What is Dear Future?
Dear Future lets you write a message, letter, memory, note, blessing, or tribute and preserve it with a verification receipt. It is designed for meaningful words you may want to return to, share, or prove existed in the future.
Frequently asked questions
Clarity first, so you always know how your message is handled, preserved, verified, recovered, and supported.
Do I need a crypto wallet?
No. You do not need a wallet, seed phrase, crypto exchange account, or technical knowledge. You pay by card, and Dear Future handles the preservation process in the background.
What does “preserved” mean?
When a message is preserved, Dear Future creates a protected preservation record, a private receipt, and a way to check the record later. This gives you more than a normal saved note inside an account.
How long does preservation take during beta?
During beta, paid messages are usually preserved within 24 hours. This allows us to review and process preservations carefully while the service is still being rolled out.
What happens after I pay?
After payment, your message is queued for preservation. You will receive a payment confirmation email with your private receipt link. Once preservation is complete, you will receive another email letting you know that your receipt, recovery kit, certificate, and verification link are ready.
What happens if preservation fails?
If a paid preservation does not complete, we will either complete it manually where possible or refund you. Please keep your receipt link and contact support if you are concerned about the status of your preservation.
Can I get a refund?
If a paid preservation has not completed or has failed, contact support and we will review it. If we cannot complete the preservation, we will refund you. Once a message has been successfully preserved, refunds are normally not available because the preservation action is final and incurs non-recoverable costs.
Is my full message public?
Not by default. Dear Future is designed to show safe proof details publicly, not your raw private message or recovery key. Public messages may be readable according to the visibility settings you choose. Private and time-locked messages follow their own reveal rules inside Dear Future.
What is the recovery kit?
After preservation completes, your private receipt page can show a recovery kit. This is a downloadable private backup file designed to help you recover and check your message later if you save it safely.
Do I need to save the recovery kit?
Yes, we strongly recommend saving it. Download it, print it, or store it somewhere private and secure. The recovery kit may contain what is needed to recover your message outside Dear Future, so do not share it with anyone unless you want them to be able to read the message.
Will Dear Future email me my recovery key?
No. For your privacy, Dear Future does not email your recovery key. Emails may include instructions and links, but your recovery key is shown on your private receipt page after preservation. You are responsible for saving your recovery kit.
What do I receive after preservation?
Once preservation is complete, your private receipt page includes your preservation details, recovery kit, Certificate of Preservation, and verification link. These are the items you should save if the message matters deeply to you.
How do I verify my message?
Each preserved message has a verification page. This page can show safe proof details such as the proof code, preservation reference, visibility, and status. It can help show that the message was preserved without exposing private text.
How do I check the public record?
Your receipt includes a preservation reference and, when available, a link to the public preservation record. You can open that link to check the record status. You do not need to understand technical tools to use your Dear Future receipt.
What does the message proof code mean?
The message proof code helps confirm that recovered or revealed text matches the message that was originally preserved, without showing the message itself.
Can I recover my message if Dear Future is unavailable?
The recovery kit is designed for that scenario. It contains the private recovery information needed to help recover and check the message later. You can use the independent Dear Future Recovery Reader to recover the message locally in your browser. The reader does not require your Dear Future account, Supabase, Stripe, or the main app to be online.
Where is the standalone Recovery Reader?
The standalone Recovery Reader is available at https://sbaricontact-hash.github.io/dear-future-recovery-reader/. It is hosted separately from the main Dear Future app and is designed to help recover a preserved message using your recovery kit and recovery key, even if the main Dear Future website is unavailable. Keep this link somewhere safe with your recovery kit.
Does the Recovery Reader send my key anywhere?
No. The standalone Recovery Reader is designed to run locally in your browser. Your recovery key and recovered message are not sent to Dear Future or any server. You should still only use it on a computer you trust.
Can I lock reveal timing?
Yes. You can choose reveal settings such as private, public, or time-locked. Inside Dear Future, time-locked messages stay hidden until the selected reveal date. However, if you save and use your recovery key outside Dear Future, it may be possible to unlock the preserved message independently.
Can I edit a message after preservation?
No. Once a message is preserved, it should be treated as final. This is part of the permanence of the service. If you want different wording, create and preserve a new message.
Can I delete a preserved message?
You may be able to remove or hide parts of your Dear Future account experience, but the preservation record itself is intended to be permanent. This permanence is the point of the service, so only preserve messages you are ready to keep.
Are preservations permanent?
The service is designed around long-term preservation and verification. Once preservation is confirmed, the record is intended to remain checkable long-term. This is why you should carefully review your message before paying and preserving it.
What should I keep safe?
Keep your private receipt page link and especially your recovery kit. The recovery kit is sensitive because it may contain what is needed to recover your message outside Dear Future.
Who can see my recovery kit?
Only someone with access to your private receipt page/account should be able to see or download it. Once you download or print the recovery kit, you are responsible for keeping it private.
How do I contact support?
Use the Contact page or reply to your Dear Future emails. If your paid preservation has not completed within the expected beta window, include your receipt link so we can review it.