# Open Heart > Privacy-first couples communication. Partners journal independently during the week, then reveal what they wrote at the same time. Nobody goes first. End-to-end encrypted with tweetnacl — the company cannot read user entries. Solo mode is free forever; couples mode is $9.99/month or $59.99/year with a 30-day trial. Website: https://www.myopenheart.co App Store: search "Open Heart: Couples Check-In" Google Play: search "Open Heart: Couples Check-In" Support: hello@myopenheart.co --- # Getting started > Install the app, finish onboarding, and run your first weekly check-in. # What Open Heart is > A weekly check-in app for couples who want to say the things they've been holding in. You write through the week. Your partner writes through the week. On check-in day, you both see everything at the same time. Open Heart is a mobile app for couples. The core idea is simple: 1. Both of you write entries through the week — feelings, things you appreciated, things bothering you, moments worth remembering. 2. On a chosen check-in day (usually Sunday), both of you mark yourselves "ready." 3. When the second person marks ready, the app opens both weeks at the same time. Nobody goes first. The point of revealing at the same time: nobody has to be the brave one. You don't have to read the room. You don't have to wait for the right moment. You write when the thought is fresh, then the structure handles the timing. ## Who it's for Open Heart is built for the partner who has things to say but fears the consequences of saying them. People who journal in their Notes app and delete it. People who rehearse conversations and then say "never mind." If holding things in until they explode is a pattern in your relationship, this is the app for that. It's also for couples who already communicate well and want a structured weekly rhythm — therapy clients between sessions, long-distance partners, people in early recovery from a rupture. ## What it isn't - **Not a therapy replacement.** It's a structure for talking, not a substitute for professional help. - **Not a content generator.** The optional AI features (conversation starters, weekly insights) are grounded in what you and your partner actually wrote. - **Not a surveillance tool.** Both partners must opt in. There's no way to "check up" on your partner. ## What makes it different - **Your entries stay private.** They're locked on your phone before they leave it. We can't read them. ([How your privacy works](/docs/privacy/how-encryption-works)) - **Solo mode is free forever.** You don't need a partner to start. Solo journaling, feeling tracking, and a 30-day trial of premium — all free. ([Solo mode](/docs/features/solo-mode)) - **The reveal is the point.** Most couples apps are quiz or prompt generators. Open Heart is built around the reveal — the structure that protects both of you from going first. ## How to get started 1. [Install the app](/docs/getting-started/install) on iPhone or Android. 2. [Walk through onboarding](/docs/getting-started/onboarding) — your name, attachment style, love language ranking. Two minutes. 3. [Run your first check-in](/docs/getting-started/first-checkin), solo or with a partner. ## Related - [Solo mode](/docs/features/solo-mode) - [The simultaneous reveal](/docs/features/simultaneous-reveal) - [How your privacy works](/docs/privacy/how-encryption-works) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/getting-started/what-is-open-heart --- # Install Open Heart > Open Heart is on iPhone and Android. Install it, open it, and you're in. No email needed to start. No social login. No account creation form. Open Heart runs on iPhone and Android. There's no web app — your entries live on your phone. ## iPhone - Open the App Store - Search for **Open Heart: Couples Check-In** - Tap Get - Works on iPhones running iOS 16 or later ## Android - Open the Play Store - Search for **Open Heart: Couples Check-In** - Tap Install - Works on Android phones running Android 10 or later ## After installing The app opens to a welcome screen. Tap **Get started**. You don't have to create an account, hand over an email, or pick a password — Open Heart sets up your account quietly in the background. If you want to use the couples features, your partner installs the same app on their phone, and you send them a link from inside Open Heart to pair up. ## Already have a recovery phrase? If you've used Open Heart before and saved your 24-word recovery phrase, tap **I have a recovery phrase** on the welcome screen. Type your words and the app will pull down your past entries. ([Recovery phrase](/docs/account/recovery-phrase)) ## What gets installed - The app itself (a small download) - A spot on your phone where your entries live (locked, only you can read it) ## What doesn't - No tracking that follows you to other apps - No notifications you didn't ask for. The app asks for permission only when you turn on a feature that uses them. ## Related - [Walk through onboarding](/docs/getting-started/onboarding) - [Restore from recovery phrase](/docs/troubleshooting/restore-from-recovery) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/getting-started/install --- # Onboarding walkthrough > Onboarding takes about two minutes. We ask for the bare minimum: your name, your attachment style, and your love language ranking. Every screen is skippable. Nothing is required. The first time you open the app, we ask a few questions. Each one is optional — if a screen feels off, tap **Skip**. Your answers are kept on your phone and used to make prompts and reflections feel more like they were written for you. ## What we ask ### 1. Your name We use your first name in the app and in coaching responses. Your partner sees this name when you pair. Use a nickname if you prefer. ### 2. Your relationship status Single, partnered, married, separated, complicated — pick what fits. We use it to soften the tone where it should be soft (someone working through a separation gets gentler prompts than someone in a new relationship). ### 3. Your goals A short list of things you want from the app — better communication, working through a hard time, daily reflection, supporting a partner. This shapes which prompts you see in solo journaling. ### 4. Pain points (optional) Things that come up in your relationship: conflict avoidance, feeling unseen, anxiety about distance. Tap any that resonate. Tap none if you don't want to share. ### 5. Love language ranking Drag the five love languages (acts of service, physical touch, quality time, words, gifts) into your personal order. Your top language tells the app which kinds of prompts and reflections will land for you. ### 6. Attachment style ranking Drag the four styles (secure, anxious, avoidant, disorganized) into your personal order. The top style most informs the tone of the AI coaching: - **Anxious-leaning users** get extra reassurance and acknowledgment of fear. - **Avoidant-leaning users** get respect for independence and lower-pressure prompts. - **Securely-leaning users** get straightforward coaching with less framing. - **Disorganized-leaning users** get steady, simple language. If you don't know your style, take our [free attachment style quiz](https://www.myopenheart.co/tools/attachment-style-quiz) — it takes three minutes. ## What happens after onboarding You land on the home tab. From there you can: - **Write your first entry** in the journal tab - **Invite a partner** if you want couples mode now ([Couples mode](/docs/features/couples-mode)) - **Stay solo** for a while — solo mode is fully featured and free ([Solo mode](/docs/features/solo-mode)) ## Changing your answers later Everything you set during onboarding is editable in **Settings → Edit profile**. The AI re-reads your profile every time it generates a response, so updating your attachment style or love language takes effect immediately. ## Related - [Run your first check-in](/docs/getting-started/first-checkin) - [Solo mode](/docs/features/solo-mode) - [Couples mode (pairing)](/docs/features/couples-mode) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/getting-started/onboarding --- # Your first check-in > 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](/docs/features/simultaneous-reveal)) ### 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. ## Related - [The simultaneous reveal](/docs/features/simultaneous-reveal) - [Solo mode](/docs/features/solo-mode) - [Repair check-ins (after a fight)](/docs/features/repair-checkins) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/getting-started/first-checkin --- # Features > How weekly check-ins, the simultaneous reveal, encryption, and the AI coaching layer work. # Weekly check-ins > One week per cycle. Both of you write through the week. On the chosen check-in day, both of you mark ready. When the second person taps ready, the app opens both weeks at the same time. A weekly check-in in Open Heart is a structured rhythm for couples to surface what they've been carrying — without one of you having to be the one to start the conversation. ## The week A check-in cycle is one week. During the week, you write entries when something comes up. There's no minimum number. There's no maximum. ## The day You and your partner pick a check-in day during onboarding. Default is Sunday. Either of you can change it in Settings; the other has to accept. The check-in tab tells you how many days are left until your day, and shows your status (writing, ready, revealed). ## The reveal When both of you tap **I'm ready**, the reveal opens. Both of you see both weeks at the same time. Nobody had to go first. Nobody had to read the room. ([The simultaneous reveal](/docs/features/simultaneous-reveal)) The reveal either opens for both of you or it waits — there's no scenario where one of you sees it and the other doesn't. ## After the reveal The next cycle starts immediately. Entries you write after the reveal belong to next week's check-in, not this one. You won't see this week's entries again next time. ## What if one of you isn't ready The check-in waits. Your entries stay locked until both of you mark ready. There's no fallback that fires after a deadline. If your partner isn't ready by Sunday evening, you have three options: - **Keep waiting.** The check-in rolls into Monday and beyond. The day label updates so you both can see the slip. - **Reveal solo.** Tap **Reveal solo** on the check-in screen. You see your own week now. Your partner still has to mark ready before they see anything. - **Move the day.** Request a new check-in day in Settings. Your partner gets a notification. ## What we don't do - We don't tell either of you what the other has written before the reveal. - We don't show "your partner is writing" notifications. - We don't tell either of you that the other is "behind" or "not writing enough." The rhythm is yours to set. The structure is just there to carry the timing. ## Related - [The simultaneous reveal](/docs/features/simultaneous-reveal) - [Couples mode (pairing)](/docs/features/couples-mode) - [Repair check-ins (after a fight)](/docs/features/repair-checkins) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/features/weekly-checkins --- # The simultaneous reveal > On check-in day, when both of you mark ready, both weeks appear at the same time on both phones. Nobody goes first. The whole product is built around this one mechanic. The simultaneous reveal is the core mechanic of Open Heart. It's the thing that makes the rest of the app worth using. ## Why we built it this way In most relationships, one person tends to be the one who brings things up. The other tends to react. Over time, the bringer-up gets tired of always having to be the brave one. The reactor gets tired of feeling ambushed. Both stop saying things. The reveal mechanic redistributes that cost. Neither of you has to be brave first. The structure carries the timing. ## How it works, step by step 1. **During the week**, you and your partner each write entries on your own phones. Neither of you can see the other's entries yet. 2. **On check-in day**, each of you opens the check-in tab and taps **I'm ready** when you've finished writing. 