Help and troubleshooting

Getting started

What is Free and Sober?

A sobriety app for adults, for any substance, at every stage. It counts your days without shame, keeps a message from you sealed until day 30, gives you a calendar for the appointments that matter, and helps you find meetings. At launch, it also has a mentor you can talk to by message, by voice or with a talking avatar, and Your Corner, for sharing your progress with people you choose.

Free and Sober is a wellness app. It is not medical care and not a substitute for treatment. It is for adults 18 and older in the United States, and it is in English.

How do I get the app?

Free and Sober is coming to the App Store and Google Play, for iPhone and Android, in the US first. At launch, it starts with a 3-day free trial of Essentials, then $12.99 a month, plus tax. Renews automatically every month until you cancel. Cancel anytime in your phone's store settings. Join the waitlist.

What happens when I first open it?

• At launch, you first confirm you are 18 or older. We don't ask for your date of birth.
• You tell us your state and agree to the terms.
• At launch, you agree to how Free and Sober uses your health data, on its own screen.
• You sign in with your email address and a six-digit code.
• You answer one screen of basics: when your count started and, if you like, the name you want to be called and whether you are working a program. Your program sets the words the app uses.
• If you haven't stopped yet, you pick a quit date, today or any day in the next two weeks.
• That's all before your Home screen. Your Time Capsule's card waits there until you want to record it. You can write your reasons, in your own words, under You, whenever you like. You meet your mentor the first time you open the Mentor tab.
• At launch, once your first capsule is sealed, the app tells you where your key is kept and offers to make your recovery key. See "Your key and your recovery key" below.

Why do you ask my age?

At launch. Free and Sober is for adults 18 and older, and the law expects apps like ours to check. We use the age range your app store shares, where it shares one, or, where it does not, ask you whether you are 18 or older. We don't ask for your date of birth, and we keep only that you are 18 or older.

Can I change my answers later?

Yes. Go to the You tab, then Your start date and path. You can change your name, your start date, and your program there. Your reasons are under You too, in Your reasons.

How much does it cost?

At launch. Essentials is $12.99 a month plus tax, with a 3-day free trial. Renews automatically every month until you cancel. Cancel anytime in your phone's store settings. Plus and Premium add more. See Billing and subscriptions.

Your account and email

The code email has not arrived

• Wait a minute or two. Email can be slow.
• Check your spam or junk folder. In Gmail, also check the Promotions and Updates tabs. Search your email for "Free and Sober."
• Check the address. The screen shows the address we sent the code to. If it is wrong, tap Use a different email and type it again.
• Ask for a new code. Tap Send a new code once the countdown ends. Then use the code from the newest email.
• If you see "Too many tries for now," wait a minute and try again. Each address can ask for a new code about once a minute.
• Still nothing? Write to support@freeandsober.com and tell us which address you are using.

The code does not work

• It may have expired. A code works for one hour. After that, tap Send a new code.
• Use the newest code. If you asked for more than one, only the latest one works.
• Check each digit. You can paste the code, even with a space or a dash in it. The app keeps only the six digits.

Can I sign in with a different email?

Yes. On the code screen, tap Use a different email. But each email address is its own account. Your count, your Time Capsules and your calendar belong to the address you first signed in with. To get back to them, sign in with that address.

Can I change the email on my account?

Not in the app yet. Write to support@freeandsober.com from the address on your account, and tell us the new one.

How do I sign out?

Go to the You tab, tap Sign out, then confirm. Your count and your recordings stay in your account. Signing out clears your calendar reminders from that phone. When you sign in again and open the app, they are set again.

At launch, signing out keeps your key on that phone, so your vault opens again when you sign back in. While you are signed out, the app can't open your vault. Before you give away, sell or erase a phone, make sure your key is somewhere else too: on your new phone, in iCloud Keychain or your Google backup, or in your recovery key.

The Time Capsule

What is the Time Capsule?

A message from you, today, to the you who opens it 30 days from now: on video or by voice, up to 90 seconds, or in writing as a letter. We recommend video. It is sealed, and it opens on its day. Many people say what tonight is like, why they are doing this, and what they hope that day feels like.

Once your first capsule is sealed, you can record more, and pick the day each one opens: tomorrow, in a week, a milestone, a birthday, a year from now, any day from tomorrow to ten years out. Essentials holds 1 sealed capsule at a time, and Plus and Premium hold up to 3. When one opens, you can record another.

How do I record it?

• On the Home screen, tap Record it on the Time Capsule card.
• First, the app asks how you are doing tonight. If you choose "Not safe right now," the recording can wait. The screen shows how to call or text 988.
• Tap Record on camera (recommended), Voice only, or Write it.
• Watch or listen back. If you want another go, tap Record it again instead. You can do this as many times as you like before you seal it.
• When it is right, tap Seal it, then Yes, seal it. Keep the app open while it seals. It can take a moment on a slow connection.

How do I record another one?

