FAQ

The basics

What is Weekly Threads?

A mood tracking tool that feeds therapy. You do a check-in of about 30 seconds each day, collect things you want to talk about during the week, and send your therapist a one-page summary as a link before your session. It isn't a crisis or treatment service.

Is Weekly Threads an app I download?

It's a web app, which means it runs in your browser and there's nothing to download from an app store. Open it on a computer, a tablet, or a phone, in any modern browser, and it adapts to the size of your screen. On a phone or tablet you can also add it to your home screen so it opens like any other app.

How do I add it to my home screen?

• iPhone or iPad (Safari): tap the Share button, then Add to Home Screen.
• Android (Chrome): open the menu (the three dots), then choose Install app or Add to Home screen.

Once it's added, Weekly Threads opens full screen, with no browser bars. It's the same app and the same website, just easier to reach. Your phone may keep the home-screen app's data separate from the data in your browser, which is the case on iPhones. If you've already been checking in on the website, export your data from the Insights page first and import it into the home-screen app, or add the app to your home screen before you start. With sync on, your data follows you to every device.

Do I need an account?

No. The free app works with no account and no sign-in. An account is only needed for Personal Plus, which adds sync across your devices and a few extra tools. You can see what each plan includes on the pricing page.

Where is my data stored?

In the free app, everything you enter is saved in this browser, on this device. None of it is sent to us. That covers your check-ins, topics, notes, safety plan, and anything else you add.

What happens if I clear my browser data or get a new phone?

Your data is deleted with it, because it only exists in that browser. Without sync, we have no copy and can't restore it. To keep a backup, use Export as JSON on the Insights page now and then. To move to a new device, import that file there. An app added to your home screen can keep its own separate copy of your data from your browser, which is the case on iPhones, so export from the place where you've been checking in.

Does it work offline?

You need an internet connection to open the app. Once it's open, it reads and writes to your device first, so saving a check-in doesn't wait on the internet, and if your connection drops you won't lose what you entered. If sync is on, changes upload the next time you're back online.

Can I switch between light and dark mode?

Yes. Use the Theme buttons at the bottom of any page: Auto follows your device's setting, or you can pick Light or Dark. Your choice is remembered in this browser, and a copy of the app on your home screen keeps its own setting.

Sync passphrase and recovery key

What is the sync passphrase?

When you turn on sync, you choose a sync passphrase of at least 12 characters. It's a password you make up just for sync, and a few unrelated words works well. It's what some people would call a passcode. The app uses it to lock and unlock your synced data.

• It is not your sign-in. Signing in proves who you are to your account. The passphrase is what unlocks your data.
• It never leaves your device. We never receive it, so we can't see it, check it, or reset it.
• You enter it to turn sync on, and again whenever you set up or unlock sync on a new device.

What is the recovery key?

When you turn on sync, the app also makes a recovery key, a string of 32 letters and numbers in groups of four. It's shown once, and you have to confirm you've saved it before sync turns on. We don't store it, so we can't show it to you again. Save it somewhere safe, like a password manager, or print it and keep the paper somewhere private.

If you forget your passphrase, the recovery key lets you unlock your data and choose a new passphrase. Choose I forgot my passphrase on the Account page. The same recovery key keeps working after you set a new passphrase.

What happens if I lose both my passphrase and my recovery key?

Your synced data cannot be recovered. This is deliberate, and it is how end-to-end encryption works. Your data is stored with us as scrambled text, and the only things that can unscramble it are your passphrase and your recovery key. We don't have either one, so there is nothing we can do on our side, no matter how you contact us or how well we can verify that you're you.

Can you reset my passphrase or recover my account?

We can't reset your passphrase or recover your synced data. Your sign-in is a separate thing. If you forget your email password or lose access to your Google account, you can recover your sign-in through the sign-in screen. That gets you back into your account but not into your synced data, which still needs the passphrase or the recovery key.

I forgot my passphrase and lost my recovery key. What can I do?

• Check for a device that is still unlocked. A device where sync is on keeps your data unlocked, and everything is still saved on it. Don't lock it, sign out, or clear your browser data. Open the Insights page and choose Export as JSON to save a backup first.
• Start over with a fresh vault. The old synced copy can't be opened, so the only way to use sync again is to remove it and set it up new. On a device that is still unlocked, choose Delete synced data on the Account page, then turn sync on again with a new passphrase and a new recovery key, and import your backup if you need to. If no device is unlocked, you can delete your account from the account menu, which removes your synced data from our servers, then sign up again.
• Data that only existed in the old synced copy, and isn't on any device you can still open, is lost.

