Help & FAQs

AlwaysVigil is an automated check-in service that ensures your important messages reach the people you care about — if you ever become unresponsive. If you become incapacitated, AlwaysVigil will send pre-written messages to the trusted contacts you designate. The system works by periodically sending you check-in emails. If you don't respond within a specified time period, AlwaysVigil assumes something has happened and automatically delivers your messages. This ensures your loved ones receive important information, passwords, final messages, or any other critical information you want them to have — but only when you're unable to provide it yourself. (Sometimes called a "dead man's switch" by the technical community.)

AlwaysVigil is built for anyone whose absence — planned or sudden — could leave people they love without answers. Here are the most common real-world uses: 🎓 Parents of College Students Your child is 18, legally an adult, living across the country. If something happens to you, do they know where the mortgage is? How to access your bank? Whether there's life insurance? AlwaysVigil lets you prepare a "here's everything you need to know" message — only delivered if you go silent. Set it and forget it. Update it when things change. 🪖 Active Duty Military & Veterans Deployed personnel and their families deal with real risk and communication blackouts. AlwaysVigil lets service members prepare final letters, financial instructions, and account access for their spouse or family — to be sent only if they stop checking in. 👮 Law Enforcement & First Responders Police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and corrections officers face elevated risk every shift. AlwaysVigil gives them a way to ensure their family receives critical information — insurance policies, pension details, safe combinations, final words. ✈️ Frequent Travelers & Expats Business travelers, digital nomads, and people living abroad often face connectivity gaps. AlwaysVigil's configurable check-in intervals (weekly to quarterly) mean you can set a frequency that matches your travel rhythm. 💼 Business Owners & Entrepreneurs If you're the only person who knows the server passwords, the client contracts, or the business bank accounts — your company dies with you. Use AlwaysVigil to send a business continuity package to your partner, attorney, or key employee. 🔑 Anyone with Digital Assets Crypto wallets, investment accounts, domain names, cloud storage — digital assets vanish if no one knows they exist. AlwaysVigil ensures the right person receives the right access information at the right time.

AlwaysVigil operates on a simple principle: 1. **Setup**: You create an account and configure your check-in frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly). 2. **Add Recipients**: You designate one or more recipients who will receive your messages. 3. **Write Messages**: You compose messages for each recipient containing whatever information you want them to have. 4. **Check-ins**: AlwaysVigil sends you periodic check-in emails based on your chosen frequency. 5. **Response**: You click the link in the check-in email to confirm you're okay. This resets the timer. 6. **No Response**: If you fail to respond within the grace period, AlwaysVigil assumes you're incapacitated and sends your pre-written messages to your designated recipients. 7. **Notification**: Your recipients receive the messages you prepared for them.

The grace period is the amount of time you have to respond to a check-in email before AlwaysVigil assumes something has happened to you. Grace periods vary by check-in frequency: • Weekly check-ins: 48 hours (2 days) • Bi-weekly check-ins: 96 hours (4 days) • Monthly check-ins: 336 hours (14 days) • Quarterly check-ins: 672 hours (28 days) • Custom days: 50% of your chosen interval (e.g. 3.5 days for a 7-day interval) This means if you miss a check-in, you still have time to respond before messages are sent to your recipients.

Yes! You can designate as many recipients as you want. Each recipient can receive different messages, or you can send the same message to multiple recipients. For example, you might: • Send financial account details to your spouse • Send personal messages to your children • Send business information to your business partner • Send social media passwords to a trusted friend You can organize recipients by relationship (family, friend, business, etc.) and assign different messages to different recipients based on what information is relevant to them.

Absolutely! You can edit, update, or delete your messages at any time. We actually recommend reviewing and updating your messages periodically (perhaps annually) to ensure: • Account passwords are current • Contact information is up-to-date • Financial details are accurate • Personal messages still reflect your wishes To edit a message, go to Settings > Messages, find the message you want to update, and click the Edit button.

Yes! We strongly encourage testing. You have two options: 1. **Test Check-in**: Create a test check-in to see how the check-in email looks and test the response mechanism. 2. **Test Message**: Send a test message to yourself (and optionally to your recipients) to see exactly what they will receive. You can test messages from the Messages section in your Settings.

AlwaysVigil offers: • **Free Trial**: Test the service and see if it's right for you • **Premium Plan**: $20/year for full access to all features • **Life Plans**: $60 for lifetime full access to all features The premium plan includes: • Up to 100 recipients • Up to 100 messages • Email support • Automatic renewal (can be cancelled anytime) We believe peace of mind should be affordable. That's less than $2 per month to ensure your loved ones receive your important information when they need it most.

Yes, you can cancel your account at any time from your account settings. When you cancel: 1. Your subscription will be terminated 2. No further charges will be made 3. Your data will be permanently deleted within 30 days 4. Your recipients will not receive any notifications 5. All check-ins will stop immediately If you're within your trial period or want to pause rather than delete, contact our support team for options.