• Once your first capsule for this count is sealed, go to the You tab, then Time Capsule, and tap Record another under More capsules.
• Pick the day it opens: Tomorrow, In a week, one of your milestones, a round date such as A year from today, or Another day, typed as YYYY-MM-DD. It can be any day from tomorrow to ten years out.
• Then record and seal it the same way.
• At launch, if the day is more than a year away and you haven't made a recovery key, the app asks you to make one first. On an Android phone that can't back up your key, you need one to seal it.

Essentials, including its free trial, holds 1 sealed capsule at a time, and Plus and Premium hold up to 3. Once a capsule opens, it no longer counts, so you can record another. One you take back doesn't count either. Your first capsule of a count counts while it's sealed, and it can always be sealed. If Record another isn't there, the screen says why, and the day you can seal the next. Each one has its own hour to take it back, and each one opens on its own day. Only your first capsule asks for an answer.

The camera or microphone will not turn on (iPhone)

If you said no when the app asked, the app shows "The camera is off for this app" or "The microphone is off for this app." To fix it:

• Tap Open Settings if you see it on screen. Or open the Settings app, scroll down, and tap Free and Sober.
• Turn on Camera and Microphone. A camera recording needs the microphone too, for the sound.
• Go back to Free and Sober and try again.

If the microphone "could not start," close any other app that may be using it, such as a phone call or a voice recorder, and try again. You can also record voice only, which needs just the microphone.

The camera or microphone will not turn on (Android)

• Open the Settings app.
• Tap Apps. You may need to tap See all apps.
• Tap Free and Sober, then Permissions.
• Tap Camera and choose Allow only while using the app.
• Go back, tap Microphone, and choose Allow only while using the app.
• Go back to Free and Sober and try again.

The names of these menus vary a little between phone makers.

It says "That take is too large to send"

Record a shorter take, or record voice only. Voice recordings are much smaller.

Sealing did not finish

Your take is still on your phone. Check your connection and tap Seal it again. If you see "Too many attempts for now," wait an hour, then try again.

Can I take it back?

Yes, for one hour after you seal it. On the Home screen, tap See it on the Time Capsule card, then tap Take it back, then Yes, delete it. For another capsule, tap it under More capsules first. It is deleted, and you can record a new one straight away. You can't undo a take-back, and we won't restore it. Its file can stay in our storage's deleted-file recovery, and its details in our backups, for up to 30 days before they are erased. At launch, the file stays locked with your key, and we can't play it. You need a connection to take it back. The hour is counted by our server, from when it recorded the seal.

After the hour, it is sealed until the day it opens.

Why can't I open it early?

Because that is the promise. It stays sealed until its day, even from you. A rule in our database keeps it sealed, not just a screen. We don't make exceptions, and our support team has no tool to open a capsule early.

At launch, it is also end-to-end encrypted. It is locked on your phone with your key before it is uploaded, and we never have your key in a form we can use. So we can't watch it, hear it or read it on any day, even if you ask. If the law ever requires us to hand it over, all we can give is the locked file and the details we can read, such as its dates. The seal is a rule on our servers, not part of the encryption. The encryption is what keeps us from playing it.

When does it open?

Your first capsule opens 30 days after the day you sealed it, counted in the time zone you were in when you sealed it. If you seal it on your start date, it opens on your 30-day milestone. The Home screen shows the date and how many days are left. Every other capsule opens on the day you picked, counted the same way.

It opens on its day whether or not you slipped, and whether or not you still subscribe. At launch, playing it takes your key: it plays on a phone that has your key, or once you enter your recovery key. If your key and your recovery key are both lost, it still reaches its day, but nobody can play it, including us.

I changed my start date or my time zone. Does the opening day move?

No. The opening day is fixed when you seal it.

How will I know it has opened?

On the day, the Home screen shows Open your Time Capsule, or Another capsule is open for one of the others, and your calendar marks every capsule's day. At launch, you also get a notification that morning on any phone where you have signed in and opened the app, as long as its notifications are on. It says only "Something you sealed opens today."

At launch, if the phone you use doesn't have the key a capsule is locked with, the app tells you about two weeks before its day, so you have time to find your key. You can also turn on Email me before a capsule opens in the You tab. We then email you about two weeks before each capsule opens, and on its morning. The email says only something like "Something you sealed opens on March 3."

What if I slipped before it opens?

It still opens on its day. It is a message from you, and a slip never takes it away. At launch, opening it after a slip starts with a short "I slipped" step first, and playing it takes your key, as with any capsule.

How do I play it and answer it?

Tap Open it on the Home screen, then Play it. Once you have heard it, tap Record your answer. Your answer can be on video or by voice, up to 90 seconds, or in writing, and you can see it right away. You can watch your capsule and your answer again any time.

At launch, the whole capsule downloads to your phone and is unlocked there before it plays, so a long video can take a moment on a slow connection. If the phone you're using doesn't have the key your capsule is locked with, the app asks you to move your key from your other phone or to enter your recovery key. You can still answer your first capsule without playing it.

My capsule opened, but it won't play

At launch.

• It says your key isn't on this phone. Tap Move it from my other phone if you still have your old phone, or Use my recovery key. See "Your key and your recovery key" below.
• It stopped while it downloaded. Check your connection and tap Try again.
• It says the file didn't open, even with your key. The file may be damaged. We keep it as it is. Write to support@freeandsober.com if you'd like us to look into it. We can't open a locked file, so we can't repair what's in it.

