Dead man's switch apps in 2026, compared honestly

How did we compare dead man's switch apps?

A dead man's switch has one job: hand something to someone when you can no longer do it yourself, so every criterion comes back to trust. We took each app's own website or store listing at face value and flagged where a claim is vendor wording rather than something we tested. New to the idea? Start with what a dead man's switch is.

• Trigger

  A timer you reset by checking in, a recipient's request you fail to answer, a named contact confirming, or a mix of signals such as phone sensors. Simpler is easier to reason about.

• What you can send

  Messages at minimum; some apps add passwords, files, recordings and notes about money.

• Do recipients need an account?

  An email link that opens in a browser is a lower hurdle for a grieving person than installing an app and registering.

• Encryption and who holds the keys

  Each vendor's own wording, and whether content is encrypted on your device with a key only you hold or on the vendor's servers.

Which dead man's switch apps are worth considering?

PostMortem is listed first because this is our site; its entry is held to the same criteria as the rest.

• PostMortem

  A free dead man's switch app for iOS and Android with no subscription. You create message boxes, each with its own check-in interval from one hour to twelve months, and check in with one tap in the app; one tap resets every active box. Four reminders arrive by email and push before release, which happens exactly when the interval runs out, so pick an interval you will keep and try the one-hour test box first. A box holds up to three text messages, unlimited login credentials, unlimited financial records (debts or assets you want known) and up to five files of 20 MB each (images, PDFs, Office documents, text, audio). Messages, passwords, files and financial details are encrypted on your phone with AES-256 using a personal key only you hold; the box name, recipient addresses and check-in schedule stay readable so reminders and delivery work. Recipients need no account or app: they open an email link, scan the key card you gave them in advance, decrypt in their browser and can download a PDF and a ZIP of files. Seven languages. Good for: passwords, files and financial notes delivered together, free, from a phone. Note: you hold the only key, which is what keeps PostMortem out of your data, so save it safely and hand each recipient their card while you are alive; managed protection is coming. See how it works.

• Dead man's switch app (deadmanswitch.com)

  An iPhone-only app from a Toronto company. You build an encrypted "package" on the device, stored in the cloud, and your presence is detected by step counts, email or SMS confirmations; if you stop stepping you get a notification before any email goes out. The developer says content is end-to-end encrypted while some operational metadata is retained, and points to its code on GitHub. Recipients are contacted by email. It is a paid app with in-app purchases. Good for: iPhone users who prefer passive detection through movement. Limits: no Android; detection depends on the app staying logged in with background access.

• Dead Man's Switch (deadmansswitch.net)

  A long-running, email-centred service. You write emails, choose recipients, and get periodic prompts by email, its Android check-in app, Telegram or browser push asking you to click a link. Intervals run from a day to years, with several prompts after your last sign of life before sending. The free tier only sends a test to your own address; paid plans unlock real recipients, many messages and, on yearly plans, small attachments. We found no specific on-device encryption or key-custody statement on its site. Good for: a simple email switch. Limits: text-first, attachments only on paid yearly plans, web-centric workflow.

• DGLegacy

  A Berlin-based digital-inheritance platform on iOS, Android and web, aimed at making sure beneficiaries learn about assets such as bank accounts, insurance, crypto and documents. Its "alive" detection combines social-media check-ups, app logins and periodic email prompts, and it proactively tells beneficiaries what is designated to them. The vendor describes AES-256 at rest, TLS in transit and a zero-knowledge design tied to your master password. Free tier plus paid plans. Good for: a structured asset inventory, closer to digital legacy planning than a plain switch. Limits: more setup, and multi-signal detection is harder to reason about than one timer.

• AbsentKey

  An encrypted vault for iOS and Android with a request-based model instead of check-ins. You add secrets (passwords, photos, files, notes), assign up to 20 recipients per secret and give each a rule: instant, on your approval, or after a waiting time of 1 to 365 days if you do not respond. Content is encrypted on the device (the site names XSalsa20-Poly1305), the private key stays on your phone and the mobile client is on GitHub. The vault is free; sharing is paid; receiving is free. Good for: people who dislike recurring check-ins and want per-person rules. Limits: recipients use the app to request access, and the timer only starts when someone asks.

