerts. You can now schedule notifications after a planned record’s end date, not just before it.

This makes it easier to document outcomes, confirmations, or follow-up details after an event has occurred—helping you keep records complete and up to date.

Compatibility note

Because the underlying data model has been expanded, you need to update Alimentor to version 2.9.4 or newer on all of your devices to keep synchronization working correctly.

If you share data with other users, everyone in your sharing circle also needs to update their app. Otherwise, Alimentor will display an Update Alimentor message and pause syncing.

We’d love your feedback

If something in your documentation flow could be clearer or more flexible, please tell us what would help. You can reach us anytime at feedback@alimentor.org.

Visual updates for a smoother experience

This release brings Alimentor’s interface in line with Apple’s latest design language. The app now adopts Liquid Glass, a material that feels lighter and more responsive — adding subtle depth to sidebars, popovers, and navigation areas.

Details that feel familiar

As macOS and iOS become more visually aligned, Alimentor follows suit — with refinements that help iPhone and iPad users feel right at home on the desktop.

• The search field now appears directly above the event list — just like on iOS.
• The "Save Changes" button in the Event Editor has been redesigned — on macOS 26, it’s now a checkmark, just like on iOS. Click it to confirm edits or close the window.

A Good Place to Grow From

With the latest visual updates now in place on Mac, iPhone, and iPad, we’re shifting focus to new features and functional improvements – continuing to evolve the app in ways that support your day-to-day documentation.

Have something on your mind? Whether it's a feature idea or a small detail that feels off – we’re always listening. Send us a quick note at feedback@alimentor.org.

Updated Interface with Liquid Glass

Alimentor now uses Apple’s Liquid Glass design, which brings a light, modern touch to user interface elements. The updated look feels at home in iOS 26, with subtle effects that follow your interactions.

Resizable iPad Window

On iPad, you can now adjust the size of the app’s window — helpful when reviewing records alongside your calendar, notes, or messages. Whether full-screen or side by side, Alimentor adapts to your workspace.

Optimized for iOS 26

This update also includes internal changes to work seamlessly with iOS 26 — and to keep everything running smoothly as Apple continues to evolve the system.

Looking Ahead

We’re now working on bringing the Liquid Glass experience to the Mac version of Alimentor on macOS 26.

If you have ideas, suggestions, or notice anything unexpected — we’d love to hear from you. Just drop us a note at feedback@alimentor.org.

Most parents will never need it—but if something in Alimentor ever looks off, the new Activity Log in version 2.8.9 gives you a quick way to check what happened. Think of it as a quiet, just‑in‑case helper that’s there when you want extra reassurance.

• Sync activity – useful when your internet connection was unstable or Apple’s services were temporarily unavailable.
• Storage‑related sync problems – for example, when your iCloud storage is full and uploads pause.
• Record removals – including situations where a co‑parent created and later deleted their own records. This visibility can be helpful in high‑conflict situations: you can confirm that something existed and was later retracted. (Shared data is read‑only: neither parent can edit or delete the other’s entries.)

The log keeps a short, rolling history (up to 250 entries) so you can look back with confidence. It’s device-specific and private (not transmitted to cloud servers), and you can export it as a text file for your records or to share with support.

•  iOS  In the Settings tab, tap Activity Log.
•  Mac  From the Window menu, choose Activity Log ⌥⌘L.

Quick Safety & Security Tips

• Don’t hand over an unlocked device to anyone who might tamper with records. For example, if your children use an iPad that’s signed in with your Apple ID, be aware that—unless Alimentor is locked—they (or anyone using that device) can open the app and view, edit, or delete your records; those changes will sync to your other devices. Use a strong device passcode and keep biometric authentication enabled.
•  iOS  For elevated security on devices running iOS 18 or later, consider locking access to Alimentor with Face ID / Touch ID. Press and hold the Alimentor icon, then choose Require Face ID to add an extra unlock step before anyone can open the app. Heads-up: when app locking is enabled, Alimentor widgets are hidden and can’t be used until you turn the lock off – choose the setting that best balances security and convenience.
• Keep iCloud and device storage healthy. Leave enough free iCloud space and on‑device storage, and use a reliable internet connection.

