A check-in is a week of small entries plus a moment at the end where you both look at what was written. Here's how to run your first one — solo or with a partner.

A check-in cycle in Open Heart is one week — Monday through Sunday. You don't need to write every day. You don't need to write a lot. You just need to write something when something comes up.

The cycle, step by step

Monday through Saturday: write entries

When something happens or a feeling shows up, open the app and tap + New entry in the journal tab. Each entry has four parts:

Category — feeling, appreciation, growth, or moment
Feeling — the emotion that fits best
Intensity — 1 to 5
Body — what's actually on your mind, up to 500 characters

Then choose privacy:

Shared — included in the reveal
Private — kept to yourself, never shared
Unsend — exists for one minute, then disappears

If you've paired with a partner, your Shared entries get locked on your phone and uploaded as a scrambled bundle. Neither we nor your partner can read them until the reveal happens.

Sunday (or your chosen day): mark ready

Tap the Check-in tab. When you're done writing for the week, tap I'm ready. If you're solo, the reveal screen shows your week immediately. If you're paired, you wait for your partner.

When both partners are ready: the reveal

The app opens both weeks side by side, in order, with a summary of the emotional tone at the top and conversation starters underneath. (How the reveal works)

After the reveal: outcome (optional)

You can rate how the conversation went, jot down what worked, and pick one thing to focus on next week. The outcome is for you — it shapes future reflections, never anyone else's experience of the app.

What to write in your first week

There's no expectation. A week with one entry is fine. A week with seven is fine too. Some honest starting points:

A small thing your partner did that you appreciated and didn't say out loud
A moment when you wanted to bring something up but didn't
A feeling you've been carrying and haven't named
A question you keep meaning to ask
Something good — Open Heart works just as well for noticing what's working

The most common worry

"What if I write something and they don't?"

If you're paired and Sunday comes and your partner hasn't marked ready, the app waits. No reveal happens. Your entries stay locked. You can:

Keep waiting. The check-in rolls forward. Your partner can still mark ready on Monday or Tuesday and the reveal will fire.
Move the day. Either of you can request a new check-in day in Settings. The other has to accept.
Reveal solo. Tap Reveal solo to see your own week without your partner's. This doesn't unpair — next week is still a full check-in.

Your first check-in