3. **When the second person taps ready**, both phones light up at almost exactly the same moment. Both weeks open up. Both of you see everything together. 4. **You can re-read the reveal** for the rest of the week. It doesn't disappear after the first viewing. There's no scenario where one of you sees the reveal and the other doesn't. Either it fires for both of you or it waits. ## What you see when it opens - **A summary up top** — overall tone for the week (mostly warm, mixed, mostly heavy), how many entries each of you wrote, average emotional intensity. - **Both weeks in order**, with each of you color-coded so you can tell at a glance who wrote what. - **Four conversation starters** below — questions tuned to the specific things you both wrote, designed to help you start talking. ([How starters work](/docs/features/ai-conversation-starters)) - **An optional outcome form** for after you've talked. ## What it isn't - **Not a reveal of secrets.** Every entry was written knowing the reveal was coming. Nothing is gotcha-style. - **Not a deadline.** If only one of you has marked ready, the reveal waits. It doesn't fire on a schedule. - **Not one-shot.** The reveal stays available — you can go back and re-read your week and your partner's week as many times as you want. ## What if my partner isn't ready The check-in waits. Your entries stay locked on our servers. You have three options: - **Keep waiting.** The check-in rolls into the next day. The day counter updates ("3 days late") so you both can see the slip. - **Reveal solo.** You can tap "Reveal solo" to see your own week without your partner's. They still won't see anything until they mark ready themselves. - **Move the day.** Either of you can request a new check-in day in Settings. The other has to accept. We deliberately don't fire the reveal one-sided after a deadline. The structure only works if both of you opted in. ## Related - [Your entries are private](/docs/features/end-to-end-encryption) - [Conversation starters after the reveal](/docs/features/ai-conversation-starters) - [What happens after the reveal](/docs/getting-started/first-checkin) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/features/simultaneous-reveal --- # Your entries are private > Everything you write is locked on your phone before it leaves. Only you and your partner can open it. Not us, not anyone else. Even if our servers were stolen tomorrow, your entries would stay locked. When you write an entry, your phone scrambles it into a code that only you (and your partner, if you're paired) can unscramble. The scrambled version is what lives on our servers. The key that unscrambles it lives only on your phone. For the longer explanation, see [How your privacy works](/docs/privacy/how-encryption-works). ## What's locked - The words you write - The feeling you picked - The category - How intense it was - Your partner's name, love language, attachment style, and profile photo ## What we can see - That you wrote an entry (an anonymous ID, the week it belongs to, whether it was marked shared) - The time it was created - That you have an account at all We can't see what you wrote, what you felt, or anything about the content. ## What this means for you - **You can write whatever's true** without worrying about a third party reading it. There's no "Open Heart support team" with a window into your journal. - **A data breach can't expose your entries.** What's on our servers is gibberish without your key. - **A legal demand for your content can't surface anything readable** — we don't have anything readable to hand over. - **Losing your phone without a recovery phrase means losing your past entries.** This is the cost. We can't get them back for you. It's why we ask you to save a [recovery phrase](/docs/account/recovery-phrase). ## Your partner sees what you choose to share Each entry has a privacy level: - **Shared** — included in the next reveal. Your partner sees it when you both mark ready. - **Private** — kept on your device, never goes anywhere. Your partner never sees it. - **Unsend** — exists for one minute, then disappears. Useful for venting. Privacy is set per entry. You're never locked into one mode for the whole week. ## Related - [How your privacy works](/docs/privacy/how-encryption-works) - [Recovery phrase](/docs/account/recovery-phrase) - [What we collect](/docs/privacy/data-collection) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/features/end-to-end-encryption --- # Solo mode > You don't need a partner to use Open Heart. Solo mode is the full app for one person: journaling, feeling tracking, AI reflection, weekly insights, monthly summaries, crisis resources. Free forever. Solo mode is what you get without pairing. It's not a stripped-down preview of the couples experience — it's a full-featured solo journaling app on its own. ## Who it's for - People who want to journal weekly but don't want or need a partner involved - People curious about Open Heart whose partner isn't ready - People going through a separation or breakup who want a structure for processing it - Therapy clients who want to track patterns between sessions - Anyone in early recovery from a difficult life event ## What's in solo mode - **Daily and weekly entries** with category, feeling, intensity, body - **Feeling tracking** across weeks, with a sentiment trend chart - **AI reflection** — short coaching responses on each entry (optional) - **Weekly insight** — a 2-3 sentence reflection on the week - **Monthly arc summary** — a 3-4 sentence read on the past month - **Therapist export** — a one-page summary you can share with a therapist - **Crisis resources** — region-specific hotlines, always one tap away - **Biometric lock** — Face ID or fingerprint to open the app - **Recovery phrase** — 24 words that let you restore your data on a new phone - **Data export** — full copy of every entry, in a file you can save ## What's not in solo mode The features that fundamentally need two people: - **The simultaneous reveal** — there's nothing to reveal solo - **Conversation starters with partner context** — solo gets entry-based reflection prompts instead - **Repair check-ins** — built around the partner conversation - **Inherited Pro** — no partner to share a subscription with ## Pricing - **Free forever** — solo journaling, feeling tracking, basic AI reflection - **30-day free trial** of premium on first install (AI coaching, weekly insight, monthly summary, therapist export) - **$9.99/month or $59.99/year** to keep premium features after the trial You can use solo mode forever without ever paying. The free tier is real, not a runaround. ## Switching to couples later You don't have to start over. When you're ready to pair: 1. Settings → **Invite a partner** 2. Send the link to your partner 3. They install Open Heart and tap the link 4. Both phones show the same 6-digit code — if it matches, you're paired 5. From now on, your shared entries are part of the weekly check-in Your existing solo entries stay private. They're locked with your solo key. Couples mode uses a separate shared key with your partner. Pre-pairing entries are never visible in any future reveal. ## Switching back from couples to solo If you unpair, the shared key is destroyed. Your solo key is preserved. You can keep using Open Heart in solo mode with your full history (minus your partner's entries, which only worked with the shared key). ## Related - [Couples mode (pairing)](/docs/features/couples-mode) - [Therapist export](/docs/features/therapist-export) - [Crisis resources](/docs/privacy/crisis-resources) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/features/solo-mode --- # Couples mode (pairing) > Pairing is a one-time setup between two phones. After it's done, both of you can join the weekly check-in cycle. Entries you've already written before pairing stay private to you. Couples mode is what unlocks the simultaneous reveal. It needs both of you to install the app and complete a one-time pairing. ## How to pair ### If you're sending the invite 1. Open the app. Go to **Settings → Invite a partner**. 2. Tap **Share invite**. Your phone's share sheet opens. 3. Send the link to your partner — iMessage, WhatsApp, email, whatever works for the two of you. The link is good for 15 minutes. After that you'll need to send a fresh one. ### If you're accepting an invite 1. Tap the link your partner sent. 2. iPhone or Android opens the app to the accept-invite screen. 3. Tap **Accept**. 4. Both phones show a **6-digit verification code**. ### Verify the code Compare the 6-digit code on both phones — in person, on a call, however you can. **The codes must match.** - If they match, you're paired. Tap **Confirm** on both phones. - If they don't match, something went wrong with the pairing. Tap **Cancel** on both phones and try again from a different network. The code is your protection against someone interfering with the pairing process. Two seconds of comparison, on both ends. ## What changes after pairing - The check-in tab activates. From now on, entries you mark **Shared** are part of the weekly cycle. - Both of you can see each other's name and profile photo (if either of you set one). - If one of you has a Premium subscription, the other gets premium features at no extra cost. ([Inherited Pro](/docs/account/inherited-pro)) ## Pre-pairing entries stay yours Entries you wrote before pairing were locked with your personal key. Your partner's phone never gets that key. The reveal only includes entries written after you paired — your earlier solo entries remain private to you. ## Day-change requests Either of you can change the check-in day: 1. Settings → **Check-in day** 2. Pick a new day 3. The other partner gets a notification: "Sam wants to move check-in to Wednesdays." 4. They tap accept or decline. 5. Accepted: the new day takes effect immediately. Declined: the original day stays. Neither of you can change the day on your own. The structure is what protects both of you. ## Unpair Settings → **Disconnect from partner** → confirm. What happens: - The shared key is destroyed on your phone. Your partner's phone is notified and the same happens on theirs. - Your check-in cycle stops. You go back to solo mode. - If you had inherited premium from your partner, that ends now. - Entries that were locked with the shared key can no longer be opened, including your partner's past shared entries on your phone. (Their entries on their phone are still readable — for them. Yours on yours, same.) Unpairing can't be undone. Re-pairing later starts fresh — none of the past shared entries come back. ## Related - [The simultaneous reveal](/docs/features/simultaneous-reveal) - [Your entries are private](/docs/features/end-to-end-encryption) - [Inherited Pro](/docs/account/inherited-pro) - [Invite link not opening the app](/docs/troubleshooting/invite-link-not-opening) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/features/couples-mode --- # AI conversation starters > After the reveal, Open Heart suggests four conversation starters built from what you and your partner actually wrote. Generic prompts are filtered out. The AI never sees anything until you both choose to reveal. The AI layer is optional and grounded. It only sees content you've already chosen to share, and only after the reveal opens. ## What the AI does - **4 conversation starters** on the reveal screen, built from both of your entries - **Coaching response** under each entry (optional) - **Weekly insight** — 2-3 sentences on patterns from the week - **Monthly reflection** — 3-4 sentences on the past month's emotional arc - **Partner weekly summary** — 2-4 sentences on what your partner's week looked like emotionally ## What the AI doesn't do - It doesn't read your entries before the reveal. - It doesn't make things up. Every starter, response, and summary points to something you actually wrote. - It doesn't reach out to you. There are no AI-generated push notifications. - It doesn't keep the entry content after the response is written. ## How starters get generated When you and your partner reveal: 1. Both weeks of entries are unlocked on your phone. 