We can't promise that every recording will play on every phone.

What if I lose my phone or get a new one?

At launch. Once a capsule is sealed, it is kept in your account, locked with your key. So are your journal and the rest of your vault. Signing in on a new phone brings back your account, but it doesn't open your vault. Your key does. Sign in with the same email, and the app looks for your key:

• On iPhone, in iCloud Keychain, if you use it. It can take a little while to arrive after you sign in to iCloud, and the app keeps looking.
• On Android, in your Google account's encrypted backup, if your phone supports it and your new phone was set up from that backup or from your old phone.
• On your old phone, if you still have it. Tap Move it from my other phone on the new phone, and scan the code your old phone shows. This works between iPhone and Android.
• In your recovery key, if you made one. Tap Use my recovery key and type your 24 words.

Once it finds your key, your capsules, your journal and the rest of your vault are there, and every capsule still opens on its day. Without your key or your recovery key, they stay locked, and we can't open them for you. See "Your key and your recovery key" below.

A take you have not sealed yet is on the phone you recorded it on. If that phone is lost before you seal it, the take is gone, and you can record a new one. The app uploads a take while it seals it, so if sealing started but didn't finish, a locked copy of it may already be in our storage. If it is never sealed, we delete it after about a week, and our storage's deleted-file recovery can keep it for up to 30 days more.

How do I save a copy of it?

At launch, there are two ways, both once it has opened:

• On the capsule's screen, tap Save a copy, and choose where it goes, such as Files or Photos.
• Or go to the You tab, then Export your data, then Make my copy. Your copy is made on your phone, where your key is. It holds every capsule that has opened, ready to play.

A saved copy isn't locked with your key. Anyone who has it can play it, so keep it somewhere private. Wherever you save it, such as your photos and any photo backup, keeps it under that service's own terms, and once it's saved, we can't protect it or delete it. A sealed capsule stays sealed until its day, even in a copy.

Can I delete a sealed capsule?

A sealed capsule can only be deleted in its first hour, or when your whole account is deleted. At launch, if you started a new vault because your key was lost, you can also delete capsules locked with your old key, once 7 days have passed since your key or recovery key last changed. That wait gives you time to tell us if someone else made the change. Our support team has no tool to delete a single sealed capsule for you. Deleting one never opens it. A deleted capsule's file can stay in our storage's deleted-file recovery for up to 30 days before it is erased, and we won't restore it.

Your key and your recovery key

At launch. End-to-end encryption switches on when the app goes public. Everything in this section describes how it will work.

What is my key, and where is it kept?

Your key locks your vault: your Time Capsules, your journal, and the other private things our Privacy Policy lists. The app makes it on your phone. What you record or write in your vault is locked with it on your phone before it is stored, and what others send you, such as a corner capsule, is locked for you before we store it. We keep only the locked versions. We never have your key in a form we can use. So we can't read what's in your vault, and nobody at Free and Sober can reset, recover or show your key. Signing in doesn't open your vault. Your key does. Your vault opens only in the Free and Sober app on a phone, not in a web browser.

Your key is kept:

• On your phone, in its secure storage.
• On iPhone, in iCloud Keychain, if you use it. We can't tell whether iCloud Keychain is on, so we can't promise your key is saved there.
• On Android, in your Google account's encrypted backup, only when your phone supports it: Android 9 or later, with a screen lock and Google Play services. If your phone can't back up your key, the app tells you.
• In your recovery key, if you make one.

Apple and Google keep those copies under their own terms and security, not ours. We can't see or control them. Their backups don't cross between iPhone and Android.

Some details stay readable to us, because the service needs them, such as your email address, your start date and counts, and the day each capsule opens. Our Privacy Policy lists them.

What is a recovery key? Do I need one?

It is 24 words you write down or print. With them, your vault opens on any phone, iPhone or Android. After your first capsule is sealed, the app offers to make one. If you tap Later, a card stays on your Home screen and in the You tab until you do.

• The app shows the words once, then asks for three of them, to check you have them.
• You can print them. The printed sheet doesn't name the app unless you choose, and it has a line where you can write what it's for.
• We keep a copy of your key on our server, locked with your 24 words. Only your words can open it. We never see them, and we can't show them to you again.
• One set of words opens every key your phone holds when you make it.
• Keeping them safe is up to you. Keep them private, somewhere you'll find them years from now. Anyone who has your words and can sign in to your account can open your vault.
• We will never ask you for them. If you send them to us, we delete your message and ask you to make a new recovery key.
• A photo of your words, or a file of them saved to a cloud drive, is held by that service under its own terms.

Making one is your choice for most capsules, but without it, losing your phone can mean losing your vault. Before you seal a capsule that opens more than a year from now, the app asks you to make one first, if you haven't. On an Android phone that can't back up your key, you need a recovery key to seal a capsule that opens more than a year out.

How do I check or replace my recovery key?

