Is there a mobile app?

Yes, an Android app is available. Dead Man's Switch will send you notifications to check in, and the app allows you to check in at the touch of a button.

How can I contact you?

If you require support or have any questions about the service, you can email us at hi@stochastictechnologies.com

How does the service work?

The service works thus: You write some messages and specify when you want Dead Man's Switch to check up on you. These dates are called "intervals". For example, for intervals of "15, 30, 60", Dead Man's Switch will email you 15 and 30 days after your last checkin. If you don't check in again in that period of time, the messages with that interval will be sent to the message recipient(s) 60 days after your last checkin. Messages are sent independently, so messages with shorter intervals will be sent before those with longer ones.

Note that free accounts are limited to two-day intervals, so your messages will be sent after two days on a free account. This is so you can test the service and upgrade if you'd like longer intervals.

How can I add a message?

To add a message, go to your home page by the link on the toolbar on top after logging in and click write a new message. Fill in the required fields and press "save message".

How can I become a premium member?

You can become a premium member by visiting the Plans and pricing page after you have created an account.

How can I test the service?

To test the service, add a new message and, when asked to specify the intervals on which you would like to be contacted, select "Test message". This will make Dead Man's Switch contact you the next day to make sure you are responsive and send the email to the recipient(s) you have specified one day after that if you do not respond. This way, you do not have to wait for the full two months to test the service, but a mere two days.

How can I be sure you'll outlive me?

We don't have to outlive you! If the service shuts down while you're alive, we'll send you an email well in advance so you can switch services. That said, the service has been running successfully since 2007.

How can I specify my own intervals?

You can specify your own intervals if you become a Premium member. If you become a Premium member, the extra options for intervals will become available to you.

How do the premium member intervals work?

Intervals work like this: All numbers except the last are days to email you on since your last checkin. The last number is when to send out your messages, in days after the last checkin. For example, if you enter 3, 19, 22, 50, Dead Man's Switch will email you 3 days after your last checkin, then 19 days after it, then 22, and finally send all your emails 50 days after your last checkin.

If you check back in at any point before 50 days, the timer resets.

What happens if my subscription lapses?

If your subscription ever lapses, you get an email that it has lapsed, and your checkins stop counting. This means that your messages will be sent regardless of you checking in or not. To prevent them from being sent, you can either disable them, delete them, or upgrade your account again.

This is done so your messages are still sent if something happens to you and you're unable to pay for your subscription, but it does mean that you have to be careful with it. You do get ample warning if your subscription ever lapses, so you'll know to renew.

What email address are the messages sent from?

They are sent from "Dead Man's Switch notification service <donotreply@deadmansswitch.net>".

How can I send the same message to many people?

If you would like to send a message to many people at the same time just add multiple addresses in the "recipients" field, separated by a comma. These recipients won't be aware of each other, each message is sent separately to each recipient.

There is a limit to how many people per message you can add if you are a regular user.

Is this service secure?

Your messages reach us over an encrypted connection, are held in a private database, and our backups are encrypted. We do not read them, and we do not hand them to anyone else.

After a message is sent it is disabled, not deleted, so that you can see what went out and switch it back on if it fired by mistake. You can delete any message yourself at any time, which removes it from our database. Our encrypted backups may still hold a copy for up to a year after that.

If this is not enough, you can encrypt your messages using symmetric or asymmetric encryption using widely available software like PGP or GPG. Then the contents are readable only by whoever holds the key, and we never see them at all. Bear in mind that your recipient has to be able to decrypt the message.

That having been said, this service is meant for casual use by the average person. Please don't use the service if you need strong guarantees of privacy, e.g. if you are a whistleblower or any similar life-and-death situation. It is NOT meant to safeguard against high-value messages.

What are the terms of service and privacy policy?

Here are our terms of service and privacy policy.

How can I configure some common use cases?

From time to time, users contact us and ask us what the best way to configure some common use cases is. We've written a few pages below for you to read:

• How to use Dead Man's Switch to make sure your pets are cared for if you pass.
• How to use Dead Man's Switch for your safety.
• How to use Dead Man's Switch to send your loved ones letters.