Things you
asked.

You pick a time — say, 11:30 tonight. Before that time, you tap "I'm good" in the app. If you don't, we send a quiet alert to one person you chose. That's it. There's no location-sharing, no broadcasting, no explanation required.

Under two minutes. Download, pick one person you trust, and you're done. Setting a check-in after that takes three taps and about fifteen seconds.

No. They just need a phone. If you miss a check-in, they get a text — with your name, the fact that your check-in is overdue, and a single tap to confirm they've reached you.

Someone who will actually pick up their phone. Not someone who'll panic. The ideal contact is the friend who, if you texted "I'm good," would say "obviously," and move on.

First, a 5-minute grace period — your phone buzzes once, and you can tap to extend or confirm. If you don't, your chosen contact gets a text: "Maya set a check-in that's now overdue. She may be fine — but she'd want you to reach out." No sirens. No 911. Just a nudge for them to call you.

No. Not automatically, not ever. We are not an emergency service. We're a signal to someone who knows you. If escalation is needed, that's a decision a human in your life makes — not our servers.

It happens. A lot. That's why there's a grace period, a clear buzz on your phone, and a text path before anyone else gets involved. If your contact reaches out and you say "sorry, asleep" — that's the whole exchange. Nobody's mad.

Always. From the app, the lock screen, your Apple Watch, or a home-screen widget. One tap to add 30 minutes. One tap to end it.

Honestly — this is the limitation. If your phone is off or dead, we can't send a check-in signal from it, and we'll default to sending the alert. This is working as intended, but we recommend a battery-aware habit for long nights out.

No. By default, Vital Check-In never knows where you are. You can opt in to share your last known location only if you miss a check-in — but you have to turn that on, per check-in, and it's off by default.

No. Never. Not to advertisers, data brokers, "partners," insurance companies, or anyone else. Our revenue model is paid subscriptions. That's the whole plan.

Your account email, your contacts' names and numbers (encrypted), and your recent check-in history (auto-deletes after 30 days on free, 90 on Plus). You can audit everything we have on you from inside the app.

Settings → Privacy → Delete account. One tap. We wipe everything within 24 hours and email you a confirmation. No retention clauses, no "sorry to see you go" guilt trip.

The core app is free forever. One contact, unlimited check-ins, 30-day history. No ads, no upsells in the product. Plus is $4/month for up to 8 contacts, 90-day history, travel mode, and priority alert routing.

Because ads require data, and data requires surveillance, and surveillance defeats the product. We'd rather charge four dollars than sell four facts about you.

Yes. Cancel in-app, in 30 seconds. Your account downgrades to free at the end of your billing period. No retention call. No last-ditch discount.

iOS first. Android is in active development — join the waitlist and you'll hear when it's ready. We didn't want to ship a worse version of the app to half our users on day one.

Yes — anywhere your phone has cell service or Wi-Fi. Travel mode routes alerts through local SMS gateways so your contacts don't get a weird international-number text.

We designed it for women — they're the people telling us they needed it most — but anyone who wants a low-overhead check-in system in their life is welcome. Runners, nurses on night shifts, solo travelers, new parents. The app doesn't ask you to prove anything.

A small team — half women, all sharpened by the absence of a product like this. A couple of former product people, a designer from a company you've heard of, and an infrastructure engineer who'd rather talk about encryption than feelings. More on that page.

Email hello@vitalcheckin.com. A human answers. Usually same day.