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Peace of mindMay 12, 20264 min read

A Dead-Man’s Switch, Explained Kindly

Nothing is ever shared while you’re here. Here’s exactly how the check-in, the reminders, and the grace period work — and what happens, and when, if you ever stop.

Testamently only releases your vault when you are genuinely unable to manage it yourself. The presence check is how we tell — and it is deliberately designed to never fire by accident.

You set the rhythm

You choose a check-in window — for example 30 days. Simply logging in resets the clock. As long as you keep using your account, nothing ever changes.

Plenty of warning

If you go quiet, we send gentle reminders as you approach the deadline — by email, and by SMS if enabled:

  • At 50% of your window — a soft heads-up
  • At 75% and 90% — clearer reminders
  • At 99% — a final notice before the grace period

A grace period, not a hair trigger

After the window passes, a grace period begins. Only once that also elapses with no response does the vault trigger and notify your trustees. There is no single missed login that opens everything.

Or skip the wait

You can also enable a death-certificate path, where an approved certificate grants access immediately rather than waiting out the timer. Either way, you stay in control of how and when your vault opens.

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