• LastSend

  A posthumous-messaging app (iOS plus web) built around heartfelt messages with photos and recordings. You check in daily, weekly or monthly with one tap; if you stop, at least two trusted contacts are emailed to verify your status, and only after they confirm are messages delivered through private memorial pages. Trusted contacts never see content. Free text-only tier; paid plans add media and attachments. We found no clear on-device encryption statement. Good for: emotional messages with a human confirmation step. Limits: needs two trusted contacts who respond; not designed around passwords or files.

• Cipherwill

  A web-based digital will and vault. The vendor describes zero-knowledge, client-side encryption and covers passwords, notes and bank details, with crypto seed phrases, scanned documents and per-item beneficiary assignment on the paid plan. The free tier includes an email-only dead man's switch and a limited number of beneficiaries; the paid plan adds call and SMS fallbacks. Good for: a will-style inventory with per-beneficiary allocation, from a browser. Limits: web only, so no native check-in app or push reminders.

• Switchifye

  A web-based switch with a plain timer: create a switch, add contacts, check in on a schedule, and contacts are emailed if you miss it. The free tier offers one switch with two contacts and monthly or yearly check-ins; a paid annual plan lifts the caps and adds file attachments. We found no specific encryption claim. Good for: a minimal alert for one or two contacts. Limits: no native app; encryption model not described.

• Legacy Keeper

  A free iOS and Android app that keeps estate records on the device, not on external servers; the developer says only basic account details leave the phone. Release is not an inactivity timer: an executor you appointed can report your death, you get 24 hours to respond in the app, then the account locks and the executor receives the device login and app PIN in their own copy of the app, so they must physically access your phone. Good for: people who want nothing in the cloud and have a named executor. Limits: needs the physical device; no inactivity trigger; this is the developer's own account, not something we tested.

• Google Inactive Account Manager

  Free and built into every Google Account. You pick an inactivity period; if Google sees no sign-ins, Gmail use or Android check-ins for that long, it notifies up to 10 trusted contacts and, if you chose, shares selected account data after verifying their phone number. It can also delete the account. Good for: Gmail, Photos and Drive handover at no cost. Limits: Google data and one setup message only; no encryption beyond Google's normal storage.

• Password-manager emergency access

  Bitwarden gives paid users emergency access: a trusted contact with their own Bitwarden account requests access and gets it when you approve or when your chosen wait time passes, under a public-key design so Bitwarden cannot read the vault. 1Password instead relies on an Emergency Kit PDF and family-organizer account recovery, not an inactivity timer. Good for: passwords, if you already pay for one. Limits: passwords only, no letters, files or financial notes; the contact needs an account. More in dead man's switch vs password manager.

How do the apps compare at a glance?

• Trigger

  PostMortem: timer, one-tap check-in, 1 hour to 12 months. deadmanswitch.com: steps, email or SMS detection. deadmansswitch.net: timer with email, Android, Telegram or push check-ins. DGLegacy: multi-signal alive detection. AbsentKey: recipient request plus waiting time. LastSend: timer plus contact confirmation. Cipherwill: email prompts. Switchifye: timer with email prompts. Legacy Keeper: executor report plus 24-hour window. Google: account inactivity. Bitwarden: contact request plus wait time.

• Encryption and key custody (vendor wording)

  PostMortem: AES-256 on your phone, one personal key you hold, decrypted in the recipient's browser. deadmanswitch.com: end-to-end with retained metadata. DGLegacy: AES-256 at rest, zero-knowledge via master password. AbsentKey: on-device, key stays on the phone. Cipherwill: zero-knowledge client-side. Legacy Keeper: on-device storage. Bitwarden: public-key, zero-knowledge. Google: standard storage. deadmansswitch.net, LastSend, Switchifye: no specific claim found.

Which dead man's switch app should you choose?

• Passwords, files and money notes together, free

  PostMortem: credentials, financial records and files beside your letters, on iOS and Android, with recipients who need only a browser. Run the test box before trusting it.

