FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about digital wills, password inheritance, dead man's switches, and how Notenz's encrypted vault and automated check-ins work.
What happens to my passwords and accounts if I die or become unreachable?
Without a plan, your family typically can't get into your email, bank, or crypto accounts, each provider has its own slow recovery process, often weeks. Notenz solves this by storing your passwords and account details in an encrypted vault that automatically delivers to your chosen heirs or recipients if you stop checking in.
How do I leave my passwords to an heir or beneficiary?
Create a Notenz account, choose Guardian protection, add your accounts and passwords to your encrypted vault, and name one or more recipients. If your check-ins stop (because you're no longer able to confirm you're okay), Notenz notifies you across multiple channels, waits through a grace period, then delivers the vault to your chosen heirs.
Is Notenz a digital will?
Not a legal will, but it serves a similar practical purpose for digital accounts: passwords, crypto wallets, bank logins, and final instructions, delivered automatically to the people you choose, without a lawyer, notary, or probate process.
What is a dead man's switch, and how does it relate to inheritance?
A dead man's switch is a mechanism that triggers automatically if someone fails to respond within a set time. Notenz uses this for digital inheritance: you check in on a schedule (e.g. weekly), and if you stop, your vault is delivered to your heirs after a grace period and reminder attempts. Read more in our dead man's switch guide.
How does password recovery work for a family member after someone passes away or becomes incapacitated?
Each account provider (Google, banks, exchanges) has its own slow, document-heavy recovery process. Notenz avoids this entirely: the account owner pre-loads passwords and recovery details into an encrypted vault while alive, so the named recipient gets direct access without going through each provider's recovery flow.
How do I pass on a crypto wallet seed phrase securely to an heir?
Use the free Seed Splitter tool to split the phrase into three paper backups (any two reconstruct it), or store the phrase directly in a Notenz vault item for automatic delivery to your chosen heir.
How to securely share passwords and final wishes with family without exposing them while alive
Store them in an end-to-end encrypted Notenz vault, nobody, including Notenz, can read the contents while you're active. They're only decrypted and delivered after your check-ins stop and the grace period passes.
Digital estate planning without a lawyer or notary
Notenz covers the digital side (passwords, accounts, crypto, instructions) without legal paperwork. See our digital estate planning checklist for a 15-minute starting point.
How to share a password or secret one time without it living in chat history or email
Use Burn-After-Reading, a free, browser-only tool that creates a self-destructing encrypted link, destroyed after one view.
How to encrypt a file locally before sending it, without installing software
Use File Armor, AES-256-GCM encryption entirely in-browser.
How to remove hidden location or metadata from a photo before posting it online
Use Metadata Bleacher, strips EXIF, GPS, and author data locally.
What does "zero-knowledge encryption" mean, and how does Notenz's Sealed Vault use it?
Zero-knowledge means the data is encrypted client-side with a key Notenz never has, so Notenz cannot read it under any circumstances. Guardian's Sealed Vault uses this for the most sensitive items. Learn more about our security model.
What is per-item phrase encryption?
Guardian users can encrypt individual vault items with a memorable 4-word passphrase, for example, swift-ocean-purple-flame. The phrase is generated in your browser using PBKDF2 and AES-256-GCM, and Notenz never stores it. When your vault executes, recipients receive a link and must enter the phrase to read the content. If the phrase is lost, the content cannot be recovered by anyone, including Notenz.
What is a QR-Vault?
A QR-Vault is a physical delivery option for Guardian plan users. You generate a QR code and a 6-digit PIN from your dashboard, then print the QR code and hand it to a trusted person. When your vault executes, the code activates and your trusted person can scan it, enter the PIN, and see your vault contents. There is also a 9-digit short code as a manual fallback. The access window is 90 days after the vault executes.
What happens if someone scans the QR code before my vault executes?
Nothing is exposed. The vault stays sealed and shows a 'not yet accessible' message. You receive an alert email so you know the code was scanned.
What happens to my vault if Notenz shuts down?
Notenz has no plans to shut down, but it's a fair question for anything holding your passwords and final wishes. You can export your full vault as a plaintext file from your account settings at any time, so your data is never locked inside Notenz. If Notenz ever did wind down, every user would be notified by email with time to export everything before any deletion. Notenz is operated by Klarschritt; see the imprint for entity details.
What is Contract Guardian?
Contract Guardian reads a German contract you upload to your vault and gives you a plain-English summary: the cancellation notice period, the exact date you need to cancel by, the renewal terms, and any auto-renewal traps, flagged in plain language. It then sends you one email alert before your cancel-by date. See the Contract Guardian overview for the full picture.
Which contracts does Contract Guardian support?
This first version covers German gym or fitness contracts, mobile or phone contracts, and DSL or internet contracts. Anything outside that scope, another contract type, a non-German document, or a file that isn't clearly one of these, is returned as unsupported rather than a guess.
Is my uploaded contract kept anywhere besides my Notenz vault?
No. Your contract file is stored the same way as any other vault document: encrypted. To produce the translation and extracted dates, the file is sent once to a zero-retention AI model, meaning the model provider does not keep a copy. Only the structured result, dates, terms, and a short summary, is saved back to your account.
Is Contract Guardian legal advice?
No. It is informational only, not legal advice. For a normal gym, mobile, or DSL contract it tells you what it says and when you need to act. If your situation is unusual, disputed, or has significant money on the line, talk to a lawyer or a consumer-protection body such as the Verbraucherzentrale.
What languages does Contract Guardian support?
The current version reads German contracts and translates the summary to English. Support for other source and target languages may follow later.
How much does Contract Guardian cost, and who is it for?
Contract Guardian is included with Guardian at no extra cost, there is no separate fee or plan. It's built for expats and anyone in Germany who doesn't want to rely on reading legal German to catch a cancellation deadline before it passes.
How much does Notenz cost?
Guardian costs €3.99/month or €29.99/year (€2.50/month billed annually). It includes complete digital estate protection, Shared-Key Vault Item (E2E encrypted delivery), the zero-knowledge Sealed Vault, Two-Person Secret, QR-Vault, Trusted Contact alerts, timed release, extended grace period (up to 30 days), and unlimited recipients. There is no trial. Guardian includes a 30-day money-back guarantee. Request it from the billing form or by emailing [email protected]. This guarantee is separate from your statutory right of withdrawal. See the pricing details.
Still have questions? Reach us at [email protected].
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