• Check it. The You tab shows the date you made it. Tap Check my recovery key any time, and once a year the app offers a check too. You type your 24 words, and your phone tells you whether they work. It never shows you the right words, and it doesn't send us the words you type or the result.
• Replace it. In the You tab, tap Make a new recovery key. Your old words stop working once the new copy is saved. A copy locked with your old words can stay in our backups for up to 30 days.

When a recovery key is made or replaced, every phone signed in to your account shows a notice, and we email you.

How do I move my key to a new phone?

If you still have your old phone:

• On your old phone, go to the You tab and tap Move my key to a new phone. It shows a code that works for 10 minutes.
• On your new phone, sign in with the same email, tap Move it from my other phone, and scan the code.
• Check that both phones show the same six-digit number, then tap Yes, send my key on your old phone.

It works between any two phones, iPhone or Android. Your key passes through our server locked, so we can't read it. Only scan the code with your own phone. Your old phone keeps its copy.

What if I can't find my key?

If you can't find your key on your phone, in its backup or on another phone, and you don't have your recovery key, nobody can open what's in your vault, including us. If they are all gone for good, so is what they locked. We can't reset, recover or rebuild your key, even if you ask or a court orders us to.

The app first shows what is locked, including each sealed capsule and the day it opens. Then it offers three choices:

• Keep looking. Nothing changes. The app looks for your key again each time you open it.
• Start a new vault. What you add from then on is locked with a new key. What was locked with your old key stays locked, including corner capsules sent to it. Its capsules still reach their day, but only your old key, or the recovery key made for it, can play them. We keep them until you delete them or your account, and they open again if you find either.
• Delete the locked items. Deleting one never opens it. A locked capsule that is still sealed can be deleted once 7 days have passed since your key or recovery key last changed.

I got an email that a security setting changed

We email you, and every phone signed in to your account shows a notice, when a new vault is started or a recovery key is made or replaced. If it wasn't you, write to support@freeandsober.com right away. We can end the other sign-ins to your account. For 7 days after the change, a locked capsule can't be deleted on its own. Someone who only signed in as you can't open what's already in your vault without your key, but they could see the details that stay readable to us, or delete your account. Keep your email account secure.

What can remove my key from a phone?

• Signing out doesn't. Your key stays on that phone.
• Deleting the app or erasing your phone can remove the copy of your key on that phone. Before you do, make sure your key is somewhere else: in iCloud Keychain or your Google backup, on another phone, or in your recovery key.
• Deleting your account in the app deletes your key from that phone and from your iCloud Keychain or Google backup, once the account is deleted: at once with Delete everything now, or, after the 30 days of Delete my account, the next time you open the app. It also deletes your locked vault, and the locked copy of your key, from our servers.

Day count and slips

How is my day count worked out?

Day 1 is your start date. Each new day, in your own time zone, adds one. If you have more than one count, the Home screen also shows your total days across every start.

How do I change my start date?

Go to the You tab, then Your start date and path. Under "When did your count start?", tap the date, then pick the year, the month and the day. It can be years ago, but not in the future. This corrects your current count. It does not start a new one, and it does not move the day any Time Capsule opens.

My count shows the wrong day

Check your start date first. If you have moved to a new time zone, go to the You tab, then Your start date and path, and tap Continue. That saves your phone's current time zone.

I slipped. What happens to my count?

Your days still count. At launch, the "I slipped" path starts a new count and keeps your history: your total days and every milestone you earned stay yours. If you want to talk about it, the mentor listens, without shame. Milestone countdowns pause for a day.

A new count never needs a new account. Please do not delete your account to start over.

If you are not safe right now, call or text 988, or call 911.

Will anyone be told if I slip?

No. People in your corner are never told. Their milestone emails simply pause until your next milestone. You can choose to tell them yourself. An organization you joined sees engagement counts only.

The mentor

Is the mentor a person?

No. It is an AI, and it tells you so. It is not a therapist, a sponsor, a counselor or a doctor. It's a place to talk things through: it listens, reflects back what you say, and asks questions that help you think. It doesn't give advice, coping techniques or anything about medication. If you ask it a medical question, it says it can't give medical advice. Every mentor screen says: "I'm an AI, not a therapist or counselor, and this isn't medical advice or treatment. It's not a substitute for clinical care." Read The mentor and your safety to learn how it works, and our crisis protocol for how it handles a crisis.

When can I use it?

At launch. A licensed clinician has reviewed and signed its safety protocol. You can also talk with it out loud, and on video.

If an organization's program gives you your seat, see "Do I get the mentor through an organization?" below.

What does "Having a craving?" do?

It's a button on Home. It opens a conversation with your mentor, with "I'm having a craving." already in the message box. Nothing is sent until you send it, and you can change the words first. The mentor listens and asks about it; it doesn't give advice or coping techniques. If you're in danger, call 911, or call or text 988.

If an organization's program gives you your seat, the button shows how to reach your program instead: its main phone line if it has one and its resources are open to you, the people in your safety plan, and 988 and 911. Your program isn't told you tapped it.

What does it cost to talk to the mentor?

At launch.

• By message: included in every plan. Essentials includes 10 open conversation messages a day, Plus includes 20 and Premium includes 30.
• By voice: each minute uses 1 voice minute.
• With the talking avatar, on Plus and Premium: each minute of video uses 3 voice minutes.
• A crisis is never counted or capped, on any plan, even with no minutes left. A craving conversation never uses voice minutes; typed messages count toward the day's messages.