When you delete your account from the Settings page, you'll need to confirm with your password. Here's what happens: **What Gets Deleted Immediately:** • Your user account and profile information • All your messages to recipients • All your designated recipients • All pending check-ins **What Gets Canceled:** • Active subscriptions (both annual and lifetime plans are canceled) • Future billing (no refunds after 5-day window) **Important Notes:** • Account deletion cannot be undone • You must enter your password to confirm deletion For questions about data retention or privacy, please contact [email protected].

Don't worry - we've built in safeguards: 1. **Grace Period**: You have a full grace period (same as your check-in frequency) to respond after the initial check-in 2. **Reminder Emails**: You'll receive reminder emails if you haven't responded 3. **Pause Feature**: You can pause check-ins if you know you'll be unavailable (coming soon) If you do miss both the check-in and grace period, your messages will be sent. However, you can immediately log in and create a new account or contact support if this happens accidentally.

If you know you'll be without internet access: 1. **Before leaving**: Respond to your current check-in to reset the timer 2. **Adjust frequency**: Temporarily change to a longer check-in frequency (e.g., switch from weekly to quarterly) 3. **Respond early**: When you receive your check-in email, respond immediately before your trip Coming soon: We're adding a "Pause" feature that will let you temporarily suspend check-ins for a specified period.

Yes, you can update your email address in your account settings. When you change your email: 1. We'll send a verification email to your new address 2. You must click the confirmation link 3. Your email will be updated once confirmed 4. All future check-ins and notifications will go to the new address Your recipient email addresses are separate and can be updated independently.

Yes. When you add a recipient, they automatically receive a notification email letting them know they've been added to your AlwaysVigil account. Your recipients will also: • Receive messages if you fail to check in and the grace period expires • Receive a test message if you explicitly send one to them

If messages are sent because you missed check-ins but you're actually okay: 1. **Contact recipients immediately** to explain it was a false alarm 2. **Log back into your account** or create a new one 3. **Update your messages** if needed 4. **Adjust check-in frequency** if it was too aggressive To prevent false alarms: • Choose a check-in frequency you can reliably maintain • Add your check-in emails to your safe senders list • Set a calendar reminder for your check-ins • Respond to check-ins promptly

Yes, this is one of the most common uses for AlwaysVigil. However, follow these best practices: • **Be specific**: Include account names, URLs, and usernames along with passwords • **Update regularly**: Review and update passwords in your messages when you change them • **Consider a password manager**: Store your password manager's master password in AlwaysVigil • **Use different messages**: Send financial passwords to your spouse, social media passwords to a trusted friend • **Include recovery info**: Add email account recovery information Remember: Your messages are encrypted and only sent when you fail to check in.

No, AlwaysVigil is not a replacement for a legal will or estate planning documents. However, it's an excellent complement: • **Wills** handle legal asset distribution • **AlwaysVigil** handles practical information delivery Use AlwaysVigil for: • Account passwords and access information • Location of important documents • Final personal messages • Instructions for immediate needs • Contact information for lawyers, accountants, etc. Consult with an attorney for proper estate planning and legal documents.

Great question. Google, Facebook, and Apple all have basic inactivity features, but they're fundamentally different in purpose and capability. **Why AlwaysVigil is different:** • **Platform-agnostic** — your recipients just need an email address, no accounts required • **You control the message** — write exactly what you want each person to receive: final letters, passwords, account locations, legal instructions • **Per-recipient messages** — send your spouse one thing, your attorney another, your children something different • **Proactive check-ins** — we email you and ask "are you okay?" rather than passively waiting for inactivity • **Configurable timing** — check in weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly • **End-to-end encrypted** — messages are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM • **No ecosystem lock-in** — AlwaysVigil works regardless of what apps or platforms you use Think of Google and Facebook's tools as account succession features. AlwaysVigil is a personal legacy communication system.

We're here to help! You can reach us at: • **Email**: [email protected] (response within 24 hours) • **Documentation**: Check our help center and FAQs • **Bug Reports**: Use our GitHub issues page • **Feature Requests**: Contact us with suggestions For urgent issues (like being locked out of your account), please email support with "URGENT" in the subject line.

A Data Subject Access Request (DSAR) is your legal right under privacy regulations such as GDPR (EU/UK) and CCPA (California) to request information about the personal data we hold about you, or to ask us to correct, delete, or restrict its use. **Your rights include:** • **Access** — Request a copy of all personal data we hold about you • **Rectification** — Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data • **Erasure** — Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten") • **Restriction** — Ask us to limit how we process your data • **Portability** — Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format • **Objection** — Object to certain types of processing **How to submit a request:** Email us at **[email protected]** with the subject line "DSAR Request". Include your full name and the email address associated with your account. We will respond within **30 days** as required by law. **Note:** Most data management actions (profile updates, message deletion, account deletion) can be done directly from your account settings without needing to submit a formal DSAR.