How it works

A vault that stays closed until the right people need it

Digital Legacy Vault helps you store the important things now, then makes access depend on a real request and the release rules you choose.

Connected vaultsAccess requestsCollection-level access
Owner dashboardOwner dashboard showing connected vaults and searchable access requests.Owner dashboard showing connected vaults and searchable access requests.

What makes it different

It is not just a folder of secrets. It is a controlled handoff plan for the people who may need to act later.

Security model

Sensitive records are encrypted before storage, stay private while you're active, and only follow the release path after a legitimate request.

Release path

The three-step flow behind vault access

This is the part visitors need to understand quickly before they trust the product with sensitive records.

Owner workspace
Owner setup

Prepare the records and people that matter first.

Family readiness collection3 records
Email passwordsLogins
Insurance folderDocuments
Family instructionsInstructions
Granted contactsExecutor and TrustedBoth can request assigned collections and confirm later.
Release rules14-day inactivity window2 total confirmations if requested
Step 1

Add trusted contacts and leave clear instructions

Start with the passwords, documents, and instructions your family would struggle to find fast.

Request tracking
Request begins

A trusted contact starts the process, not the unlock.

1Request submittedExecutor asks for the Family Instructions collection.
2Checks beginInactivity timing and confirmations move into pending state.
3Still lockedThe request does not expose the collection by itself.
StatusPending confirmation
TimingFinal reminder still active
ScopeOnly one collection is in play
Step 2

A request starts the policy checks

A trusted contact still has to request access. After that, your timing and confirmation rules begin.

Controlled release path
Eligible release

Unlock only the collection that satisfied the selected rules.

My bankingStill locked
Family instructionsUnlocked for the approved requester
Crypto assetsStill locked
Released collection contentVisible now
Hospital folder and emergency contactsReady
Executor instructions and key documentsReady
Other collections outside this requestHidden
Step 3

Unlock only when your chosen conditions are met

Only the eligible collection unlocks after the selected release path is satisfied: timed release, confirmations, or both.

Policy controls

The owner decides what release really means

Set your own thresholds: timed release, confirmations, or both together.

Inactivity window

7-365 days

Choose how long you must be inactive before timed release can become eligible.

Reminder cadence

1-90 days

Choose how often the vault checks in while a request is pending.

Trusted confirmations

2+ confirmations

The requester counts as the first confirmation, so at least one other confirmation-capable contact is still needed.

These are adjustable ranges, not fixed presets. Confirmation thresholds depend on how many trusted contacts are granted to a collection.

What the app is trying to solve

Most vaults stop at storage. This one is built for the harder moment: making sensitive records reachable later by the right people, under the right conditions.

Create free vaultRead planning guides

Related guides

Read the planning questions behind the release model

These guides explain the estate-planning problems people are trying to solve before a trusted contact or executor ever needs the vault.

Checklist7 min read

Digital estate planning checklist

See what belongs in a practical plan for executors, online accounts, passwords, and final instructions.

Read guide
Executor guide7 min read

How an executor gets access to online accounts

Understand why legal authority alone does not unlock email, devices, and provider accounts.

Read guide
Comparison7 min read

Apple Legacy Contact vs a digital legacy vault

Compare Apple-specific after-death access with a broader estate planning system for all online accounts.

Read guide
Mobile access

Continue on mobile

Use Digital Legacy Vault on iPhone and Android when you want the vault, collections, and trusted-contact workflow with you.

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This is a public updates list, not a product-notification channel. Vault alerts, access requests, billing notices, and security emails stay separate.

FAQ

Questions about the release model

These answers fill in the operational details behind the release model.

What starts the release path?

A trusted contact must request access first. The vault does not start a release window just because a contact exists on the account.

Can the owner combine timed release and trusted confirmations?

Yes. The owner can choose timed release only, trusted confirmations only, or require both together before access can complete.

Do collections matter, or is everything unlocked at once?

Collections matter. Access requests are collection-specific, so different groups of records can follow different grants and release rules.