Questions, answered plainly.

What is The Last Relay?

It’s an encrypted dead-man’s switch. You seal a message and files, choose who should receive them, and set the conditions under which they’re delivered. If you become unreachable for good, the right information reaches the right people — and only then.

Who is it for?

Anyone who carries something only they can pass on: the passwords and instructions a family will need, a letter meant to be read later, or a handoff of keys and documents that shouldn’t wait. It’s for the message you hope is never delivered, but would want delivered if it came to that.

What do I need to use it?

The owner sets everything up in the iOS app (coming soon). Your recipients and your trusted contact don’t need to install anything — they take part entirely through secure links in their email.

How big can a capsule be?

A single capsule can hold up to about 262 MB of message and files — plenty for documents, photos, keys, and instructions.

How many recipients can I have?

Up to three recipients per capsule, each with their own unique unlock phrase.

Can I have more than one capsule?

Today, each account manages one capsule. Your check-in — the signal that you’re still reachable — is about you, so one switch protects everything you put inside it.

Can you read my messages?

No. Your capsule is encrypted on your device before it’s ever uploaded. We store only ciphertext, and we never receive your keys or your recipients’ phrases — so we cannot read it. Neither can anyone who breaches or compels us.

What encryption do you use?

Capsule contents are sealed with XChaCha20-Poly1305; the key that opens them is wrapped with a key derived from your recipient’s phrase using Argon2id. Sign-in uses passkeys (WebAuthn) — there are no passwords to steal.

Do you store my keys or my recipients’ phrases?

No. The six-word phrase that opens a capsule exists only on the card you give your recipient and in their memory. It never reaches our servers in a form that could decrypt anything.

What if you get hacked?

An attacker who breached our servers would find ciphertext and routing details — email addresses, timestamps, configuration — but never the contents of a capsule. The keys to read it aren’t there to steal.

What if you receive a subpoena or government request?

We comply with valid legal process as the law requires — but because contents are end-to-end encrypted and we don’t hold the keys, the most we can ever produce is ciphertext and metadata. We cannot decrypt a capsule for anyone. (More in our Terms.)

Do I need a password?

No. Your device’s passkey — Face ID, Touch ID, or a security key — is the key. Nothing to reuse, phish, or leak.

What actually triggers a release?

Only your silence, in stages. If you stop checking in, we remind you for a while. If you stay silent, we ask your trusted contact whether they can reach you. Only if they can’t — and you still don’t respond through a final countdown — is the capsule released. You can stop the whole thing with a single tap at any point.

What if I’m just travelling or I lose my phone?

Checking in resets your clock, and one tap cancels any pending release. For planned unreachability — an expedition, a hospital stay, a retreat — use the pause feature, which holds your clock until the date you choose.

What if I miss a check-in by accident?

Nothing happens suddenly. You’re reminded first, then your trusted contact is asked, then there’s a final countdown — with warnings on every channel. There are many chances, over many days, to say “I’m okay.”

What does my trusted contact see or do?

Very little, by design. They’re asked one question — “can you reach them?” — and nothing more. They never see your capsule, its contents, or who your recipients are.

How will I know if someone touches my account?

Every security-sensitive action — a check-in, a sign-in — sends a notice to all of your verified email addresses. If it wasn’t you, you’ll know.

How does a recipient open a capsule?

They receive a link, download the encrypted capsule file, and enter the six-word phrase from the card you gave them. The decryption happens entirely on their own device — the phrase is never sent to us.

Do recipients need the app?

No. Recipients open their capsule through a web page and a self-contained decryptor. There’s nothing to install.

What if a recipient loses their phrase?

Then the capsule cannot be opened — by them, by you, or by us. That’s the trade-off that makes the encryption trustworthy: no one holds a master key. Give recipients their card and tell them to keep it somewhere safe.

What happens to my capsule after it’s delivered?

Once your recipients confirm they’ve downloaded it, the ciphertext is erased from our servers. After that, the files live only on their devices — and are theirs to keep.

Is it available yet?

Not quite — The Last Relay is coming soon to iOS. The best place to follow along is ai-created.com.

How much will it cost?

Pricing hasn’t been finalized yet. We’ll announce it before launch, so you’ll know exactly what to expect before you commit anything.

What happens if The Last Relay shuts down one day?

Your capsule is never trapped with us: it’s encrypted with keys only you and your recipients hold, and you can export or delete it at any time. And if we ever had to wind the service down, we intend to give ample advance notice — at least a month, and more whenever we can — so you have time to retrieve what you need and make other arrangements.

Is this a will or a legal document?

No. The Last Relay conveys information; it doesn’t create legal rights and isn’t a substitute for a will, trust, or power of attorney. For estate planning, talk to a qualified professional — and use The Last Relay to deliver the things they’ll actually need.

Who’s behind it?

The Last Relay is built and operated by Unthinking AI, LLC — the studio of Marco van Hylckama Vlieg (ai-created.com).