After a fight, when you both want to talk but neither of you knows where to start. A repair check-in is a 20-minute version of the weekly reveal, designed for the day after.

A repair check-in is the same simultaneous-reveal mechanic as the weekly check-in, but compressed. Instead of writing through a whole week, both of you write for about 10 minutes, mark ready, and reveal. It's designed for the conversation you want to have the day after a fight.

When to use it

After a hard argument when you've both cooled off but the air still feels heavy
After something one of you said that landed wrong
After a difficult conversation that ended with "let's talk about it later"
After a misunderstanding that snowballed
Any time you both want to communicate but neither of you knows how to start

How it differs from the weekly check-in

	Weekly check-in	Repair check-in
Cadence	Once a week	On-demand
Writing window	The full week	About 10 minutes
Prompts	Open	Repair-specific
Reveal	Same simultaneous mechanic	Same
Conversation starters	Standard	Tuned for repair conversations

How it works

Either of you taps + Start a repair check-in on the home tab.
The other partner gets a notification: "Sam started a repair check-in. They want to talk."
Each of you writes one to three entries with repair-specific prompts:
- What I felt during the conflict (not who was right)
- What I needed and didn't ask for
- What I'd do differently next time
- One thing I appreciated even in the middle of it (optional)
Both of you mark ready.
The reveal opens — both of you see everything at the same time.
The conversation starters are tuned for repair, for example:
- "You both wrote about feeling unheard. What would help you feel heard now?"
- "Sam wrote about needing space. Casey wrote about feeling pushed away. How do those two coexist?"

Why "repair," not "fight resolution"

We picked the word repair on purpose. Repair is a real concept in relationship research — it's the small moves that bring you back from a rupture. Open Heart's repair check-in isn't about deciding who was right. It's about giving you both a structure for getting back to each other.

The prompts reflect that. There's no "what your partner did wrong" prompt, deliberately.

Privacy

The same protection as your weekly entries. Repair check-in entries are locked on your phone before they leave it. Nothing about the repair flow is more or less visible to us than the weekly flow.

When it might not be the right tool

In active crisis. If you or your partner are in immediate danger or someone is at risk, please use the crisis resources. The repair check-in is for healthy couples processing a normal hard moment.
In a pattern of harm. If the same fight keeps happening despite repair attempts, an app isn't enough. A couples therapist is the right next step.
When one partner doesn't want to. Repair only works if both of you opt in. The notification is a request, not a demand. If your partner declines, give them space.

Repair check-ins