2. A short summary of the entries is built locally. 3. That summary plus your partner's name, attachment style, and love language goes to the AI. 4. The AI returns four questions, each pointing to a specific moment from your partner's week. 5. Generic openers ("how was your week," "what are you thinking") are removed. 6. The questions show up on the reveal screen. The AI sees the entry content for the time it takes to write the response. We don't keep a log of these conversations. ## Why the AI is opt-in Two reasons: 1. **Some weeks don't need it.** A simple, honest reveal is sometimes enough. The AI is a sharpener, not a requirement. 2. **You should be able to write without anyone reading it — even an AI.** Solo journaling and shared entries with no AI is a valid way to use the app. You can turn AI features off in **Settings → AI features**. The app falls back to a smaller set of pre-written prompts in that case. ## Privacy - The AI request is made from your phone, not from our servers. - The request doesn't include any identifying details beyond your first name (which is already in your profile). - The AI provider doesn't keep your content after the response is sent. ## We don't lead with the AI Open Heart isn't an AI app dressed up as a couples tool. The reveal is the value. The AI is a layer on top that helps you find words for what's already there. Industry research from 2026 shows AI-led couples apps make more money up front but lose users twice as fast as non-AI ones. We chose to lead with the structure and let the AI quietly assist. ## Related - [The simultaneous reveal](/docs/features/simultaneous-reveal) - [Therapist export](/docs/features/therapist-export) - [Subscription & free trial](/docs/account/subscription) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/features/ai-conversation-starters --- # Therapist export > A one-page summary of your last four weeks that you can share with your therapist. Includes feeling distribution, category breakdown, and short excerpts from shared entries. Private and unsend entries are never included. The therapist export turns four weeks of journaling into a one-page summary your therapist can read in two minutes. It's designed for use between sessions — when you want your therapist to walk in already knowing what's been on your mind. ## What the export contains - **Reporting period** — the past four weeks - **Per-week breakdown** for each week: - How many entries you wrote, and how many you marked shared - Feeling distribution (which emotions came up, and how intense they were) - Category breakdown (feeling, appreciation, growth, moment) - Short excerpts from shared entries — about 100 characters each - **Four-week trends**: - Most frequent feeling overall - Total entries - Average entries per week - **A footer** noting that private and unsend entries are never exported ## What it doesn't contain - **No private entries.** If you marked it Private, it stays on your phone. - **No unsend entries.** Those vanish after one minute and are never written down. - **No partner's entries.** Even if you're paired, the export is your data only. - **No times of day.** The summary is by week. - **No identifying technical detail.** No account ID, no device info. ## How to export 1. Settings → **Therapist export** 2. The app builds the summary on your phone. 3. Your share sheet opens. 4. Pick how to send: email, message, copy to clipboard. It's a premium feature, included in your 30-day trial and in the paid plan. ## What therapists tend to do with it From conversations with therapists who've reviewed the format: - **Spot patterns** that don't always come up in session ("you've written about feeling unseen four times this month") - **Calibrate intensity** — whether what you say in session matches what you write privately - **See category drift** — moving from "appreciation" entries to "growth" entries can signal a shift - **Skip the catch-up** — the first ten minutes don't get spent on "what's been going on" ## Sample of what gets generated ``` OPEN HEART — THERAPY SESSION SUMMARY Prepared for: Sam Period: Last 4 weeks (April 19 to May 10) Generated: May 10, 2026 ──────────────────────────────────────── WEEK: April 26 – May 2 Entries: 6 total, 4 shared Feelings this week: Anxious: 3x (avg intensity: 4.0/5) Grateful: 2x (avg intensity: 3.5/5) Hurt: 1x (avg intensity: 4/5) Topics: feeling: 4 appreciation: 1 growth: 1 Shared reflections: [feeling] "Felt off all morning. Couldn't put my finger on..." [growth] "I keep going quiet when I'm overwhelmed. I want to..." [appreciation] "He made me coffee without me asking. Small but..." [feeling] "Couldn't sleep. Replaying the conversation from..." ──────────────────────────────────────── [ ... 3 more weeks ... ] 4-WEEK TRENDS: Most frequent feeling: Anxious (8x) Total entries: 22 Average entries per week: 5.5 ``` ## Format Plain text. Designed to be readable in any email client, copy-pasted into a session note, or printed. No PDF, no formatting markup — the summary is short enough that styling doesn't help. ## Related - [Subscription & free trial](/docs/account/subscription) - [Reading a therapist export (for therapists)](/docs/for-therapists/reading-export) - [What we collect](/docs/privacy/data-collection) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/features/therapist-export --- # Repair check-ins > 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 1. Either of you taps **+ Start a repair check-in** on the home tab. 2. The other partner gets a notification: "Sam started a repair check-in. They want to talk." 3. 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) 4. Both of you mark ready. 5. The reveal opens — both of you see everything at the same time. 6. 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](/docs/privacy/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. ## Related - [The simultaneous reveal](/docs/features/simultaneous-reveal) - [Crisis resources](/docs/privacy/crisis-resources) - [Recommending Open Heart to clients (for therapists)](/docs/for-therapists/recommending-app) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/features/repair-checkins --- # Account & billing > Subscription, free trial, recovery phrase, deletion, and shared (inherited) Pro. # Subscription & pricing > Solo journaling is free forever. Premium features are $9.99/month or $59.99/year. Annual works out to $5/month — the better deal. New users get a 30-day free trial of premium on first install. Open Heart's pricing is simple. Free is real. Premium has one tier with two billing options. No upsells, no hidden tiers, no "lifetime" gimmicks. ## Plans | | Free | Premium monthly | Premium annual | |---|---|---|---| | Solo journaling | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Feeling tracking | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Crisis resources | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Biometric lock | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Recovery phrase | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Data export | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Couples mode | — | ✅ | ✅ | | AI conversation starters | — | ✅ | ✅ | | AI coaching | — | ✅ | ✅ | | Weekly insights | — | ✅ | ✅ | | Monthly reflections | — | ✅ | ✅ | | Therapist export | — | ✅ | ✅ | | Repair check-ins | — | ✅ | ✅ | | Custom check-in day | — | ✅ | ✅ | | **Price** | $0 | $9.99/month | $59.99/year ($5/month) | ## Free trial - **30 days** of full premium on first install - Starts on first launch — no credit card needed - All premium features unlock right away - After 30 days: premium turns off, solo journaling keeps working We pick 30 days on purpose. A weekly check-in cycle takes a week. Four cycles is the minimum to know whether the rhythm fits your relationship. Three days isn't enough. ## Annual is the better deal Annual works out to $5 a month. Monthly is fine if you want to test the water; annual is what we recommend if you've decided this works for you. ## How billing works Billing happens through Apple (on iPhone) or Google (on Android). Open Heart never sees your card details. - Renewals happen automatically until you cancel. - Cancel any time — features stay active until the end of the current billing period. - Refunds go through Apple or Google directly, not us. ## Family Sharing & inherited Pro If your partner subscribes, you get premium too while you're paired. We call this **inherited Pro**. ([Inherited Pro](/docs/account/inherited-pro)) Apple's Family Sharing also works — one annual subscription covers up to 5 people in your Apple Family. ## What you don't get - No "lifetime" tier. We don't think we can promise lifetime support honestly at this stage. - No therapy-client discount yet. Email hello@myopenheart.co if you're a therapist with clients on Open Heart and we'll figure something out. - No ads, ever. We won't sell ads against your journal entries because we can't read them. ## How to subscribe 1. Tap any locked feature (or Settings → **Premium**) 2. Choose annual or monthly 3. Confirm with Face ID, Touch ID, or your fingerprint via Apple's or Google's purchase prompt 4. Premium activates right away ## Related - [Free trial details](/docs/account/free-trial) - [Subscription not appearing](/docs/troubleshooting/subscription-not-appearing) - [Inherited Pro (couples)](/docs/account/inherited-pro) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/account/subscription --- # Free trial > 30 days of full premium on first install. No credit card. No nag screens. Start the moment you open the app, ends 30 days later. The Open Heart free trial is a 30-day period where every premium feature is available. We don't ask for payment info to start. We don't bury the cancel option. ## How it starts The trial starts on **first launch** of the app. There's no tap required to "start" — it begins when the app opens for the first time. ## How long it lasts - 30 days from the start - The countdown is shown in Settings → Premium ("23 days left") - We send three reminders: at day 15 ("halfway through"), day 23 ("7 days left"), and day 29 ("last day tomorrow"). All three are toggleable in **Settings → Notifications**. ## Why 30 days Most app trials are 3-7 days. We pick 30 because: 1. Open Heart is a weekly cycle. A 7-day trial means you see one check-in. Not enough to know if it fits. 2. Habits form over 4-6 weeks. Asking you to commit before you've built the habit is asking you to predict the future. 3. Industry research backs longer trials: people on 17-32 day trials commit at almost double the rate of people on shorter ones. ## What unlocks during the trial Everything. Every feature gated behind premium: - Couples mode (pairing) - AI conversation starters - AI coaching responses - Weekly insights - Monthly reflections - Therapist export - Repair check-ins - Custom check-in day ## What happens at day 30 - **Premium features turn off.** Solo journaling, feeling tracking, crisis resources, biometric lock, recovery phrase, and data export keep working. - **Your data stays.