Frequently Asked Questions

WordsLater is a service for scheduling messages — letters, emails, texts, voice notes, and videos — to be delivered in the future. Write something today and have it arrive in a year, on a milestone birthday, on a wedding day, or after you're gone.

Digital messages can be scheduled up to 75 years out. Physical letters can be scheduled up to 30 years out. You can also pick a relative date (e.g. "on her 18th birthday") or a life event (e.g. "on their wedding day").

No. You can create a free account in about a minute and write your first message right away. Paid packs unlock more messages, additional delivery channels (SMS, voice, video, USPS letters), and rich-media credits. Family and higher tiers include posthumous delivery with trusted contact verification.

Email, SMS text, voice recordings, video recordings, and physical printed letters. You can also attach photos, documents, and other files; the exact per-message limit is shown when you upload and depends on your plan. For very large files, store them in your Vault and deliver a secure download link with your message.

Yes. WordsLater works in any modern mobile browser — you can write, record voice/video, and schedule messages from your phone or tablet. Drafts auto-save as you go.

Yes. We send a gentle review email before any long-dated delivery (typically 30 days out) so you can edit, cancel, or update the recipient before it goes out.

Standard email schedulers stop working when you switch providers, lose access, or pass away. WordsLater is built for the long term — decades, life events, and posthumous delivery — with trusted contacts, a delivery reserve, and survivability that ordinary inbox tools weren't designed for.

Absolutely — messages to your future self are one of the most popular use cases. Write a letter to the you of 1, 5, or 25 years from now and we'll deliver it on the date you pick.

You must be 18 or older to create your own account. Parents and guardians can use a family account to schedule messages on behalf of a child (for example, a birthday letter every year until they turn 18).

When you write a message, you choose a delivery option: a specific date and time, a recurring date (e.g. every March 4), a relative future date (1, 3, 5, 10, or 18 years from now), a life event (wedding day, birth, graduation), or posthumous delivery.

Yes. Recurring birthday wishes, anniversaries, and "still thinking of you" notes can repeat yearly for up to 50 years.

You can update a recipient's contact info anytime before delivery. We also send you a quiet reminder before any long-dated message so you can verify the delivery details are still current.

Email replies route back to the email address on your account at the time of delivery. SMS replies are not currently received. Video and audio messages include a link they can use to send a reply through WordsLater.

Yes — anytime before delivery. You can rewrite the text, swap attachments, change the recipient, or cancel entirely from your dashboard. Once a message has been delivered, it cannot be recalled.

You pick the time zone when you schedule the message — usually the recipient's local time so it arrives at a meaningful moment for them. Your account defaults to your own time zone, but each message can override it.

Messages are sent from a WordsLater domain with your name in the From field and a personal note explaining you scheduled this in advance. We use authenticated email (SPF/DKIM/DMARC) so messages land in the inbox, not the spam folder.

You can designate a backup recipient for any message, or choose to have the message held for you to review. We'll never deliver to a known-deceased contact — you'll get a notice in your dashboard so you can decide what to do next.

Yes. A single message can be sent to a group — ideal for family announcements, milestone letters, or a note to a whole class of grandchildren. Group sends count as one scheduled message regardless of how many recipients are on it.

Yes. Email messages can be saved like any other email. Videos, audio, and attachments include download links so recipients can keep their own copies forever, independent of WordsLater.

We automatically retry failed deliveries and notify you (and your trusted contact, if posthumous) so you have a chance to provide updated contact info. Undelivered messages are held safely, not deleted.

We use gentle, periodic check-ins (a simple "still here" link) and trusted contacts. If you stop responding to check-ins, your trusted contacts are notified and asked to confirm. Only after confirmation and a configurable waiting period are your posthumous messages released. See how it works →

You name one or more trusted contacts. You choose whether a single confirmation is enough or whether multiple contacts must agree. Trusted contacts can confirm the loss, but cannot read your messages.

No. Trusted contacts can only confirm a loss. Your message contents stay encrypted and are only delivered to the recipients you originally chose.

You can name backup trusted contacts, set a waiting period after a missed check-in, and choose a fallback executor (such as an attorney) to take over the release process.

You choose: monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual. Most people pick quarterly. A check-in is a single one-click confirmation in an email — it takes about three seconds.