Plus includes 30 voice minutes a month, and Premium includes 120. You can buy packs of voice minutes on any plan. See Billing and subscriptions.

Voice is not working

• Allow the microphone. On iPhone, open Settings, tap Free and Sober, and turn on Microphone. On Android, open Settings, tap Apps, Free and Sober, Permissions, Microphone, and choose Allow only while using the app.
• Close other apps that may be using the microphone, such as a call or a recorder.
• Check your connection. Voice needs a steady connection. On a weak connection, the avatar switches to voice only.
• Check your volume, and try without Bluetooth headphones.
• Check your voice minutes. Voice uses them. With none left, a craving or crisis conversation still continues in messages, read aloud by your phone's own voice.

The mentor talked over me, or cut me off

The mentor is set to be patient and wait for you to finish. You can always interrupt it by talking. Small words like "mm-hmm" or "okay" do not stop it, but "wait," "stop" and "help" do. If you say "give me a minute," it waits quietly.

The mentor misheard me

At launch, you can see what the mentor heard and tap to correct it. You can also switch to typing at any time.

Can I see what the mentor remembers?

At launch, yes. You can read and edit the mentor's memory. It is stored locked with your key, and your phone sends it with a request only so the mentor can use it.

The mentor said something wrong or upsetting

Please tell us. Use the report option in the app, or our report form. If you are in danger, call 911, or call or text 988.

Notifications and reminders

What notifications does Free and Sober send?

• Calendar reminders you set for your appointments.
• At launch: at most one gentle note a day, at a time you choose (8 a.m. unless you change it), plus your milestone days. Quiet hours are 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. unless you set them differently. On the lock screen they say only "A note for today," unless you turn on full text. They never guilt you, and you can change or turn them all off in one place. Your phone shows the app's home-screen name above every notification, and that name is "F & S", so neither your home screen nor a notification says "Free and Sober". The notification itself never names the app.
• At launch: a notification on the morning each Time Capsule opens, and, if the phone you use doesn't have the key a capsule is locked with, a notice about two weeks before it opens. They never say what is in it.
• At launch, if you turn it on: an email about two weeks before each Time Capsule opens, and on its morning.

During a crisis, the daily notes stop. Your calendar reminders keep ringing, because they are your own.

My reminders are not arriving (iPhone)

• Allow notifications. The app asks the first time you pick a reminder. If you said no, open Settings, tap Notifications, tap Free and Sober, and turn on Allow Notifications. Turn on Sounds and the Lock Screen and Banners alerts too.
• Check Focus. A Focus such as Do Not Disturb or Sleep can silence notifications. Open Settings, tap Focus, choose the Focus, and add Free and Sober under Apps, or turn the Focus off.
• Check Scheduled Summary. If it is on, notifications can be held back for later. Open Settings, tap Notifications, then Scheduled Summary, and make sure Free and Sober is not in it.
• Open the app now and then. Reminders are set on your phone each time you open the app: the next two weeks in full, plus the next one for each appointment. If you have not opened it in more than two weeks, some repeats may not be set yet. Opening the app sets them again.
• Signed out? Signing out clears reminders from that phone. Sign in and open the app to set them again.

My reminders are not arriving (Android)

• Allow notifications. Open Settings, tap Apps, tap Free and Sober, then Notifications. Turn them on, and make sure the Reminders category is on.
• Check Do Not Disturb. If it is on, add Free and Sober as an exception, or turn it off.
• Turn off battery limits for the app. Battery savers can stop reminders. Open Settings, tap Apps, Free and Sober, then Battery, and choose Unrestricted. On some phones this is called "Not optimized." Some phones, including Samsung, also have a list of sleeping apps. Make sure Free and Sober is not on it.
• On Android 14 or later, allow exact timing. Open Settings, tap Apps, then Special app access, then Alarms and reminders, tap Free and Sober, and turn it on. Without this, a reminder can be up to an hour late.
• Open the app now and then, and sign in again if you signed out, as on iPhone.

The names of these menus vary between phone makers.

My reminder rang at the wrong time

Each appointment rings at its time in the time zone where you added it, even when you travel, and it stays right when the clocks change. If you are away from home, an appointment you added at home rings at its home time.

Why doesn't the reminder say what the appointment is?

On purpose. A lock screen can be seen by others, so it only ever says something like "Something on your calendar at 2:30 p.m." Tap it to open your calendar.

Calendar

What can I put on my calendar?

Anything you want to remember: a doctor or counselor, a medication pickup or clinic dosing, a meeting, court or probation, work or school, family, or anything else. Each item has a name, a kind, a day, a time or "all day," and an optional place and notes.

How do I add something?

Open the Calendar tab, pick a day, and tap Add to today (the button names the day you picked). Or press and hold any day.

Can things repeat?

Yes: every day, weekdays, every week, every two weeks, or every month. To remove a repeat, open it, then choose Just this day, This day and after, or Every one.

What reminders can I set?