** Existing entries don't disappear. Pairings don't break. You just lose access to the premium features until you subscribe. - **One reminder lands**: "Trial ended — solo journaling is still free. Upgrade anytime for the full experience." We don't auto-charge. We don't have your payment details. ## Restoring the trial If you uninstall and reinstall on the same phone, the trial resets — the start date lives on the device. If you sign in with a recovery phrase on a new phone, the trial on that phone is independent. (Trial is per phone, not per recovery key.) ## Subscribing during the trial You can subscribe any time during the trial. The subscription kicks in immediately and the trial ends. You won't be charged twice — Apple and Google handle the proration on their end. ## Subscribing after the trial Same flow. Tap any locked feature → choose plan → confirm. ## Related - [Subscription & pricing](/docs/account/subscription) - [Subscription not appearing](/docs/troubleshooting/subscription-not-appearing) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/account/free-trial --- # Recovery phrase > Your recovery phrase is 24 words. It's the only way to get your data back if you lose your phone. Write it down on paper. Keep it somewhere safe. We can't recover it for you. Because your entries are locked with a key that lives only on your phone, losing your phone normally means losing access to your past entries. The recovery phrase is the way around that. It's 24 short words that, when entered into a fresh install of Open Heart, rebuild your key. After that, your past entries can be unlocked again. ## How to generate one 1. Open the app, go to **Settings → Recovery phrase** 2. Tap **Generate phrase** 3. The app shows you 24 words on screen 4. Write them down on paper, in order 5. Tap **I've written it down** That's it. You can come back to Settings later to view the phrase again. ## Where to keep it Treat the phrase like a passport or a spare front-door key. A few principles: - **Paper, not screenshots.** A photo on your phone goes wherever your phone goes — including a thief's hands. A piece of paper in a drawer at home is more secure than a photo on the device you might lose. - **Two copies in two places.** One at home, one with someone you trust or in a safe deposit box. - **Don't email it to yourself.** Email is searchable; if your email account is ever compromised, your phrase is too. - **Don't put it in a chat thread.** Same reason. ## How to use it on a new phone If you lose your old phone or get a new one: 1. Install Open Heart on the new phone 2. On the welcome screen, tap **I have a recovery phrase** 3. Type your 24 words (in any case — uppercase or lowercase doesn't matter) 4. Tap **Restore** Within a few seconds, your old account comes back. Your past entries unlock. If you were paired with a partner, the new device can read their shared entries too. ## What gets restored - Your past entries — the ones you wrote on the lost phone - Your account, with its anonymous ID - Your partner pairing, if you had one - Your subscription (as long as you sign in with the same Apple ID or Google account) ## What doesn't get restored - App settings on your phone (notification preferences, biometric lock, etc.) — these reset to defaults - Your free trial — a fresh phone gets a fresh 30-day trial - Anything that wasn't Open Heart data on the old phone (photos, contacts, and so on — that's iCloud or Google's job) ## Things that can go wrong **"Recovery phrase must be 24 words"** You typed too few or too many. Count them again. Spaces between every word. **"Unknown word in recovery phrase"** One of your words isn't on the list the app expects. Most likely it's a typo: - *accross* should be *across* - *untill* should be *until* - Some words look similar — check carefully against the paper original. **"Restored, but my entries don't appear"** The restore worked, but the sync hasn't finished yet. Pull down to refresh on the journal tab. Wait 30 seconds and reopen the app. ## What if I lose the phrase We can't help. There is no master key on our end. There is no support team that can reset it. This is the price of the privacy guarantee — a backdoor we could use to recover your data is a backdoor a hacker could use to read it. We don't have one, on purpose. If you've lost both the phone and the phrase, your past entries are gone for good. You can install Open Heart again on a new phone and start fresh. ## Why 24 words from a dictionary The 24-word format is a long-standing standard used by financial apps that protect savings accounts. It's been around for years and is well-understood. The words are easy to write down accurately by hand — much easier than a long string of random characters. The phrase is case-insensitive and tolerant of extra whitespace. `apple banana cherry` and ` APPLE BANANA CHERRY ` both work. ## Related - [Your entries are private](/docs/features/end-to-end-encryption) - [How your privacy works](/docs/privacy/how-encryption-works) - [Restore from recovery phrase](/docs/troubleshooting/restore-from-recovery) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/account/recovery-phrase --- # Delete your account > Account deletion is one tap, confirmed, and irreversible within 30 days. We delete your entries, your couple data, and your account itself. We don't make you email support. You can delete your Open Heart account from inside the app. We don't make you email support. We don't make you wait three business days. ## How to delete 1. Settings → **Delete account** 2. Read the disclosure (this page in short form) 3. Confirm with Face ID, Touch ID, or your fingerprint 4. The app submits the delete request ## What gets deleted, and when ### Right away on your phone - Your entries - Your encryption keys - Your recovery phrase (if you saved one in the app) - Your settings and trial state - Your profile photo ### Right away on our servers - Your account record - Your scrambled entry data - Anything tied to your account ID ### Within 30 days on our servers - Aggregated usage events (the kind that don't identify you, but are tied to your account ID until our purge runs) - Crash reports (if any) - Any cached server-side state ### What we keep, and why - **Aggregated, anonymous counts.** "How many users started a check-in this week" — without anything tying it back to you. We use this to understand how the app is doing. - **Receipts from Apple and Google** showing the subscription lifecycle. Tax law requires us to keep these for around 7 years. They contain the transaction ID — never your entries. ## What about your partner If you were paired, your partner is told you've disconnected. The couple record is marked disconnected. Their copy of the shared key is still on their phone — they can still read entries they previously unlocked, but you no longer exist to add new ones. We don't delete your partner's entries. They're not yours to delete. ## Inherited Pro If your partner had inherited premium from your subscription, they lose it when you delete. They're notified. ## After deletion - The app closes. - Re-installing creates a new account from scratch. - Your old entries cannot be recovered. There is no undo. ## Withdrawing data before you delete If you want a copy of your entries before deleting: 1. Settings → **Export all entries** 2. The app generates a file with every entry you've ever written 3. Share to email or save it to Files Do this *before* hitting delete. ## GDPR / CCPA confirmation If you're in the EU or California and want a written confirmation that everything was deleted: - Email hello@myopenheart.co with your old account ID (Settings → About → User ID — copy it before you delete) - We confirm purge within 30 days - Note: most of your data was scrambled in a way we couldn't read anyway, so the confirmation is about records being gone, not content ## Related - [What we collect](/docs/privacy/data-collection) - [Privacy policy](https://www.myopenheart.co/privacy) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/account/delete-account --- # Inherited Pro (couples) > When one of you subscribes, the other gets premium too — automatically — for as long as you're paired. We call this inherited Pro. One couple, one subscription. Open Heart is a couples app. It would be strange to charge each of you separately for the same shared experience. So we don't. ## How inherited Pro works When you and your partner pair: 1. Each phone tells the couple record whether it has a premium subscription. 2. If your partner has an active premium subscription and you don't, your phone treats you as having **inherited Pro**. 3. Inherited Pro unlocks every premium feature for you, exactly as if you'd subscribed yourself. 4. The status is checked when the app starts and updates automatically. ## What you see - Every premium feature unlocked - Settings → Premium shows "Inherited from your partner" - No paywall screens ## What you don't see - No charges on your card or Apple / Google account - No subscription in your Apple ID / Google account list - No renewal reminders ## What happens when you unpair When the couple disconnects (either of you initiates): 1. The shared key is destroyed on both phones. 2. The couple record is marked disconnected. 3. Inherited Pro is **removed** on the phone that didn't have its own subscription. 4. That phone falls back to free (or to its active trial, if the trial hasn't ended). 5. Existing entries stay. The reveal mechanic stops working until you re-pair. ## What happens when the subscriber's plan ends If the partner with the actual subscription cancels and their billing period expires: 1. Both phones are told the subscription is no longer active. 2. The inheriting phone's premium turns off the next time the app opens. ## What if both of you subscribed by accident Don't. Cancel one. Apple and Google won't refund both, but the subscriber side keeps the active subscription and the other can cancel theirs from the App Store or Play Store. If both are active at the same time, the app uses your own subscription, not the inherited one — so you don't lose anything if your partner unpairs later. Email hello@myopenheart.co if you accidentally double-paid and we'll help you sort it out with Apple or Google. ## Privacy The "I have premium" status is a simple yes/no flag stored in the shared couple record. Nothing else about your billing leaves your phone — no Apple ID, no transaction ID, no plan details. Just the on/off bit your partner needs to inherit. ## Family Sharing vs inherited Pro These are two different things: - **Apple Family Sharing**: one annual subscription covers up to 5 people in your Apple Family. Standard Apple feature, applies to any subscription. - **Inherited Pro**: one subscription covers your paired partner regardless of whether they're in your Apple Family. You can use both at once, but in practice you only need one. ## Related - [Subscription & pricing](/docs/account/subscription) - [Couples mode (pairing)](/docs/features/couples-mode) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/account/inherited-pro --- # Privacy & security > How end-to-end encryption works, what data we collect, and how crisis resources behave. # How your privacy works > Your entries are locked on your phone before they ever leave it. Only you and your partner have the key. We don't have a copy. Even we can't read what you wrote. This is the page where we explain, in plain language, exactly how private your entries are. ## The short version Open Heart is built so that we — the company — can never read your journal entries. Not by accident. Not by a curious employee. Not even if a court asks us to. When you write an entry on your phone, it gets scrambled before it leaves the device. The only thing that arrives on our servers is a jumble of letters and numbers. Without the key, there's no way to turn that jumble back into words. The key never leaves your phone. ## What that means in everyday terms - If you write *"I felt invisible at dinner last night"* on your phone, what reaches our servers is something like *"x9k2n8j1p4..."