How LifeAlarm Works

Your proof‑of‑life monitoring & emergency Rescue Mode, in one simple system. Keep living your life—if you ever go inactive beyond a grace period you set, LifeAlarm privately delivers what your loved ones and close contacts need, exactly when they need it.

It’s a personal alarm for your life. While you’re OK, nothing happens. If you aren’t, LifeAlarm executes your plan—automatically, privately, and securely .
1) Add Contacts

Parents, significant others, children, caretakers, etc.

2) Enable Rescue Mode

Proof‑of‑Life: 24hour default

3) Draft Rescue Information

Emergency instructions in clear text for urgent situations.

Live normally — app quietly resets your “last proof”. → No proof for 24h: switch arms. → → Information assets deliver to contacts.

Proof‑of‑Life Monitor (Dead Man’s Switch)

Inherita watches for lightweight “proofs” of activity. If nothing arrives for long enough, the switch arms, then—after a short veto window—releases assets.

What counts as “proof”?
  • Step samples from Health (opt‑in)
  • Recent “exit”/coarse movement
  • Opening the app
  • HealthKit Steps
You can tune proofs in Settings → Proof of Life. Conservative defaults reduce false triggers.
Travel & Off‑Grid
  • Adjust sensitivity or pause monitoring for trips (e.g., long flights).
  • Rescue Mode is separate—use it only for short, higher‑risk windows.
Defaults: Days until switch: 14 Response window: 3 days
Change both in Settings → Proof of Life per your tolerance for accurate information release.

Rescue Mode (24‑hour)

A faster lane for emergencies. Use when hours matter (solo trip, high‑risk work, adventure travel which is not off-grid; Inherita requires an active internet connection to function.)

How it works
  • If no proof for ~24 hours, we send your Rescue Note to your chosen contacts.
  • Clear text by design — no decryption steps for recipients.
  • Auto‑disable or toggle off when you’re back.
Rescue is completely independent of encrypted legacy assets.
What to include
  • Who to call first & medical notes (allergies, conditions).
  • Last place/route, itinerary, building access info.
  • Other contacts to coordinate with.
Do not put sensitive secrets here. Keep those in encrypted assets.
Not an emergency responder: Rescue Mode notifies your contacts with actionable info to assist them in locating and helping you with the appropriate authorities (when applicable). In an immediate danger situation, call local emergency services first.
False alarm?
  • Open the app to record fresh proof and pause Rescue if needed.
  • Send a quick follow‑up to contacts to clarify.
  • Review permissions algorithms (steps/exit) to reduce future triggers.

Notifications & Emails

Delivery channels
  • Email for you (response window alerts). Soon, APN Push Notices.
  • Email (and soon, SMS) to beneficiaries upon release.
  • Rescue contacts receive plaintext instructions.
Reliability tips
  • Ask contacts to whitelist your sender domain.
  • Keep emails current; update if addresses change.

Privacy & Security

Zero‑knowledge design
  • Passwords stored as Argon2 hashes—never plaintext.
Secure delivery
  • HTTPS/TLS for all transport; recipients unlock only their share.
  • Export or delete your data any time from Account.
Reminder: Be aware of your internet connection with Rescue Mode. Prolonged lack of access will trigger notices to your Rescue Contacts.

Troubleshooting

Likely a fresh background proof (steps/exit) reset the timer. Check Account → Status to see last proof. Contact Support if you beleive this to be an error.

Device might have been off, internet/wifi unavailable, or permissions disabled for ~24h. Please promptly notify contacts of the issue.

No worries, just uncheck the "Notify Now" box when you add the contact beneficiary. They won't receive any notices unless you become inactive for the specified duration. Please ensure your hint will provide enough information for them to answer it correctly. We don't store the hint answer, they will need it to decrypt your information assets.

Update to the latest version and ensure background refresh is allowed. Pull to refresh; delivery may lag occasionally, but your data remains safe.

Glossary

Proof‑of‑Life (PoL)
Signals that you’re active (steps/exit/app use). Lack of proof arms the switch.
Dead Man’s Switch (DMS)
Another name for the PoL based release system.
Days until switch
Inactivity window before arming (default 14).
Response period
Final window to cancel ("veto") by email before release (default 3).
Rescue Mode
24‑hour cleartext instructions to your trusted contacts for emergencies.
Hint answer
Personal unlock key per beneficiary; stored as a salted hash(industry standard avoids our servers ever seeing your answers); used to unwrap their decryption key.

After setup, you’ll likely never need LifeAlarm to trigger—like an insurance policy or seatbelt. But having it in place spares loved ones from uncertainty, and lets you be assured knowing your plan is ready.

Last updated: January 10, 2026