Break Glass

What would you protect?

Real scenarios for real life. Pick the ones that keep you up at night.

Each scenario shows what you'd store, who would receive it, and exactly how Break Glass handles it — from trigger to delivery.

This isn't about expecting the worst. It's about making sure the people you love aren't left scrambling if the worst happens. Most people set up one scenario in under an hour and add more over time.


The Solo Parent
Trusted contact (immediate)

"If something happens to me, who makes sure my kids are okay?"

You're a single parent. You handle everything — school pickups, doctor appointments, bill payments, insurance. If you're suddenly gone, your children's other parent or guardian needs to know where everything is. Not eventually. Immediately.

What you'd store:
  • Children's school contacts, teacher names, daily routine
  • Medical info: pediatrician, allergies, medications, insurance policy number
  • Bank accounts, mortgage, auto-pay schedules, utility logins
  • How to access the password manager (recovery key location, emergency kit)
  • Custody wishes and lawyer contact details
  • Personal messages to your children
How it plays out:

Your sister, your ex-partner, or your lawyer has an activation card with a URL and PIN. The moment they learn something has happened to you, they enter the PIN and everything is released immediately — school contacts, medical info, bills, custody instructions. No waiting, no bureaucracy. You can also add a safety check-in as a safety net, so if nobody triggers it manually, the system activates automatically after a grace period.

The Traveller
Trusted contact

"My daughter is backpacking alone. What if she disappears?"

Your child or family member is travelling in a remote area. They check in daily, but one day the messages stop. You need their last known location, hotel bookings, embassy contacts, and travel insurance details — and you need them now, not after weeks of bureaucracy.

What you'd store:
  • Google Maps live location sharing link (pre-configured, no login needed for viewers)
  • Full travel itinerary: flights, hotels, tour operators with booking references
  • Passport number, travel insurance policy, emergency assistance hotline
  • Local embassy and consulate addresses + phone numbers
  • Contacts who saw them last (friends, hostel staff)
  • Photos for identification (recent, clear)
How it plays out:

The traveller sets up Break Glass before their trip and gives you (the parent) an activation card. If they go silent, you enter your PIN and the scenario activates — sending you their live location link, full itinerary, and embassy contacts. You don't need their passwords. The location link works in any browser, no login required.

The Sudden Goodbye
Trusted contact + safety check-in

"My husband died of a heart attack at 40. I couldn't get into his phone."

Your partner handles the bills, the mortgage, the insurance. They know all the passwords. Then they're gone — suddenly, without warning. You're grieving and simultaneously locked out of every system your household runs on. The bank won't talk to you. The phone is Face ID locked. The email needs a code sent to a phone you can't unlock.

What you'd store:
  • Phone unlock PIN and laptop password
  • How to access the password manager (recovery key location, emergency kit)
  • Bank account details, mortgage provider, insurance policies
  • Utility account logins and auto-pay schedules
  • Smart home system credentials and door codes
  • Where the will is stored, lawyer's contact details
  • A personal message to your partner
How it plays out:

This is what your partner would set up for you — so you're never locked out. They create two scenarios: "Death (confirmed)" releases everything to you, triggered by a family member or lawyer. "Incapacitated" releases only medical directives and bill-payment info — for a coma or stroke where they may recover. A safety check-in acts as the safety net if no one triggers it manually.

The Solo Founder
Safety check-in

"I built this company alone. If I'm hit by a bus, it dies with me."

You're the only person with the AWS root credentials, the domain registrar login, the Stripe account, and the investor contacts. Your co-founder left last year. Your team can write code but they can't deploy it, can't access the database, can't even update the DNS if you're gone.

What you'd store:
  • AWS root credentials and IAM recovery process
  • Domain registrar login (Cloudflare, Namecheap, etc.)
  • Payment processor access (Stripe, PayPal)
  • Database connection strings and backup recovery process
  • Investor and board member contact details
  • Operational runbook: how to deploy, how to handle incidents
How it plays out:

Your safety check-in runs every 30 days. If you miss a check-in, escalating reminders give you a full grace period to respond — so a holiday doesn't trigger a false alarm. If you truly can't respond, your CTO and your lawyer both receive the encrypted credentials. With multiple approvals, you can require both of them to approve before the plan activates — so neither can trigger it alone.