* — gibberish without the key. - If our database were stolen tomorrow, the thief would have a pile of gibberish. They couldn't read a single entry. - If we got a legal request asking us to hand over what someone wrote, we genuinely have nothing to hand over except gibberish. We can't unscramble it. Nobody at Open Heart can. This isn't a marketing claim. It's a property of how the app is built. ## How your partner sees your entries When you pair with your partner, both phones quietly agree on a shared secret. Think of it like the two of you whispering a password to each other that nobody else hears. From that point on: - Your entries are scrambled with that shared secret. - Your partner's phone is the only other device in the world with the matching secret. - When the reveal happens, their phone unscrambles your entries — locally, on their device. Our servers move the scrambled bundles between you, but we can't open them. ## What we can see We're not going to claim "we see nothing" because that's not quite true. Some basic information has to stay readable for the app to work: - **An anonymous ID for your account.** Not your name, not your email — just a random string of characters. - **Which week an entry belongs to.** Needed to group entries into the right check-in. - **Whether an entry is marked "shared" or "private."** Needed so your partner only sees the ones you chose to share. - **The time an entry was created.** Needed to show entries in order. These details tell us *that* you wrote, *when*, and *whether you marked it shared.* They tell us nothing about *what you wrote* or *how you felt.* That part stays locked. ## What's locked (always) - The words you write - The feeling you tagged - The category (appreciation, growth, feeling, moment) - How intense it was (1 to 5) - Whether you marked it private, shared, or unsend - Your partner's name, love language, attachment style, and photo ## The trade-off This level of privacy comes with one consequence we want you to understand: **If you lose your phone and you don't have a recovery phrase, your past entries cannot be brought back.** Not by us. Not by anyone. The keys live on your phone. Without them, the scrambled entries on our servers stay scrambled forever. This is why we ask you to save a [recovery phrase](/docs/account/recovery-phrase) — 24 words on paper that can rebuild your key on a new phone. It's the only way back in. We could have skipped this. We could have kept a master key on our servers that lets us recover anyone's data on demand. Most apps do. But that master key would be the obvious target for anyone breaking into our systems — including us, if we ever got compelled to use it. So we don't have one. ## Why we built it this way Open Heart is for the partner who has things to say but fears the consequences of saying them. The thing you write at 2am about a feeling you didn't know how to bring up — that's the most sensitive content you'd ever write into an app. If we could read it, even technically, you'd be right to hold back. So we made sure we can't. ## Related - [What we collect (and don't)](/docs/privacy/data-collection) - [Recovery phrase](/docs/account/recovery-phrase) - [Crisis resources](/docs/privacy/crisis-resources) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/privacy/how-encryption-works --- # What we collect, in plain English > We collect: an anonymous account, basic usage events (without your entries), crash reports, and subscription receipts. We don't collect: entry content, your real name, your email, your location, your contacts. This is the plain-English version of our [privacy policy](https://www.myopenheart.co/privacy). The privacy policy is the legal document; this is the explanation. ## What we collect ### Identity - **An anonymous account ID** — a random string of characters created when you first opened the app. Not tied to your name, email, or anything that identifies you in real life. You can see it in **Settings → About → User ID**. - **A notification token** so we can deliver push notifications to your phone. Wiped when you delete your account. ### Usage events Things like: - **Onboarding events** — completed each step - **Core actions** — wrote an entry, started a reveal, finished a reveal - **Pairing events** — invite created, invite accepted, partner disconnected - **Subscription events** — saw the paywall, started a trial, subscribed - **Engagement events** — viewed an insight, viewed the journey tab, enabled biometric lock What's in each event: the event name, your anonymous account ID, the time, and a small set of details (for "wrote an entry": the category and feeling, never the words). What's **not** in any event: entry content, partner names, the words of feelings. ### Crash reports If the app crashes, we receive: - A description of where the crash happened - A short list of recent actions (with sensitive details stripped) - Your phone model, OS version, app version - Your account ID so we can group crashes from the same person What's **not** in a crash report: entry content, encryption keys, your recovery phrase, partner data. Crash reporting is **off in development builds**. Only the live App Store and Play Store versions send anything. ### Subscription receipts - Apple or Google's transaction ID for your subscription - Plan tier (monthly or annual) - Renewal status (active, in grace period, cancelled) We need these to know who has premium and to honor inherited Pro. We're required to keep them for around seven years for tax records. ## What we never collect - **Entry content.** Locked on your phone, gibberish on our servers. - **Feeling content, intensity, category.** Same — locked. - **Real names.** We use the first name you set; that's never sent to us. - **Email addresses.** No account email is required. The only email we have is if you write to hello@myopenheart.co. - **Phone numbers.** - **Location.** No GPS, no coarse location. - **Contacts.** - **Photos** (other than the profile avatar you choose, which is locked into the couple record). - **Microphone or camera** (other than for picking a profile photo). - **Browsing history.** We're not on the web. ## Where data lives - **Your phone**: locked entries, your encryption keys - **Our backend** (hosted by Google Cloud in the US): scrambled entry data, anonymous account records, couple records - **Analytics provider** (hosted in the EU): usage events - **Crash reporting provider**: crash reports - **Subscription provider**: subscription state - **Apple App Store / Google Play**: billing ## Third-party data flows We share data with these services because the app couldn't function without them: - **Google Cloud** — runs our backend (your account, the scrambled entry data, push notifications) - **An analytics provider** — usage events - **A crash reporting service** — crash reports - **A subscription management service** — subscription state - **An AI provider** — handles AI calls (only after you've revealed; entry content goes through to the AI, then is forgotten) - **Resend** — email (only if you write to hello@myopenheart.co) We don't share data with anyone else. No advertising networks. No data brokers. No "marketing partners." ## What the AI provider sees When AI features are on and you reveal: 1. Your phone unlocks both partners' entries locally. 2. Your phone sends a short summary of those entries plus your name and your partner's name, attachment style, and love language to the AI. 3. The AI returns the response. 4. The response shows up on your phone. The AI provider doesn't keep a copy of the content after the response is sent. You can turn AI features off in **Settings → AI features**. Without it, the app uses simpler pre-written responses. ## GDPR / CCPA If you're in the EU or California: - **Right to access**: email hello@myopenheart.co with your account ID. We'll send you everything we have. Most of it will be stuff we couldn't read anyway. - **Right to delete**: Settings → Delete account. Done within 30 days. - **Right to portability**: Settings → Export all entries gives you a file of your decrypted data. - **Right to object**: email us. We don't run targeted advertising, so most opt-outs are already in place. ## Related - [Full privacy policy](https://www.myopenheart.co/privacy) - [Delete your account](/docs/account/delete-account) - [How your privacy works](/docs/privacy/how-encryption-works) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/privacy/data-collection --- # Biometric lock > Biometric lock asks for Face ID, Touch ID, or your fingerprint before opening the app. It's off by default. When on, every time you open Open Heart, it asks before showing your entries. If your phone is shared, sometimes left on a kitchen counter, or you just want an extra layer between Open Heart and a casual passerby, biometric lock is a useful second line of defense. ## How to turn it on 1. Settings → **Biometric lock** 2. Toggle on 3. Your phone asks for permission to use Face ID, Touch ID, or your fingerprint. Approve. 4. The next time you open the app, you'll see the lock screen. ## How it works When the app opens, before any entries are shown, it asks your phone to confirm it's you: - On iPhone with Face ID: a prompt appears asking for Face ID - On iPhone with Touch ID: a prompt appears asking for your fingerprint - On Android: a prompt appears asking for your fingerprint or face unlock If your phone confirms it's you, the app unlocks. If you cancel, the lock screen stays up with an "Unlock" button you can tap to retry. ## What it does not do - **It doesn't change how your entries are protected from us.** Your entries are already locked with a key that lives on your phone. The biometric lock is an extra step at the door, not a stronger lock on the safe inside. - **It doesn't lock individual entries.** All-or-nothing. - **It doesn't protect against someone with your unlocked phone in their hands.** A determined person who can use your face or fingerprint can bypass it. For that level of risk, the recovery phrase (saved off-device) plus account deletion is the path. ## Designed to fail open, not closed If something unexpected happens — your phone's biometric hardware throws an error, or you removed your fingerprint in your phone's settings after enabling Open Heart's lock — you'll be let into the app rather than locked out. Locked-out is a worse outcome than slightly less locked. Your entries are still protected by the key that lives on your phone either way. ## What if I fail the biometric You see the lock screen with an Unlock button. Tap it to retry. There's no count limit on attempts in the app — your phone handles that. After enough failures, your phone falls back to its passcode. ## When biometric lock breaks A few common cases: - **You changed your fingerprint set in your phone's settings.** Your phone may invalidate Open Heart's biometric reference. Disable + re-enable biometric lock in the app to fix. - **You restored your phone from a backup.** Same — re-enable. - **You're on a phone without a fingerprint sensor or Face ID.