How to check free space:

•  iOS  Settings app > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Account Storage.
•  Mac  Apple menu > System Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage.

•  iOS  Settings app > General > iPhone/iPad Storage.
•  Mac  Apple menu > System Settings > General > Storage.

Share Your Feedback

If you have suggestions for what you’d like the Activity Log to show in the future, we’d love to hear them. To share your feedback, please email us at: feedback@alimentor.org.

Family-court parenting plans often include a detailed "holiday schedule", assigning time on Easter, Christmas, Mother’s and Father’s Day, and long weekends like Thanksgiving or Labour Day. The language is typically precise and offset-based: "Parenting time begins at 6 p.m. the day before Easter in odd-numbered years." Until now, setting up such rules in Alimentor meant manually tweaking each year’s occurrences whenever the holiday shifted.

With version 2.8.8, that work disappears. Alimentor can now link any yearly recurring event to a moving holiday and preserve the correct offset for each occurrence.

• Set Frequency to Yearly, then choose the interval – for example, Every 2 years.
• From the Relative To list, select the holiday. The list shows holidays that fall within ± 30 days of the event’s start date.
• Position the first occurrence exactly where you need it – for instance, 6 p.m. one day before Easter. Alimentor remembers that offset and schedules every future occurrence the same number of days before, on, or after the holiday – no extra fields to fill out.

Availability

Holiday-anchored repeats are available in Alimentor version 2.8.8 for users in the United States, Canada, and Australia.

To ensure syncing works correctly, please update the app on all of your devices.

If the holiday you need is not listed – or if you use Alimentor in another country and would like this feature – please let us know at feedback@alimentor.org. As a workaround, you can create a standard yearly recurring event and manually adjust each occurrence to match your local holiday dates.

If your parenting plan rotates custody based on odd and even weeks, enabling week numbers makes reviewing your calendar much easier. Starting with version 2.8.7, Alimentor can display week numbers – both in the app and in exported PDF reports – so you can quickly see which week you're in at a glance.

•  iOS  In the Settings tab, turn on the Week Numbers switch.
•  Mac  In the Filters sidebar, check Week Numbers under Extras.

1. Open the Report view and select the Setup button.
2. Scroll down to the Calendar section.
3. Turn on Week Numbers.

Alimentor 2.8.1 introduces new tools to help you create clearer, more personalized reports. Whether you're organizing records for your own review, sharing them with the other parent, or preparing documentation for legal purposes, these updates help you focus on what matters – and leave out what doesn’t.

Text Filters and Hashtags

The easiest way to keep your records organized is still the simplest: give each entry a clear, general title (such as School, Dental Treatment, or Winter Break) and, when needed, assign one or more custody factors.

For more control, you can now use hashtags and text filters when generating a report. Add tags like #Medical or #ChildCareCredit in the record notes, then filter your report to include (or exclude) exactly what you need.

• Text filters apply to titles or notes (including hashtags) across all sections of the report.
• Use commas to include multiple keywords.
• Hashtags work best when placed on their own line in the Notes field.
• You can hide hashtags from the report but still use them for filtering.

For more advanced filtering, you can combine multiple keywords in one search. Separate them with commas to match any of the terms—for example, School, Sport will include records that mention either one. To exclude something, add a minus sign in front—like ‑#Private to leave out personal notes. To search for an exact phrase, wrap it in quotes, such as "School Trip".

Custom Section Titles

To customize your reports even more, you can now set your own titles for each section, replacing the standard headings. Combine those custom titles with text filters, and you’ll have a topic-specific, court-ready report in minutes.

1. Apply a title filter such as Dentist, Orthodontist to include only records (memos, expenses) whose titles contain one of those words.
2. To make the report easier to review—especially in court—rename the sections:
   • Dental Treatment (Custody Log) – a chronological record of all dental-related visits, expenses, and memos, including photos and PDF attachments.
   • Dental Expenses (Expense Summary) – a summary of costs by payer.
   • Dental Visits (Custody Calendar) – a visual overview of visit dates (optional).

Learn more in the Alimentor User Guide.