Safety
How Huggs Vault keeps your messages private
The things you save in Huggs Vault are some of the most personal words you'll ever write. So we built it so that even we can't read them.
Locked on your phone, before anything leaves it
When you save a message with a passphrase, Huggs Vault scrambles it on your phone using AES-256 encryption, a strong, widely used standard. Only the scrambled version ever leaves your phone.
The key to unscramble it comes from a passphrase only you know. We never see it and never store it.
Kept in your own Google Drive
Your sealed messages are saved in your own Google Drive, not on our servers, and not filling up your phone. Huggs Vault can only see the files it creates there. It can't look at anything else in your Drive.
Our system only keeps what it needs to run the check-in timer and deliver your messages: things like your check-in settings, who your recipients are, and pointers to your encrypted files.
What we can see, and what we can't
- We can't see what's inside your locked letters, voice notes, photos or files.
- We can see details like a message's title (for example "Letter to my family"), who it's for, and your check-in activity, so the app can work.
- Titles and file names aren't encrypted, so keep the secrets inside the message itself.
Sharing the passphrase with your loved ones
When a message is delivered, the people you chose get a private link. If the message is locked with a passphrase, they'll need it to open it. It's up to you how to share it, or a hint they'll understand. Some ideas:
- Tell them in person: "If you ever get a message from Huggs Vault, the passphrase is our old street name."
- Use a hint only family would know.
- Keep it with your other important papers.
One important thing: because we can't read your messages, we also can't recover a lost passphrase. If it's lost, no one can open those messages, not even us. Choose one you'll remember.
Nothing goes out by mistake
Privacy also means your messages stay sealed until they're really needed. Reminders, a final warning, up to two trusted people, check-ins from any browser and a pause timer all stand between a missed check-in and a delivery. Read more in how check-ins work.
No ads, no selling, no AI training
Huggs Vault has no ads, and we never sell your information. We don't use it to train AI or build profiles about you. You can delete everything at any time, from the app or by emailing us.
The full details are in our privacy policy, written to be read by real people.