** The setting won't have any effect. ## Don't rely on biometric lock alone The strongest privacy you can get is: 1. The lock that's already on (your entries are encrypted on your phone) 2. A phone-level passcode that only you know 3. A recovery phrase stored on paper, away from your phone Biometric lock plus those is solid. Biometric lock without a phone passcode is mostly cosmetic. ## Related - [How your privacy works](/docs/privacy/how-encryption-works) - [Recovery phrase](/docs/account/recovery-phrase) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/privacy/biometric-lock --- # Crisis resources > If something you write suggests you're in crisis, the app shows a supportive message with hotline numbers — no judgment, no entry blocking, no surveillance. Resources are picked based on your country (10+ supported). Detection happens on your phone only. If something you write suggests you're in crisis or in danger, the app shows a supportive message with relevant hotline numbers. The check happens entirely on your phone — nothing is sent to a server, nothing is logged, nobody is alerted. ## How detection works The app watches for a small set of phrases when you save an entry: - **Crisis phrases**: "suicide," "want to die," "kill myself," "end it all," "self-harm," "hurt myself," "no reason to live," "better off dead/without me," "don't want to be here / exist / wake up." - **Abuse phrases**: "hits me," "hurts me," "beats me," "threatens me," "afraid of him/her/my partner," "controls me," "won't let me leave/go/see." The check happens on your phone, in plain text that never leaves it. There's no AI scanning. No human review. No log entry. We have no way to know it triggered. ## What happens when it triggers A friendly window appears with: - A short, non-judgmental message (different copy for crisis vs. abuse). - A list of hotlines for your country. - A note pointing to the international directory if you'd rather use that. - A "Continue writing" button that closes the window. What does **not** happen: - Your entry isn't blocked. You can still save it. It isn't censored. It isn't flagged on the server. - Your entry isn't reported anywhere. Nobody sees it. - The window doesn't lecture you. It says something kind, then resources, then closes. ## Country-specific resources The app reads your phone's region setting and shows resources for your country. We have specific entries for: - United States - United Kingdom - Canada - Australia - New Zealand - Ireland - South Africa - India - Germany - France For other countries, we show an international fallback: - **findahelpline.com** — directory of helplines worldwide - **befrienders.org** — international crisis centres - **hotpeachpages.net** — international domestic violence directory ## What happens when you tap a resource Tapping opens the appropriate handler on your phone: - **Phone numbers** open your phone's dialer - **Text shortcodes** open your messaging app - **Web addresses** open your browser Open Heart never proxies the call. We never see who you contacted. ## Why detection runs on your phone Two reasons: 1. **Privacy.** Crisis content is the most sensitive thing you might write. Sending it to a server for "analysis" — even ours — would be the wrong move. 2. **No surveillance.** A check that runs locally is a "we're here if you need us" gesture. The same check running on a server, even with the same behavior, is closer to surveillance — and we don't want that to be the model. ## Why we don't use AI for this We considered using a more sophisticated AI to spot subtle cases. We chose simple phrase matching because: - It's something we can show you in plain English. Every phrase we look for is on this page. - It works without an internet connection. - It doesn't pass crisis content through any AI — even our own. The trade-off: simple matching misses subtle phrasings. We accept that. The point isn't to catch every case — it's to surface help when help is clearly relevant. ## Active crisis right now If you're in immediate danger: - **United States**: Call or text **988** (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). Or text HOME to **741741** (Crisis Text Line). - **United Kingdom**: Call **116 123** (Samaritans). - **Canada**: Call or text **988**. - **Australia**: Call **13 11 14** (Lifeline). - **Other countries**: visit [findahelpline.com](https://findahelpline.com). Open Heart is not a substitute for emergency services or professional help. It's a journaling app with a kindness gate. ## Related - [Privacy policy](https://www.myopenheart.co/privacy) - [What we collect](/docs/privacy/data-collection) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/privacy/crisis-resources --- # Troubleshooting > When something doesn't work — invites, notifications, sync, restore, billing. # Invite link didn't open the app > If your partner sent you an invite link and tapping it opened a browser instead of Open Heart, there are a few common reasons. Most can be fixed in under a minute. When your partner sends you an invite link from inside Open Heart, tapping it should open the app directly. If a browser opened instead, one of these is the cause. ## Common causes ### 1. The app isn't installed yet This is the most common one. The invite link only opens the app if the app is on your phone. **Fix**: install Open Heart from the App Store or Play Store, then tap the invite link from your messages again. Your phone will route it to the app this time. ### 2. The link is too old Invites are good for **15 minutes**. After that, the link opens a fallback web page that says "Your partner invited you" — that's intentional, not an error. **Fix**: ask your partner to send a new invite from inside the app. ### 3. You long-pressed the link instead of tapping If you long-pressed the link and chose "Open in Safari" (or your default browser), your phone opens it there instead of in the app. That's the phone's behavior, not ours. **Fix**: tap the link directly. Don't long-press. ### 4. You're using a desktop browser Invite links only open apps on phones. If you opened it on a laptop, you'll see the fallback web page — by design. **Fix**: open the link on your phone. ### 5. Verification didn't finish during install The first time you install Open Heart, your phone fetches a small file from us that tells it "yes, this app is allowed to handle invite links." If your network was flaky during install, that fetch can fail. **Fix**: - **iPhone**: uninstall and reinstall the app. Your phone will refetch the file. - **Android**: uninstall and reinstall. Or go to Android Settings → Apps → Open Heart → Open by default → and tap "Add link." ### 6. Parental controls or work profile restrictions Some Screen Time, MDM, or parental control profiles disable apps from auto-opening links. **Fix**: check Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions on iPhone, or your work profile settings on Android. ## Manual workaround If the link refuses to cooperate but you have the app installed, you can still pair: 1. From your partner's phone: Settings → Invite a partner → tap **Show invite code** 2. The 22-character invite code is shown 3. From your phone: Settings → **Accept invite by code** → paste the code 4. Pairing completes the same way as if you'd tapped the link ## Related - [Couples mode (pairing)](/docs/features/couples-mode) - [Install Open Heart](/docs/getting-started/install) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/troubleshooting/invite-link-not-opening --- # Notifications aren't arriving > If you're not getting check-in reminders or partner-ready alerts, the cause is usually phone-level permissions or one of the in-app toggles. Here's how to work through it. Open Heart sends two kinds of notifications: - **Reminders set by your phone** — work even without an internet connection. Examples: weekly check-in reminders, gentle daily journaling nudges, anniversary milestones, trial countdown. - **Live alerts from us** — sent when something happens with your partner. Examples: "Sam marked ready for the reveal," "Your partner accepted your invite." Different problems have different fixes. ## Step 1: check your phone's permission **iPhone:** Settings → Notifications → Open Heart → make sure **Allow Notifications** is on, with banners and lock screen as you'd like them. **Android:** Settings → Apps → Open Heart → Notifications → make sure they're enabled. If your phone has notifications turned off for Open Heart, nothing arrives. Period. ## Step 2: check Open Heart's per-feature toggles In the app: **Settings → Notifications**. Toggles: - **Journaling nudge** — daily reminder at the time of day you usually journal - **Check-in reminders** — morning and evening reminders on check-in day (couples only) - **Partner updates** — partner ready, partner accepted invite, partner disconnected - **Trial reminders** — at day 15, 23, 29, and 30 of your trial All four are on by default the first time you grant permission. If one is off, that whole category won't fire. ## Step 3: did the trigger actually happen - **Check-in reminders** only fire on your scheduled check-in day. Default is Sunday. If today isn't your check-in day, no reminder. - **Trial reminders** only fire on the specific days. They don't repeat. - **Anniversary milestones** only fire at exactly day 7, 30, 90, 180, 365 from your first entry. Day 8 isn't a milestone. - **Partner ready** only fires when your partner taps the ready button. If they haven't, no alert. ## Step 4: rate limit Reminders set by your phone are capped at **one per day** to prevent the app from getting spammy. If you've already received one today, a second one won't fire — even if it would otherwise. This cap doesn't apply to live alerts from us about your partner. Those are time-sensitive and bypass the cap. ## Step 5: are you on a simulator Live alerts don't work in iOS Simulator (a tool developers use). If you're testing in a simulator, you won't see live alerts. Reminders set by your phone do still work in simulator. ## Step 6: Android battery optimization Android sometimes kills apps in the background to save battery. If Open Heart isn't running and a live alert arrives, your phone may delay or drop it. **Fix**: Settings → Apps → Open Heart → Battery → set to **Unrestricted** (or "Don't optimize" depending on your Android version). ## Step 7: rare — the alert system didn't register If your phone never finished registering with our alert system, we can't send live alerts to you. This is rare but happens if: - You denied notification permission at first launch and never re-granted it - The app crashed before registration completed - Your network was offline during the registration step **Fix**: close the app, re-open it, make sure notification permission is granted, give it 30 seconds. Registration retries every time the app starts. ## If nothing here helps Email hello@myopenheart.co with your account ID (Settings → About → User ID) and we can check whether your phone is registered with our alert system. ## Related - [Couples mode (pairing)](/docs/features/couples-mode) - [Subscription not appearing](/docs/troubleshooting/subscription-not-appearing) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/troubleshooting/notifications-missing --- # Restore from a recovery phrase > If you've installed Open Heart on a new phone and want your old data back, you need your 24-word recovery phrase. Here's the exact flow and the most common things that go wrong. If you saved a [recovery phrase](/docs/account/recovery-phrase) when you set up Open Heart, you can restore your past entries on any new phone. ## When restore is the right move - **New phone.** You replaced your phone and want your Open Heart history back. - **Reset device.** You factory-reset your phone and the app data was wiped. - **Lost phone.** You replaced a lost or stolen phone — restore lets you regain access. (We also recommend then using **Settings → Disconnect from partner** if you'd been paired, since the lost phone may still have unlocked data on it.) ## When restore is not what you want - **Just installing on a second phone.** Open Heart is one phone per account. Restoring on phone B effectively transfers your account from phone A. - **Switching from solo to couples.** Pairing is a separate flow that doesn't need restore. ## How to restore 1. Install Open Heart on the new phone. 2. On the welcome screen, tap **I have a recovery phrase**. 3. Type your 24 words. 4. Tap **Restore**. 5. Wait. The app rebuilds your key, contacts our servers, and pulls down your past entries. It's case-insensitive and tolerant of extra whitespace. `apple banana cherry` and ` APPLE BANANA CHERRY ` both work. ## What gets restored - **Your past entries** — fetched from our servers and unlocked with the rebuilt key. - **Your couple pairing** (if you had one) — the new phone has what it needs to read the partner's shared entries again. - **Your subscription** — if you had one, signing in with the same Apple ID or Google account on the new phone restores premium. ## What doesn't get restored - **Anything that wasn't Open Heart data on the lost phone.