How do I avoid losing my data?

• Save the recovery key somewhere other than the device you use for Weekly Threads.
• Use a passphrase you will remember, and one you don't use anywhere else.
• Export a JSON backup from the Insights page every so often. It works no matter what happens to sync.

How does the encryption work?

Everything happens in your browser before anything is uploaded. The app makes a random data key and uses it to encrypt each of your records with AES-256-GCM. That data key is then locked twice and stored with us in locked form: once with a key made from your passphrase (using PBKDF2 with SHA-256 and 600,000 rounds, which makes guessing slow), and once with a key made from your recovery key. We store the encrypted records and the two locked copies of the data key. We don't have anything that opens them.

Sync and devices

What syncs?

Your check-ins, topics, safety plan, session settings, custom scales, questionnaire results, practice from therapy, and thought records. Each kind of data is uploaded as one encrypted record.

How and when does it sync?

A couple of seconds after you change something, when you come back to the app, when your connection returns, and about every five minutes while the app is open. If two devices changed things while apart, the app merges the changes instead of overwriting one with the other.

How do I use my data on a second device?

Sign in on the new device, open the Account page, and enter your sync passphrase. If you forgot it, use your recovery key instead. Your data then downloads and decrypts on that device.

Do I have to type my passphrase every time?

No. After you unlock a device, it remembers the unlocked key in that browser so you aren't asked again. The key is stored in a way that lets the app use it but not read it back out. Choose Lock this device on the Account page, or sign out, and the device forgets the key. Your data stays on the device, but you'll need your passphrase to start syncing again. Use this on a shared or borrowed device.

If I delete my data on one device, is it deleted everywhere?

No. Delete all data on the Insights page removes the data from that device and locks sync there. Your synced copy stays, and your other devices keep theirs. To remove the synced copy, choose Delete synced data on the Account page. Deleting your account also removes your synced data, your reminder settings, and your notification addresses from our servers.

What if I stop paying for Personal Plus?

Sync is part of Personal Plus, so it stops working. The data on your devices stays, and the free app keeps working. Free charts and stats cover the last 14 days, and older entries are still saved and included in your export.

Sharing with your therapist

How does the summary link work?

On the Session prep page, you create a link that holds your summary inside the link itself, after the #. Browsers don't send that part to a server, so we never receive or store your summary. Your therapist opens the link in their browser with no account, and can print it or save it as a PDF.

What does the summary include?

• Your daily mood, anxiety, energy, and sleep ratings for the period, and the tags you picked.
• Topics you haven't checked off yet.
• Notes only if you ticked Include this note in summaries on that check-in. Notes are private by default.
• Personal Plus extras only if you chose to share them: custom scales marked to share, thought records marked to include, your PHQ-9 and GAD-7 results, and your practice from therapy.
• Personal Plus also adds the patterns from your Insights page, such as tags that show up on days when your mood averaged noticeably higher or lower. They're worked out from the period the summary covers.

The period runs from your last session, if that was within the past 90 days, and otherwise covers the last 14 days. Your name or initials are optional.

Who can read a summary link?

Anyone who has the link. Share it only with people you trust, and think about how you send it. A link is a snapshot from the moment you made it, and later check-ins don't change it. Because we never have your summary, we can't see it, edit it, or turn a link off. To share updated information, make a new link.

Accounts, reminders, and payments

What do you know about me if I make an account?

Sign-in is run by Clerk. We receive your email address, your name, and your profile picture if you have one. For sync, we store your encrypted records and the locked copies of your data key. We can see that those exist, when they were last updated, how large each is, and which kind of data each one is, such as check-ins or topics. We can't see what's inside. If you turn on reminders, we also store your reminder time, days, time zone, and the notification address for each device you enable.

What do reminders contain?

Check-in reminders are notifications on your phone or computer, and you turn them on for each device. The text is generic and doesn't include any of your check-in data, since it can show on your lock screen.

How do payments work?

Payments for Personal Plus go through Clerk and its payment provider. We don't see or store your card number.

Safety and privacy

Is Weekly Threads a crisis service?

No. It's a self-tracking tool, and nobody monitors your check-ins. If you're in crisis, call or text 988 in the US, any time. You can find more help and build a plan on the safety page.

Is it covered by HIPAA?

No. Weekly Threads is a self-tracking tool, not a health care provider, so health privacy laws like HIPAA don't apply to it. The privacy page covers what we collect and which other services are involved.