The Whistleblower
Safety check-in (auto-fire)

"If they silence me, the truth still gets out."

You've gathered evidence of wrongdoing. You've been threatened. You need insurance — not the financial kind, but the kind that guarantees your evidence reaches journalists and lawyers even if something happens to you. Especially if something happens to you.

What you'd store:
  • Links to evidence (Google Drive, encrypted archive)
  • Context document: what the evidence shows and why it matters
  • Journalist contacts who agreed to publish
  • Lawyer contacts for legal protection
  • Instructions: "Publish immediately. Do not negotiate."
How it plays out:

Your safety check-in runs weekly. If you miss check-ins, escalating warnings give you every chance to respond. If you don't — because you can't — the scenario activates automatically. Evidence packages are decrypted and sent to your designated journalists and lawyers.

The Crypto Holder
Safety check-in + multiple approvals

"My Bitcoin dies with me if I don't plan ahead."

You hold significant cryptocurrency. Your seed phrases are written down somewhere secure, but only you know where. If you die, your family doesn't just lose you — they lose the financial security you built for them. Permanently and irrecoverably.

What you'd store:
  • Instructions for accessing hardware wallet (NOT the seed phrase directly)
  • Location of physical seed phrase backup (safety deposit box, fireproof safe)
  • Exchange account access (with 2FA recovery codes)
  • Which wallets hold what, approximate values
  • Instructions for a crypto-savvy friend to help your family
How it plays out:

Assign 3 trusted contacts and require 2 of them to approve before the plan activates. No single person can trigger it alone — even if one person's PIN is compromised. You control who gets what: your family receives the wallet locations and access instructions, while your crypto-savvy friend receives the technical recovery guide. Break Glass lets you map different messages to different recipients within the same scenario.

The Ageing Parent
Self-activation + trusted contact

"Mum can't manage her accounts anymore. We need to help before it's too late."

Your parent is getting older. They still live independently but they're starting to forget things — passwords, bills, appointments. You want to help, but you need their permission and their information. They want to give it to you, but only when the time is right.

What you'd store:
  • Bank and pension account details
  • Utility and subscription accounts
  • Medical information: GP, specialist, pharmacy, medications
  • Power of attorney documents and lawyer contact
  • Home insurance, car insurance, council tax reference
  • Login credentials for phone, email, tablet
How it plays out:

Sit down with your parent and help them set up Break Glass together — entering their account details while they're still able to. You're added as a trusted contact. If they later become unable to manage their affairs, you enter your PIN and their information is released to you. They can also self-activate if they want to hand things over on their own terms — "I'm ready for you to take over the bills." Either way, it's their choice.

The Digital Compromise
Self-activation (instant)

"My accounts are hacked. I need to lock everything down. NOW."

You discover your email has been compromised. Someone is resetting passwords to your other accounts. Every minute they have access, they do more damage. You need to execute a pre-planned lockdown — revoke API keys, notify your contacts, trigger credential rotation — faster than you can do it manually under panic.

What you'd store:
  • Revocation keys and API key rotation instructions
  • List of accounts to lock: email, banking, social media, cloud services
  • Contacts to notify immediately (employer, bank fraud team, family)
  • Clean device recovery instructions
  • Backup email and phone number for account recovery
How it plays out:

You can trigger this scenario yourself from the app. No delay, no confirmation window. Your pre-written instructions are instantly sent to everyone who needs to act: your IT team gets the revocation keys, your bank gets the fraud alert, your family knows what happened.

Which scenario is yours?

You can set up multiple scenarios — one for each situation. Most people start with one and add more over time.

$2.99/mo + tax after 30-day free trial. No credit card required.