** Photos, contacts, etc. — that's Apple's or Google's job. - **Settings.** Notification preferences, biometric lock, etc. reset to defaults on the new phone. - **Your trial.** Trial state lives on the phone. A new phone gets a fresh 30-day trial. ## Common errors ### "Recovery phrase must be 24 words" You typed too few or too many. Count carefully. The app expects exactly 24, separated by spaces. ### "Unknown word in recovery phrase" One of your words isn't a real word from the list the app uses. Most likely a transcription error: - *accross* should be *across* - *untill* should be *until* Double-check the spelling against your written copy. ### "Restored, but my entries don't appear" The restore succeeded but the sync hasn't run yet: - Pull down on the journal tab to refresh - Wait 30 seconds and reopen the app - If still empty, check **Settings → About** to confirm the account ID matches your old one ## What if I lost the phrase We can't recover it. There's no master key, no support team that can reset it. This is the price of the privacy guarantee. If you've lost both the phone and the phrase, your past entries are unrecoverable. You can install Open Heart again on a new phone and start fresh. ## Related - [Recovery phrase](/docs/account/recovery-phrase) - [Install Open Heart](/docs/getting-started/install) - [How your privacy works](/docs/privacy/how-encryption-works) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/troubleshooting/restore-from-recovery --- # Subscription not appearing > If you subscribed but premium features still show locked, the most common cause is a delayed sync between Apple/Google and our app. Here's the order to try. You paid Apple or Google. The subscription showed up in your account history. But Open Heart still says you're on the free tier. This is almost always a sync problem rather than a billing problem. ## First: confirm Apple or Google charged you - **iPhone**: Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions → look for **Open Heart**. If it's listed as Active, billing is fine — the issue is sync. - **Android**: Play Store app → Profile → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions → look for Open Heart. If Open Heart isn't there, the purchase didn't actually complete. Try again. ## Second: tap "Restore purchases" In the app: **Settings → Restore purchases**. This re-fetches your subscription status from Apple or Google and updates Open Heart. About 90% of "premium not unlocking" cases are fixed by this step. ## Third: wait 60 seconds Apple and Google sometimes take up to a minute to send us your subscription status. Force-quit the app, wait, re-open. The app re-checks every time it starts. ## Fourth: check the version of Open Heart you're on If you're on an older test build (TestFlight or Play Store internal test) by accident, premium features might not work because that build is wired to a different test environment. **Fix**: uninstall any test build, install the regular App Store or Play Store version, then tap Restore purchases. ## Fifth: try a different network Sometimes the subscription check fails on a flaky hotel wi-fi or VPN. Switch to cellular or trusted wi-fi and tap Restore purchases. ## Sixth: are you expecting inherited Pro If you didn't subscribe but expected premium because your partner has a subscription: - Go to **Settings → Premium**. It should say "Inherited from your partner." - If it says "Free" instead, the inheritance didn't take. Force-quit the app and re-open — the inheritance check runs every time the app starts. - If still nothing, ask your partner to confirm their subscription is active in their App Store or Play Store account. [Inherited Pro](/docs/account/inherited-pro) ## Seventh: Family Sharing If you bought the annual plan via Apple's Family Sharing: - Family members need to be in the same Apple Family - Each family member needs to have downloaded Open Heart from the same Apple Family - It can take up to 24 hours for Family Sharing to propagate after a new family member is added ## Eighth: rare — refund pending If you requested a refund but Apple or Google haven't issued it yet, the subscription stays active until the refund processes. There's no in-between state. If Apple or Google have issued the refund and the subscription still shows active in Open Heart, give it an hour. If still active after that, email hello@myopenheart.co with your transaction ID. ## What to send if you email us If none of the above work, email hello@myopenheart.co with: - Your account ID (Settings → About → User ID) - The Apple or Google transaction ID for your subscription - A screenshot of your App Store or Play Store subscription page showing it's active - A screenshot of Open Heart Settings → Premium showing it's locked We can check on our end and tell you what we see. If Apple's or Google's notification didn't reach us, we can manually flip the switch. ## Related - [Subscription & pricing](/docs/account/subscription) - [Free trial](/docs/account/free-trial) - [Inherited Pro](/docs/account/inherited-pro) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/troubleshooting/subscription-not-appearing --- # Something isn't syncing > If your entries aren't showing up on your partner's side, or the reveal won't open even though you've both marked ready, sync is usually the cause. Here's what to check. Most sync issues are network or timing-related rather than something fundamentally broken. Here's the order to check. ## Symptom 1: I marked ready but the reveal doesn't open The reveal needs both of you to have marked ready in the same week's check-in. ### Check 1: confirm both of you actually tapped ready It's easy to assume your partner did. Ask them to confirm. Their check-in tab should say "Waiting for the reveal" (not "Mark ready when you're done"). ### Check 2: confirm you're on the same week If your phone clock and your partner's phone clock disagree about which week it is, you might both have marked ready in different week's check-ins. **Fix**: make sure both phones have automatic time and date enabled. - iPhone: Settings → General → Date & Time → Set Automatically - Android: Settings → Date & Time → Use network-provided time ### Check 3: pull to refresh In rare cases, the app misses the moment when both ready timestamps line up. Pulling down on the check-in tab re-checks. ## Symptom 2: my partner can't see my entries after the reveal ### Check 1: did either of you re-pair recently If either of you re-paired (unpair → pair again) since the entries were written, the shared key changed. Old entries can't be unlocked with the new key. **There isn't a fix for this.** Old entries from before the re-pair are unrecoverable across the change. New entries from this point forward will work. ### Check 2: pre-pairing entries Entries you wrote before pairing were locked with your personal key, not the shared one. The reveal skips them on purpose. They aren't "missing" — they're appropriately private. ### Check 3: clock drift If your phone's clock is off by enough, entries you wrote might fall outside the window your partner's app expects. **Fix**: same as Symptom 1, Check 2. Auto-set time on both phones. ## Symptom 3: my own entries aren't uploading Entries are written to your phone first, then uploaded. If the upload fails, the entry stays on your phone until the next attempt. ### Check 1: are you online Toggle airplane mode off and on. Switch between cellular and wi-fi. ### Check 2: yellow banner at the top of the app If you see a yellow "Couldn't connect to sync" banner, that's the offline indicator. Once you're back online, syncing resumes automatically — but you can also force-quit and re-open the app to speed it up. ### Check 3: did your account session expire Force-quit the app and re-open. Open Heart silently re-establishes the connection on launch. ## Symptom 4: my partner's profile shows "Partner" instead of their name This usually means a re-pair happened recently and the partner's profile was uploaded under the old shared key. **Fix**: ask your partner to update their profile (Settings → Edit profile → save). This re-uploads it under the current shared key. Within seconds, your end should show their name correctly. ## If nothing works Email hello@myopenheart.co with: - Your account ID - Your partner's account ID (so we can look at the same shared record) - The week (e.g. "the week of May 5, 2026") - A screenshot of your check-in tab We can look at our side. We see your data as scrambled bundles, but we can confirm whether the structure is correct (whether both ready timestamps are there, whether the reveal opened, etc.). ## Related - [The simultaneous reveal](/docs/features/simultaneous-reveal) - [Couples mode (pairing)](/docs/features/couples-mode) - [How your privacy works](/docs/privacy/how-encryption-works) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/troubleshooting/sync-stuck --- # For therapists > Reading the 4-week export, recommending Open Heart to clients, and how it differs from journaling apps. # Reading a therapist export > What the four-week therapist export looks like, what each section means, and what you can reasonably infer from it. Two-minute read for the start of a session. This page is for clinicians whose clients use Open Heart and want to share their journaling between sessions. The export is plain text, deliberately short, and structured to be readable in two minutes. ## Format Plain text. No PDF. No formatting markup. Designed to render in any email client or session note. ## Sections, in order ### 1. Header ``` OPEN HEART — THERAPY SESSION SUMMARY Prepared for: Sam Period: Last 4 weeks (April 19 to May 10) Generated: May 10, 2026 ``` The "Prepared for" name is whatever your client entered as their name in the app. It may be a nickname or first name only. ### 2. Per-week breakdown For each of the past four weeks: - **Total entries / shared entries.** "Shared" means the entry was part of the weekly couples reveal (in couples mode). "Total minus shared" is private journaling. - **Feeling distribution.** Each feeling (happy, sad, anxious, frustrated, grateful, hurt, loved, lonely) with count and average intensity (1-5 scale). - **Topics.** Each entry was tagged into a category (feeling, appreciation, growth, moment) when written. The breakdown shows what kinds of reflection dominated the week. - **Shared reflections.** Up to about 100 characters from each shared entry, prefixed with the category. ### 3. Four-week trends - Most frequent feeling across the period - Total entry count - Average entries per week ### 4. Footer A note that private and "unsend" entries are never exported. This is a hard rule of the export — your client controls what's shared with you. ## What it tells you - **Engagement level.** A client journaling 1-2 entries per week is engaged differently than one journaling 8 per week. Neither is "right." - **Emotional baseline.** The dominant feeling and its average intensity is a useful starting point. "Anxious 8x at average 4.0/5" reads differently than "Anxious 8x at average 2.0/5." - **Topic drift.** A client who was writing mostly "appreciation" entries shifting to mostly "growth" entries is signaling something — often readiness to address harder material. - **Shared vs. private ratio.** A client where one partner writes 6 entries with 1 shared is being selective. Worth gentle exploration: is shared feeling like exposure? ## What it doesn't tell you - **The other partner's content.** Your client's export is their data only. Their partner has their own. - **Anything you didn't see.** Private entries stay on their phone. The body of "unsend" entries was never written down anywhere. - **Crisis events.