Letters that only go out if you stop answering
Write to the people who matter, in your own words, while you still can. We keep your letters sealed and check in with you now and then. As long as you answer, nothing is ever sent.
Made so nothing goes out by mistake
- Nothing is sent while you answer
- One sign from you stops the steps
- Every step is checked before anything is sent
How it works
Four steps. While you answer, nothing is ever sent.
- 1Write and sealLetters, photos and videos for the people you choose. Encrypted, and private until they are sent.
- 2We check inOn a rhythm you choose, from a few days to five years. One press on I'm here, and your letters stay sealed.
- 3If you go quiet, we look for youReminders by email and text message, phone calls, and, if you added them, the people you trust. Any sign from you stops these steps, and your plan carries on as before.
- 4A final check, then they go outEvery step must really have happened. Only then does each letter reach its person, once. Until that moment your letters stay sealed and encrypted.
An example: a check-in every month
Tap a step to see what happens and when. You choose your own rhythm and safety steps.
- Nothing is sent while you answer
- One sign from you stops the steps
- Every step is checked before anything is sent
What people use it for
Some letters only matter if something happens. These are a few of the reasons people write them.
- A trip or an adventureMountains, the sea, a long journey alone. Set it for as long as you are away.
- An illness or an operationWords for the people you love, written in peace while you can.
- Parents of young childrenA letter in your own words, for the day they need to hear from you.
- Things never saidThank you, I'm sorry, I love you. The words that are hard to say face to face.
- Work with riskFor pilots, sailors, soldiers, rescue workers and everyone who knows the risk.
- Practical thingsWhere the important papers are, who to call, what you would want. Never passwords.
What it looks like
Two sides: the check-in you get, and the letter your people get, only if you go quiet.
What you get
Check-in
Are you there?
One press tells us you are fine.
What they get, only if you go quiet
A letter for you
Anna
From Marit
Passes and prices
Setting up and writing is free. You only choose a pass when you start: it is how long we keep watching.
1 month
$20
For a trip or a short time away.
3 months
$40
For a season, a long journey or a recovery.
1 year
$50
A whole year, checked on your rhythm.
Lifetime
$99
One payment, watched for 50 years.
Pay once, or let the 1 month, 3 months or 1 year pass renew automatically. Stop renewing any time.
Lifetime is for check-in rhythms of a month or more.
Read about passes and pricesQuestions people ask
Is this a dead man's switch?
In a way, but a careful one. A missed check-in does not send anything: it only starts the safety steps, with reminders by email and text message, phone calls, the people you trust if you added any, and final warnings. Your letters go out only after every step has passed without a sign from you.
What does it cost?
Setting up and writing is free. To start, you choose a pass: $20 for 1 month, $40 for 3 months, $50 for 1 year, or $99 once, watched for 50 years. Passes can be paid once or renew automatically.
How do my people get their letters?
Each person gets their own private link by email or text message, and only once every step has passed. They open your words, photos and videos on a simple page, without an account.
Can I change or stop it?
Yes. You can change your letters, pause your check-ins or end your plan at any time. Ending keeps your letters for later, and nothing is sent.
Is this a will?
No. These letters have no legal force and cannot decide who inherits anything. For that, make a will with a lawyer.
Can a letter be sent by mistake?
Not without many chances to stop it: reminders, phone calls, the people you trust if you added any, and a final check that every step really happened. One sign from you stops these steps, and your plan carries on as before.
What if I am in hospital or without signal?
Pause your check-ins before you go: press “Pause check-ins” and choose up to 90 days. We will not ask you to check in until the pause ends. If you could not pause in time, nothing happens quickly: each step takes days, and a check-in, a sign-in or pressing 1 on a call stops these steps at once, and your plan carries on as before.
Who can read my letters?
Your letters are encrypted, and nobody reads them. Your people only get them once every step has passed.
Guides
- How If I'm Not Back worksLetters for the people you love, kept sealed and private while you answer our check-ins, and sent only once every safety step has passed.
- Set up your If I'm Not Back planFrom the first page to a running plan: choose your rhythm, confirm your phone, write your letters, add trusted people if you like and pick a pass.
- Check-ins and safety stepsHow often we check in, how to answer, how to pause, and what each safety step does before any letter can be sent.
- Trusted peopleThe people we ask before your letters are sent, if you add any: what they get from us, how they answer, and why one answer that you are fine stops the steps.
- What recipients of your letters getHow a released letter reaches each person by email or text message, what they see when they open it, and the reminders when they have not.
- If I'm Not Back passes and pricesThe four passes, paid once or renewing by themselves: which one fits your rhythm, how to extend or stop it, and what happens when it runs out.
Ready to begin?
Setting it up is free. Nothing is watched or sent until you choose a pass and start.
Get started