Playback
A monthly letter from Beacon about what happened, what improved, and what you logged that matters.
When to Use This
Use Playback at the end of a month when you want to see the shape of the month instead of the day. Beacon reads everything you logged (behaviors, wins, journal entries, check-ins) and writes a structured letter you can read on the couch in 3 minutes. The structure forces context: not just 'here are the numbers' but 'here's what changed and why it matters'. Share it with a partner, a therapist or your own future self.
How It Works
Generate This Month's Playback
Tap 'Generate This Month's Playback'. Beacon reads everything you logged last calendar month and writes a letter of 4-6 cards, each with its own heading. While it works the button reads 'Beacon Is Writing...'; it takes about 10-30 seconds, longer when you logged a lot. Then the letter opens for you to read.
What Each Card Shows
Each card has a heading, a body paragraph and a hidden why-it-works note. Headings are the month's themes (e.g., 'Bedtime turned a corner', 'School Wednesdays were rough'). Bodies are 2-4 sentences in plain language.
Save the Past
Every Playback you've generated lives in the list, sorted newest first. Tap any to re-read. Useful when 'last month was a blur' is actually closer to 'last month had 3 distinct phases'.
Share It With a Link
Each Playback can be shared: tap 'Create Share Link' to get a link anyone can open and read. Send it to a partner or therapist who does not have a Beacon account.
A Real Example
April 2026 Playback for Avery. Beacon found 4 themes from 26 days of logged data.
| Card | Heading | Body |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | This month in one sentence | It was hard and it was real, and you stayed in the room. |
| 2 | Bedtime turned a corner | Wins logged on April 10, 18, 22: Avery brushed teeth without protest. Three times in two weeks is a pattern. |
| 3 | Wednesdays were the hard ones | 4 of 7 Drowning journal entries fell on Wednesday. Behaviors-day logs cluster Wed 2 to 5 pm. Worth looking at the schedule. |
| 4 | Where you stayed steady | Despite the Wednesdays, 12 of 20 check-ins were 'coping' or 'steady'. That is not nothing. |
What Beacon Auto-Knows
- Counts: how many wins, journal entries, check-ins, behaviors days in the month.
- Themes: which days were hard, which days were good, which behaviors trended up or down.
- Cross-references: behaviors clusters vs schedule blocks, journal moods vs day-of-week.
What Discuss With Beacon Adds
- When you Discuss from a Playback, the whole letter, every card in it, comes into the chat with you.
- Beacon can expand any card: 'Tell me more about the Wednesday cluster.'
- Or compare to the last Playback: 'How was April different from March?'
Try These With Beacon
“Tell me more about the Wednesday cluster.”
Finds those Wednesdays in your behaviors, journal and check-ins. 'Wed Apr 3, 10, 17, 24: all logged 3+ behaviors. Journal mood Heavy or Drowning on 3 of 4. Schedule shows OT at 4 pm. The cluster aligns with the post-OT decompression window.'
“Compare April to March.”
Compares the two Playbacks side by side. 'Wins: April 14, March 9. Hard days (Heavy + Drowning journals): April 7, March 11. Trend: more wins, fewer crashes, more Wednesday-specific load. March was diffuse hard; April was Wednesday-shaped hard.'
“Write this Playback as a 4-sentence text to my partner.”
Condenses the 4 cards into a 4-sentence text. 'April was rough on Wednesdays but Avery brushed teeth without protest three times in two weeks. Most days I coped. The school days are the load. Mostly we are okay.'
“Share this Playback with my therapist.”
Points you to 'Create Share Link' on the Playback page. Tap it and the page shows the link to copy and send. Anyone with the link can read it without an account, and 'Revoke Link' turns it off anytime.