** If your client wrote something the app's crisis check caught, the entry is still in the export — but the app doesn't escalate to anyone, including therapists. ([Crisis resources](/docs/privacy/crisis-resources)) - **Timing within a day.** The summary is per-week. You won't see "wrote at 3am." ## How to talk about it in session Some clinicians use the export as a five-minute "here's what's been on your mind" opener. Others reference specific excerpts during deeper work. Some never reference it directly but read it before the session for context. We're not prescriptive about how to use it. The export is a tool, not a session structure. ## Privacy - The export is generated **on your client's phone** from their decrypted entries. - Open Heart never sees the content of the export. - Your client can share it however they want — email, paste into a session note, hand-deliver. We never proxy or log the share. ## Sample (lightly redacted) ``` OPEN HEART — THERAPY SESSION SUMMARY Prepared for: J. Period: Last 4 weeks (April 19 to May 10) Generated: May 10, 2026 ──────────────────────────────────────── WEEK: May 3 – May 9 Entries: 5 total, 3 shared Feelings this week: Anxious: 3x (avg intensity: 4.0/5) Grateful: 1x (avg intensity: 3/5) Hurt: 1x (avg intensity: 4/5) Topics: feeling: 4 growth: 1 Shared reflections: [feeling] "Replayed the conversation again. Still don't know..." [growth] "I keep going quiet when I'm overwhelmed. I want to..." [feeling] "Couldn't sleep. The thing he said keeps coming..." [ ... 3 more weeks ... ] 4-WEEK TRENDS: Most frequent feeling: Anxious (9x) Total entries: 18 Average entries per week: 4.5 ``` ## Related - [Therapist export (the feature)](/docs/features/therapist-export) - [Recommending Open Heart to clients](/docs/for-therapists/recommending-app) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/for-therapists/reading-export --- # Recommending Open Heart to clients > Open Heart sits between weekly therapy sessions. It's well-suited to couples processing communication patterns, conflict avoidance, or post-rupture rebuilding. It's not a fit for active crisis or for ongoing harm patterns. If you're a couples therapist, an individual therapist with relational clients, or a coach, here's a candid take on when Open Heart is and isn't a useful between-sessions tool. ## When it's a good fit - **Couples in regular therapy who want structure between sessions.** The weekly reveal mirrors the rhythm of weekly therapy. Clients arrive with material rather than catching up. - **Conflict-avoidant couples.** The "nobody goes first" mechanic is built specifically for this dynamic. The structure carries the cost of starting that one partner usually shoulders. - **Anxious-attachment-leaning clients.** The AI coaching is tuned to acknowledge fear and offer phrasing — useful for clients who freeze or rehearse and never speak. - **Post-rupture rebuilding.** After an affair, near-divorce, or significant breach, the structured weekly check-in can serve as a low-stakes way to rebuild communication without forcing high-stakes conversations. - **Long-distance couples.** The asynchronous writing model fits time zones and travel. The simultaneous reveal still happens — just whenever both partners can be present. - **Individual clients in solo mode.** Solo journaling with weekly summaries gives clients a way to track patterns without juggling multiple journals. ## When it's not a fit - **Active crisis.** If a client is suicidal or in immediate danger, the app's crisis resource window isn't a substitute for emergency services. ([Crisis resources](/docs/privacy/crisis-resources)) - **Ongoing harm patterns.** If one partner is controlling, threatening, or abusing the other, the structured weekly reveal can be co-opted as another surveillance tool. The app shows a domestic violence resource window when phrases like "afraid of him/her" appear — but the app can't enforce safety. Recommend specialist resources first. - **High-conflict separation.** If divorce is imminent and contested, anything written can be subpoenaed. Open Heart's privacy model means we can't hand entries over, but a partner who has the device after the relationship ends could read what was written when it was written. Caution. - **Clients who already journal well.** Some clients have a journaling practice that works. Adding a structured app can flatten the texture. If their existing practice is serving them, leave it. - **Severe avoidance plus low motivation.** The weekly cadence is forgiving — you can skip a week. But if a client won't engage with structured tools at all, mandating the app creates compliance theater. ## Privacy considerations to mention - **Open Heart cannot read entries.** The app is built so that even the company can't see what your client writes. ([How privacy works](/docs/privacy/how-encryption-works)) - **No clinician access.** There's no therapist dashboard. There's no toggle that gives you live access. The therapist export is a one-shot, client-initiated, plain-text file. ([Therapist export](/docs/features/therapist-export)) - **Recovery phrase risk.** Loss of the recovery phrase plus loss of the phone equals unrecoverable data. Worth mentioning in the same conversation as "save your phrase somewhere safe." - **Crisis content stays on the phone.** The crisis window doesn't escalate to anyone, including you. If your client writes about self-harm, you'll see it in the export only if they share it. ## Pricing for therapy clients Solo mode is free forever. The premium tier (couples mode, AI features, therapist export) is $9.99/month or $59.99/year. We don't have a "therapist clients" discount yet. If you're a clinician with multiple clients on Open Heart and want to discuss a discount or partnership, email hello@myopenheart.co — we're working out what's fair. ## What we'd ask of clinicians - **Don't use the AI conversation starters as session-opening prompts.** They're written for couples to talk to each other, not for therapy. - **Be cautious about treating the export as definitive.** It captures what the client shared, not what they thought. Private entries are not in the export by design. - **If a client asks "should I share this with my therapist?",** treat it as a meaningful question. The act of sharing changes what they write next. ## Related - [Reading a therapist export](/docs/for-therapists/reading-export) - [How Open Heart compares to other tools](/docs/for-therapists/comparison-with-other-tools) - [Crisis resources](/docs/privacy/crisis-resources) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/for-therapists/recommending-app --- # How Open Heart compares to other tools > Honest comparison with Paired, Lasting, Relish, Gottman Card Decks, Day One, and generic notes apps. What Open Heart does that others don't, and what we deliberately don't do. If you're evaluating Open Heart against alternatives you might recommend, here's a straight comparison. ## vs. couples-prompt apps (Paired, Lasting) These apps generate daily questions for couples to discuss. They work well for couples who already communicate openly and want a prompt-of-the-day rhythm. **Open Heart's difference**: the simultaneous reveal mechanic. Open Heart isn't a prompt generator. It's a structure for couples where one or both partners struggle to bring things up at all. Paired and Lasting assume the harder work — surfacing the topic — is done. Open Heart is built for couples where surfacing IS the hard part. **When to recommend Paired or Lasting instead**: established communicators wanting daily structure. Couples in stable seasons looking for connection rituals. **When Open Heart fits better**: conflict-avoidant couples, anxious-attachment-leaning clients, post-rupture rebuilding, partners who write more honestly than they speak. ## vs. couples-quiz apps (Relish, Love Nudge) Quiz-and-prompt apps with quasi-coaching layered on. Often good for early-relationship couples or those new to couples work. **Open Heart's difference**: not built around quizzes. We have free quizzes (love language, attachment style) on the website, but the in-app product is journaling plus the reveal, not assessment. **When to recommend Relish instead**: clients who respond well to gamified structure and quiz feedback. Newer relationships looking for foundational tools. **When Open Heart fits better**: clients who feel patronized by gamified content. Long-term couples processing real material. ## vs. Gottman Card Decks app A free reference app with prompts and exercises from the Gottman Institute. No persistence, no journaling. **Open Heart's difference**: persistence. Open Heart is a structured weekly habit, not a reference tool. We're not Gottman-credentialed and don't claim to be. **When to recommend Card Decks instead**: clients who want quick session ideas or in-the-moment exercises. Therapists looking for free homework tools. **When Open Heart fits better**: clients who benefit from a journaling habit plus a structured weekly cadence. Couples who need a place where what gets written stays available. ## vs. Day One or generic notes apps Generic journaling. Either standalone (Day One, Stoic) or whatever's already on the phone. **Open Heart's difference**: the couples mechanic, the AI coaching, the structured therapist export. None of these exist in generic journaling apps. **When to recommend Day One instead**: solo clients who only want to journal, with no interest in couples features or AI reflection. **When Open Heart fits better**: solo clients who want emotional pattern tracking and weekly insights. All couples work. Clients you might want to read structured exports from. ## vs. couples therapy itself This isn't really a comparison — it's a clear statement: Open Heart is not therapy. - It doesn't replace clinical assessment, treatment planning, or intervention. - It doesn't provide crisis support beyond a hotline window. - It doesn't have safety screening for active harm beyond simple phrase matching. - The AI coaching is grounded in the client's words, but it's not trauma-informed in any clinical sense — it follows good general communication principles. It's a between-sessions structure. It works alongside therapy, not instead of it. ## What Open Heart does that other apps don't 1. **Strong privacy.** Most couples apps store entries with default platform encryption only. Open Heart's model means even our company can't read the content. ([How privacy works](/docs/privacy/how-encryption-works)) 2. **Simultaneous reveal.** No other app I'm aware of has this exact mechanic. Some have "share when both ready" but the implementation tends to be one-way share with delay, not simultaneous. 3. **Honest crisis resources.** Region-specific (10+ countries). On-device check. No surveillance, no logging, no escalation. ([Crisis resources](/docs/privacy/crisis-resources)) 4. **Recovery phrase.** A 24-word phrase that lets the client own their data permanently. They can move phones without losing history. 5. **AI grounded in real entries.** Conversation starters reference specific moments your client wrote, not generic prompts. ## What Open Heart deliberately doesn't do - **No streaks or shame mechanics.** Missing a week doesn't break a streak. There's no badge for "wrote 30 days in a row." - **No partner surveillance.** No read receipts before reveal. No way to "check up" on a partner. - **No social features.** No friend lists, no community, no public sharing. - **No mood-tracking-as-medical.** Open Heart doesn't position itself as a wellbeing or mental health tracker. Feeling tracking exists, but it's framed as journaling support, not a clinical signal. ## Related - [Reading a therapist export](/docs/for-therapists/reading-export) - [Recommending Open Heart to clients](/docs/for-therapists/recommending-app) - [What Open Heart is](/docs/getting-started/what-is-open-heart) Source: https://www.myopenheart.co/docs/for-therapists/comparison-with-other-tools ---