• A human in the loop before anything is sent

  LastSend asks trusted contacts to confirm; Legacy Keeper gives you a response window after an executor reports. Fewer false alarms, but you depend on other people acting.

• No check-ins

  AbsentKey's request-based timer, deadmanswitch.com's step detection and Google's inactivity model all avoid the regular tap. A request-based switch does nothing until someone asks.

• An inventory of assets for heirs

  DGLegacy and Cipherwill are closer to a digital will than a switch. None of these apps makes a document legally a will.

• Only a nudge, no payload

  Switchifye or deadmansswitch.net on a free tier, plus Google Inactive Account Manager, is enough for many people.

What should you check before trusting any dead man's switch?

• False-release safeguards

  Count the reminders, check they reach a second channel, and pick an interval longer than your longest likely silence. A switch responds to silence, which is the point: if you are in hospital your family gets what they need; if it was a false alarm you delete the box and tell them. See what happens if you miss a check-in.

• Key custody

  Ask who can decrypt your content: only you, your recipients, or the vendor. If only you hold the key, store it where it survives a lost phone and reach your recipients in advance. If the vendor holds it, you are trusting their staff and security. Neither is wrong; know which one you chose.

• Exportability

  Can recipients take what they received out of the app as a PDF, ZIP or plain email? A payload trapped inside a product is only as durable as the product.

• Durability of your setup

  Most apps here are small and young, and a switch may need to work for decades. Prefer services that let recipients keep a copy, keep a paper note of what you set up and where, and revisit it yearly. This is general information, not legal advice; what counts as a valid instruction to heirs varies by country or state.

How does PostMortem fit into this comparison?

PostMortem is the free entry with native iOS and Android apps, encryption on your phone with a key only you hold, several content types in one box, and recipients who never need an account. It is a plain timer by design: release happens exactly when your interval runs out, after four reminders, so choose an interval you will keep, and let the one-hour test box show you the whole path first.

Frequently asked questions

• Which dead man's switch apps are free?

  PostMortem is free on iOS and Android with no paid tier and carries passwords, files and financial notes. Legacy Keeper is free but relies on an executor with your phone. Google Inactive Account Manager is free but covers Google data only. Most others have a free tier that limits recipients, messages or attachments.

• Which dead man's switch apps work on both iOS and Android?

  PostMortem, DGLegacy, AbsentKey and Legacy Keeper have native apps on both. deadmanswitch.com is iPhone only; deadmansswitch.net is web plus an Android check-in app; LastSend is iOS plus web; Cipherwill and Switchifye are web based.

• Do my recipients need to install anything?

  With PostMortem, deadmansswitch.net, LastSend and Switchifye, recipients open an email in a browser. AbsentKey and Legacy Keeper need the recipient or executor to use the app, and password-manager emergency access needs the contact to have their own account.

• How do dead man's switch apps avoid sending too early?

  Reminders before the deadline, long intervals, confirmation by trusted contacts, multi-signal detection, or a response window after someone reports you. PostMortem reminds you four times per interval; LastSend and Legacy Keeper add a human step.

• Which apps encrypt messages so the company cannot read them?

  By their own descriptions: PostMortem, AbsentKey, Cipherwill, DGLegacy, Bitwarden and deadmanswitch.com. deadmansswitch.net, LastSend and Switchifye make no specific claim we could find. These are vendor descriptions, including ours.

• Can a dead man's switch replace a will?

  No. These apps deliver information and wishes; they do not create a legally valid will, and inheritance rules vary by country or state. Use a switch so people can find and access things, and a properly executed will for the legal side. This is general information, not legal advice.

• What should I keep outside any app?

  Whatever your recipients would need if they could not reach you or the app. Keep a paper note of what you set up and for whom, give recipients anything they need in advance (such as PostMortem's key card), and prefer apps where recipients can download what they receive. Review your setup yearly.

• Is it legal to use a dead man's switch?

  Using one is ordinary and legal almost everywhere; the cautions concern what you put in it, such as other people's data or instructions that conflict with local law.