For an item at a time: at the time, 15 minutes before, 1 hour before, 2 hours before, or a day before. For an all-day item: 8 a.m. that morning, or 8 a.m. the morning before. Reminders ring in the phone app, not in a web browser.

What does "I went" do?

From the day of an appointment on, tap I went to mark that you kept it. It is for you. It isn't shared with an organization or anyone in your corner. At launch, we can see which days you marked, but not what the appointment was.

Who can see my calendar?

You can. No organization or anyone in your corner can, and neither can the mentor, unless you turn that on later. Even then, the mentor never sees appointments an organization sent you. At launch, each appointment's name, kind, place and notes are locked on your phone with your key, so we can't read them. Its day, times, repeats and reminder settings stay readable to us, so we can keep your calendar and send the reminders you ask for. Reminders never say what the appointment is.

What else is on the calendar?

Your milestone days, marked ahead of time, and the day each Time Capsule opens.

Do I need a subscription for the calendar?

No. Your calendar and its reminders stay open without a subscription.

Journal

What is the journal?

At launch, a private journal in every plan, with one page for every day. Write daily thoughts, gratitude and moments that mattered. Swipe back a page, or tap the date to open any day. Any entry can come back on a day you pick, as a reminder on your calendar.

Who can read my journal?

You do. At launch, your entries are locked on your phone with your key before they are stored or synced to your other phones, so we can't read them. We can see only that an entry exists, when it was saved and roughly how long it is. The mentor reads an entry only if you turn on Let my mentor read this for that entry, and you can turn it off any time. Your phone then unlocks that entry and sends it with your request, and it goes to the AI provider you agreed to, only to answer you or help you write. No organization and no one in your corner ever sees your journal.

Can the mentor help me write?

On Plus and Premium, the mentor offers journal prompts. On Premium, in the Mentor tab, tap Help me write it for help putting your own words into a journal entry: talk it through by message or by voice, and the mentor puts what you said into a draft on today's page for you to edit and save. Voice uses minutes.

Can I change how my journal looks?

Yes, on every plan. Tap Style on the journal and pick your paper: a ruled notebook, a yellow notepad or a leather diary. Then pick your pen: regular, bold or cursive. Every page changes with it, and you can change it any time.

Do I need a subscription for the journal?

The journal is in every plan. Without a subscription, every entry stays open to read, search and export.

Meetings

How do I find a meeting?

Open the Meetings tab, choose Town and state or ZIP code, fill it in, and tap Find meetings. The app doesn't look up street addresses. At launch, you will see NA meetings near that place, from NA's meeting system. For AA, the tab links to A.A.'s own finders, among them its free Meeting Guide app.

Does it need my location?

No. The app never asks for location permission. It only uses the place you type, for that search, and does not keep it. It never tracks where you go. Our servers see the IP address your phone connects from, to answer it and to limit abuse. When your phone uploads or downloads a recording, our storage provider's security log records the IP address it came from; we keep that log up to six years, locked for the first year. Our Privacy Policy explains.

I cannot find a meeting near me

Try a ZIP code, or a nearby larger town. Meeting times and places are set by local groups and can change, so check with the group before you go.

Your Corner

What is Your Corner?

At launch. A way to share your progress with people you choose. You add someone by their first name and email address, and choose what they see: milestones only, or milestones plus your day count and the days your Time Capsules open. They get one invite email, or a link you send them yourself, and must accept. They never need the app. Plus includes up to 5 people, and Premium up to 15. Essentials does not include Your Corner.

What stays private to the member?

Your recordings, your mentor conversations, your check-ins, your notes, your cravings or your slips. They are never contacted in a crisis.

Someone added me to their corner. How do I stop the emails?

Every email has a one-click way to stop. Use it any time.

Subscriptions

At launch. Plans go on sale when the app goes public. Everything in this section describes how they will work.

How do I start a plan?

Choose a plan in the app, and pay through the App Store or Google Play. Plans are monthly. Essentials starts with a 3-day free trial; after 3 days it's $12.99 a month plus tax until you cancel, and, if you allow notifications, the app reminds you at least 48 hours before the trial ends. Each time your plan renews, we send you a short note with the amount and how to cancel, and once a year we remind you by email that your plan renews and how to cancel.

How do I cancel?

Cancel in your store. Deleting the app or your account does not cancel your plan.

• On iPhone: open Settings, tap your name, tap Subscriptions, tap Free and Sober, then tap Cancel Subscription and confirm.
• On Android: open the Google Play Store, tap your profile icon, tap Payments & subscriptions, then Subscriptions, tap Free and Sober, then tap Cancel subscription.
• In the app, the Plan screen on the You tab takes you straight to these settings.

You keep your plan until the end of the month you paid for. Full steps are on Billing and subscriptions.

Can I pause my plan instead?

On Android, yes, once any free trial is over: Google Play lets you pause for up to three months. On the Plan screen on the You tab, tap Pause or cancel, then in Google Play tap Manage, then Pause payments. Your plan runs to the end of the month you paid for, then pauses. Nothing is charged while it's paused, and everything here stays. It starts again on its own on the day you chose, or sooner if you tap Resume in Google Play.