No. WordsLater handles personal messages and digital keepsakes for your loved ones. It does not transfer property, assets, or legal authority. We strongly recommend keeping a current will and naming an executor; WordsLater is meant to complement those documents, not replace them.

Yes. Many users write letters to future grandchildren or unborn children. You can schedule by event (e.g. "on their 18th birthday") or by relative date once the child is named in your account. Your trusted contact will be prompted to add the child's contact info when the time comes.

If you fully cancel and delete your account, scheduled messages (including posthumous ones) are cancelled too. We'll always send you a confirmation email and a 30-day grace period before anything is permanently removed.

Yes. Messages are encrypted at rest and in transit. Vault items (sensitive documents you store separately) use zero-knowledge encryption — even we cannot read them. More about privacy →

No. Routine message contents are encrypted with keys that are not accessible to staff during normal operations. Vault items are inaccessible to us at any time. We may access metadata (recipients, scheduled dates) for delivery, billing, and abuse prevention.

We maintain a long-term delivery reserve specifically funded to keep scheduled messages flowing even if the company stops operating. Lifetime Legacy customers also receive a documented continuity plan.

Never. We do not sell, rent, or share your data with advertisers or third parties. See our privacy policy for the full details.

Yes. You can enable two-factor authentication (2FA) using an authenticator app or SMS code from your account settings. We strongly recommend it for any account with posthumous messages or vault items.

Yes. You can export all of your scheduled messages, attachments, and account data at any time from your settings — standard JSON plus original file downloads. This is your data; you should always have a copy.

Your data is stored in geographically redundant data centers in the United States with daily encrypted backups in a separate region. We do not store personal data on staff devices.

Yes. We honor data access, correction, export, and deletion requests for users worldwide, including specific rights under GDPR (EU/UK) and CCPA (California). Submit a request from your account settings or contact us.

A few scheduled messages, basic delivery options, and access to write your first letters or videos. It's a real working account — not a time-limited trial.

No. WordsLater uses one-time packs, not subscriptions. Buy a Starter, Personal, Family, or Legacy pack once and use it forever. Packs stack — buying more increases your total capacity, never replaces what you already have. See pack pricing →

A single $499 payment that includes 250 scheduled messages, trusted contacts, posthumous delivery, the secure vault, and our long-term delivery reserve — all built to outlive you. Learn more →

One-time plan purchases are refundable within 30 days as long as none of the credits they granted have been used and none of their scheduled messages have been delivered — you can do it yourself anytime from the Plans & Billing page in your account. Prepaid add-on credits (extra messages, attachments, recordings, SMS, letters, and similar) are final sale and non-refundable, but they never expire, so unused credits always stay on your account.

No. Packs are one-time purchases and never expire. Capacity you don't use this year is still yours next year — or twenty years from now.

Yes. You can purchase a pack as a gift and we'll email a personalized redemption link to the recipient on a date you pick — perfect for new parents, graduates, newlyweds, or anyone starting a new chapter.

Yes. Update your email or mobile number anytime from your account settings. We'll send a verification link to the new address before switching.

Use the password reset link. You'll get a secure reset email at the address on file.

You can request account deletion from your settings. We'll cancel any scheduled messages and remove your data within 30 days, with a confirmation step to prevent accidental loss.

Contact us — we read every message and reply within one business day.

You write your letter in our editor (or upload a PDF), pick a delivery date, and provide the recipient's mailing address. On the scheduled date, we print your letter on high-quality stationery, place it in a sealed envelope, and mail it via USPS First-Class or international post. Optional handwriting-style fonts are available.

Yes. You can include up to four printed photos per letter and choose from several keepsake card styles (birthday, sympathy, wedding, milestone). Photos are printed on archival paper meant to last decades.

Up to 30 years out. We hold the letter contents and printing instructions in our long-term reserve, so even very distant letters will be printed and mailed on time.

Yes. We mail to over 180 countries. International postage is included in the per-letter fee on Personal, Family, and Legacy packs.

You buy a pack as a gift, write a personal note, and we email a redemption link to the recipient on a date you pick. They claim the pack on a free account — no credit card needed — and start scheduling their own messages.

Yes. Every printed letter is archived as a PDF in your account so you (or your loved ones) can revisit what was sent, even years later.