To: GSRs, DCMs, Trustees, Non-trustee Directors, Area Officers & Committee Chairs, Delegates, Appointed Committee Members, Intergroups and Central Offices, Group Contacts, GSO and Grapevine Employees
Date: June 18
A Message to the Fellowship about the Everything AA App
Dear AA Friends:
Alcoholics Anonymous World Services (AAWS) recently acquired the Everything AA app. This represents an exciting opportunity to make AA literature and other resources available in a format that reflects how people communicate and seek information today, particularly members and still-suffering alcoholics who increasingly engage with AA digitally.
We would like to express sincere gratitude to the app's creator, Ben S., for the vision, service, and loving care that helped grow the app over the years. We are especially grateful for his willingness to work collaboratively with AAWS during this transition in the spirit of service to the Fellowship.
As AAWS and the General Service Office continue to review and develop the app, members will notice phased changes to content and features, along with the addition of new resources. Material existing on the app at the time of purchase is being reviewed to ensure that the app serves as a trusted source for AAWS literature and resources published and distributed through AAWS and is consistent with AA's Twelve Traditions and existing AAWS and GSO policies and practices.
Members will notice opportunities to subscribe to support the app and its ongoing development. Subscriber support may help fund app maintenance, accessibility, digital resources, Conference-approved content, and services provided through the General Service Office and General Service Board.
We appreciate the Fellowship's patience and understanding during this transition and are grateful for the many ways members support carrying the message into the future.
Alcoholics Anonymous World Services
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A Message from Ben S.
For the past several years, building and maintaining Everything AA has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life.
What started as a small project to make AA resources easier to access grew into something far larger than I ever expected. I have heard from members all over the world: newcomers trying to find their first meeting, people traveling, people in difficult moments, and people simply looking for a way to keep AA close throughout the day.
Those messages stayed with me. They are what kept me going.
As an AA member, I have always tried to keep the purpose of the app simple: to be useful, to stay out of the way, and to help make AA more accessible to anyone who needed it. I have done my best to serve that purpose with care and respect for the Fellowship.
The time has now come for me to step away from maintaining the app and to transfer stewardship of Everything AA to Alcoholics Anonymous World Services.
This is a meaningful transition. Everything AA has always been about service, and I believe AAWS is the right place for the app to continue forward. As an independent developer, there were limits to what I could do. AAWS will be able to support and develop the app in ways that I could not do on my own.
Some parts of the app may change over time. I know some familiar features may be missed, and I understand that. At the same time, those changes are part of bringing the app into alignment with AAWS, GSO, and our traditions. These changes will give it a stronger foundation for the future. I believe there is a lot to be hopeful about, including future improvements and additions that were not possible while I was maintaining the app independently.
My hope is that members give AAWS patience, support, and an open mind as they take this forward. The app exists because AA members used it, shared it, contributed to it, and trusted it. That same spirit can help guide its next chapter.
I am deeply grateful to everyone who used the app, sent kind words, reported issues, made suggestions, or supported the work along the way. You helped shape Everything AA into what it became.
This closes my chapter as the independent developer and maintainer of Everything AA. I'm grateful that the app will continue forward under AAWS, and I hope it continues to serve members for years to come.
Thank you for allowing me to be of service in this way.
With gratitude,
Ben S.