On iPhone, the App Store has no pause. If you cancel, everything here stays, ready for when you come back.

Can't find it? Email support@freeandsober.com with "Cancel" in the subject line. You'll get the steps for your phone right away, and a person will follow up within 24 hours if you need more help. If you bought on Google Play, we can cancel it for you: ask us from the email address on your account, and we'll cancel it and confirm within two working days. We can't cancel an App Store subscription for you, because Apple holds it, but we'll make sure you know how.

How do I restore my purchase on a new phone?

Sign in with the same email, and make sure your phone uses the same Apple Account or Google account you bought with. If your plan does not show, open the Plan screen on the You tab and tap Restore purchases.

How do I change my plan?

From the Plan screen on the You tab, or in your store's subscription settings. A move up usually starts right away. A move down usually starts at your next renewal.

I was charged after my free trial

The trial lasts 3 days. If it is not canceled before it ends, Essentials starts and your store charges you. To ask for a refund, see the next answer.

How do I get a refund?

Refunds for App Store purchases come from Apple, under its policies: sign in to reportaproblem.apple.com. For Google Play purchases, go to your Google Play order history and choose "Report a problem" within 48 hours of the purchase; after that, write to support@freeandsober.com. We refund your most recent monthly charge if you ask within 7 days of that charge, and any charge made in error or after you asked us to cancel. More on Billing and subscriptions.

What stays open if I stop paying?

The crisis tools, your day count, your calendar and reminders, your journal, every Time Capsule (which still opens on its day), your backup, export and delete, and any voice minutes you bought. Your Corner pauses until you have Plus or Premium again. At launch, what's in your vault opens with your key, with or without a plan.

Your account and data

How do I get a copy of my data?

Go to the You tab, then Export your data, then Make my copy. You get one file with your profile and reasons, every count, your calendar, and your Time Capsules' details. On a phone, the share sheet opens so you can save the file or send it to yourself.

At launch, your copy is made on your phone, where your key is. It also holds your journal and the rest of your vault that this phone can open, and every capsule that has opened, ready to play or read. A sealed capsule stays sealed until its day, even in a copy: your copy lists it with the day it opens. Anything locked with a key that isn't on this phone is listed as locked. Making it needs a connection and space on your phone, and a large copy takes time. The app deletes its own copy of the file when the share sheet closes.

Your copy isn't locked, and it holds private things. Anyone who has the file can read it, so keep it somewhere safe. Once you save or share it, we can't protect it or delete it.

How do I delete my account?

• Go to the You tab, then Delete your account.
• If you want a copy first, tap Make a copy first.
• Tap Delete my account, then Yes, delete my account. You're signed out on every phone, and your account is deleted for good 30 days later. The screen shows the day.
• Or, to delete everything at once, tap Delete everything now, then Yes, delete everything.

Deleting your account deletes your count and its history, your calendar and its reminders, your name, your reasons and your answers, your journal, and every Time Capsule and your answer, sealed or not, except the limited records listed in our Privacy Policy. A capsule that hasn't opened can't be saved first. During the 30 days, nothing in your account is used and nothing is sent to you, no organization sees anything of yours, and the people in your corner see that you have paused sharing. On the day, we delete it and email you that it is done. Once it is deleted, it cannot be undone. We never bring back anything you deleted, or anything removed when your account was deleted. Copies in our backups, and in our storage's deleted-file recovery, are erased on a schedule: 30 days now, and never more than six months.

At launch, what was in your vault stays locked with your key in those copies. Once your account is deleted, the app also deletes your key from the phone you deleted it on and from your iCloud Keychain or Google backup: at once with Delete everything now, or, after the 30 days, the next time you open the app. If you made a recovery key, you can destroy it. You can start fresh later with the same email.

I deleted my account. Can I get it back?

Within the 30 days after Delete my account, yes. Sign in with the same email, and tap Keep my account. Everything comes back just as you left it. That screen also offers Delete everything now. After the 30 days, or after Delete everything now, your account is gone for good, and we can't bring it back.

Deleting your account does not cancel a subscription. Cancel that in the App Store or Google Play.

I cannot open the app. Can I still delete my account?

Yes. Use our account deletion request, or email support@freeandsober.com from the address on your account. At launch, a copy of your key may then stay on a phone or in your phone's backup, but what it opened is gone from our live systems.

Should I delete my account after a slip?

No. Your days still count, and a new count can start any time without deleting anything.

Who can see my information?

At launch, what's in your vault, such as your Time Capsules and journal, is locked with your key, so only you, with your key, can open it. The details the service needs, such as your email address, dates and counts, stay readable to us and to the companies that run the service for us, such as our hosting provider. What you say to the mentor goes to the AI provider you agreed to, so the mentor can answer. Beyond that, we share your information only as our Privacy Policy describes, such as with your corner or an organization when you choose, or when the law requires it. We never sell your data or use it for ads. Read our Privacy Policy for the details, and our subprocessors for the companies we use.

Someone who used Free and Sober has died

We're sorry for your loss. A family member, or the person handling the estate, can ask us to delete the account. Write to support@freeandsober.com with proof of the death and of your role.

We can't open or play what's in their vault, such as their Time Capsules or journal, for family or an estate, even with a court order. At launch, it is locked with their key, and we never have it. What we hold of it is only locked files we can't read. If the law requires us to hand them over, all we can give is those locked files and the details we can read, such as dates. We never open a sealed capsule early, for anyone.

Organizations and join codes

What is a join code?

At launch. A code from a treatment center, sober living home, program or other organization. It puts the organization's name on your Home screen, and it may give you its documents and a plan it pays for. Type it where sign-up asks Have a code?, or later under You, then Have a code?, or open the link your program sent you.

What does the organization see?

Before you join, one screen lists what the organization will see and what is not shared with your program, and you choose whether to agree. It sees engagement counts for all its members together, and can't tell who from them. If you later sign its separate privacy disclosure, its staff also see your first name and last initial beside your seat, until you withdraw. It is billed for each member, so its monthly invoice shows the exact number of members on each plan. Your words, recordings, mentor conversations, notes, calendar and corner are not shared with your program.

If the organization connects its own systems to Free and Sober, nothing about you goes to it, and nothing addressed to you alone comes from it to your app, until you sign a separate privacy disclosure. Messages it sends to all its members or a group, if you agree to receive them, are described in the Privacy Policy. It lists what the organization could send you (appointments and program dates, which you accept or decline one by one) and what it could see, and you choose. You can withdraw at any time from the You tab. It stops that day, both ways, and the organization learns only that sharing ended, not why; appointments already on your calendar stay yours to keep or delete.

Your Time Capsules, corner capsules and journal are never shared with an organization, signed or not. At launch, they will be encrypted so that only you, with your key, can open them, and neither the organization, its systems nor we can.

Who pays?

The organization does. Your code turns on the plan it picked for you (Essentials, Plus or Premium) right away, at no charge. There is no trial to run out, and you never enter payment details. If you already pay for a plan through the App Store or Google Play, cancel it in your store's subscription settings, or you'll pay twice. The app reminds you when you join, but it can't cancel it for you.

Do I get the mentor through an organization?

Yes, by message and by voice, never on video. While an organization's program gives you your seat, the mentor is part of your plan, with the voice minutes of the plan your organization chose and nothing to buy. Your conversations are not shared with your program, and the crisis buttons and everything else in your plan stay, and "Having a craving?" on Home shows how to reach your program, the people in your safety plan, and 988 and 911. Our Privacy Policy, under "Your mentor", says what goes to OpenAI and what to Amazon Web Services. If you leave the program or your seat ends, you can use the mentor on a plan of your own.

How do I leave an organization?

At launch, from the You tab: tap Your program, then Leave this program. Sharing with the organization stops that day, and the plan it pays for ends. Your count, your capsules, your journal and everything else stay yours.

What happens when my program ends?

Your program decides when the plan it pays for ends: the last day of a month, another day, or right away. As soon as it does, the app shows that day under You, then Your program, and under You, then Plan. You keep everything you built. If your program chose aftercare, your plan carries on through it first. After that, you can choose a plan yourself. See Billing and subscriptions.

We are an organization. How do we get a join code?

Email support@freeandsober.com with "Join code" in the subject line.

Safety

I am in crisis right now

• In immediate danger, or a medical emergency: call 911.
• Thinking about suicide, or in emotional distress: call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, free, any hour. You can also chat at 988lifeline.org.
• If texting is easier: text HOME to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line.
• For treatment and detox referrals: call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357. It is free and confidential, any hour.

Where are the crisis buttons in the app?

Tap Help at the top of any screen, even when the app is locked: Call 911, Call 988, Text 988, Chat with 988 and Call SAMHSA, and your trusted contact if you have added one (not on the lock screen, so no one holding your phone sees their name). When you tap Hard in the check-in on Home, Call 988 and Text 988 come up there too. A call takes two taps, so a phone in a pocket never dials. At launch, a crisis bar with 988, 911 and your trusted contact is on every mentor screen.

Stopping could be dangerous for me

This is a referral, not advice from the mentor. If you drink or use every day, please talk to a doctor before you stop, or today if you already have. The SAMHSA National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357, can help you find treatment, free, any hour. If it could be an emergency, call 911 right away.

I am outside the US

988 works only in the US. Call your local emergency number, or find a free line in your country at findahelpline.com.

More lines, including for veterans and for Deaf and hard-of-hearing callers, are on our safety and crisis lines page.

What does the app do if I'm in danger?

At launch. If the app sees signs of danger while you talk to a mentor, it shows 911, 988, SAMHSA's helpline and your trusted contact right away, and the mentor stays with you. No one at Free and Sober reads your conversations, so we can't send help ourselves. Our crisis protocol explains every step.

Still stuck?

Email support@freeandsober.com, or use our contact form. We reply within 24 hours.

To help us help you faster, include:

• Your device, such as "iPhone 15" or "Pixel 8," and its software version
• The app version, if you know it
• What you were doing, what you expected, and what happened instead
• The exact words of any message on screen, or a screenshot, if it shows nothing private

You never need to send health details to get help.

Our support inbox is not watched around the clock. If you are in danger, call 911, or call or text 988.