Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The base plan, also known as the Sapphire Plan, is the only plan available as of January, 2026 It is $14.99 per month, with the first 30 days free.

Yes. By spreading the word via social media and through your neighbors, friends, and family, you will not only make the app better for your whole community, you will earn free months of usage just by referring people to Life Backup Plan.

If the monthly cost is a barrier, please know we understand.

Life Backup Plan offers a scholarship program, reviewed on a case-by-case basis, to help individuals facing serious financial hardship access the app.

Scholarships are typically considered for individuals whose sole source of income is Social Security, or for those who are survivors of domestic violence or elder abuse, though other circumstances may be considered.

If you believe you may qualify, we encourage you to reach out so we can review your situation with care and discretion.

As of February, 2026, the eligibility of Life Backup Plan is undetermined. You should ask your plan administrator to see what potential coverage is available to you. 

Having a family member who has had to activate her life monitoring system a few times, Life Backup Plan recognizes the importance of these systems, especially for elderly or infirm people.

With no propriety devices, dependency on human labor, and exposure to staffing shortages, Life Backup Plan has eliminated multiple sources of sunk costs and is able to offer a more robust life monitoring and emergency response system at a low cost.

There are medical billing codes for the type of app that Life Backup Plan is. The best solution is for you to directly request coverage from your health insurance provider. Life Backup Plan is happy to provide any documentation you may need.

Yes.

For consumers, every subscription comes with a free 30 day trial period.

As of Spring, 2026, no.

We do plan to have a basic version, ad-supported, at some point down the road. However, we plan to go multilingual, add features, and expand to additional countries long before we begin work on the free version.

Life Backup Plan offers both a monthly subscription and an annual plan. The annual plan offers discounted pricing.

Not from Life Backup Plan.

In some cases, those offering assistance or assistance items may request payment and/or a deposit or “rent” for the item being loaned. If a healthcare worker visits your home during an emergency, they may request payment for their services. 

All these payment arrangements are strictly between the requester and the provider and Life Backup Plan has no involvement in this, handles any of the billing, or takes any percentage of any monies paid.

If you cancel, your subscription will terminate at its next renewal time, be that monthly or annually. Life Backup Plan may retain your account information on our servers for some period of time, in case you decide to re-enroll. Eventually, however, your user account information will be archived. 

For consumer users, the only long term commitment would be if you have an annual subscription. If you are an enterprise client, i.e. healthcare provider, employer, government agency, non-profit or educational institution, the terms of our agreement may include a contract length.

Each user must have their own account setup, however, wd do plan to offer a family billing option, so all family members can benefit from a single source for payment.

Medicare does have insurancee codes for the type of app that Life Backup Plan is. Getting official government approval for an app is a lengthy process. Getting Medicare coverage for the Life Backup Plan app is something we are pursuing. If you have a Medicare representative, the fastest thing to do may be to talk with them directly about coverage.

That is something you will need to discuss and work out with the healthcare worker or first responder. In the future, we hope to have the Life Backup Plan app offered, and covered by, health insurance companies. In January, 2026 that capacity is not yet established, so you will need to work out payment directly with a healthcare worker or first responder if they require payment.

Absolutely. Pricing for organizations, small, medium, and large is on a case-by-case basis. Please contact Sandy at founder@lifebackupplan.com to set up a time to further discuss your circumstances, so we may customize a package for you.

Life Backup Plan is as discreet as is possible. It works on any smartphone, so no one will know you have a personal emergency response system, because you’ll simply be carrying your phone like you already do. No one will be the wiser.

As of January, 2026 the app only works in the United States. Because Canada has the same phone numbering system, as do US territories like Guam, Puerto Rico, and a total of 18 Caribbean and Pacific islands, the app may also work there, but it has not yet been tested.

Taking the app international and multilingual is one of our foremost goals. As development funding becomes available, we will expand the Life Backup Plan app globally.

Yes. Life Backup Plan also works on any other brand of smartphone on the market. I’ve installed it on an LG phone I bought several years ago as a business phone, and it works great there.

You don’t even need the top-of-the-line or “flagship” version of a manufacturer’s phone for Life Backup Plan to work. We did this deliberately to keep the cost low and make it accessible to more people.

No. None whatsoever. Any smartphone from any manufacturer will do.

Yes. Life Backup Plan can be set up and managed by a trusted friend, family member, or caregiver on your behalf.

Once your account is set up, your interaction can be as simple as tapping a large green button to indicate you are okay during a check-in, or tapping a red button (or not responding) to signal that you may need assistance.

If you are comfortable touching large, clearly marked areas on your phone screen, that is generally all that is required for daily use.

In the future, Life Backup Plan may explore optional account setup assistance services. If offered, those services would be separate from standard membership and subject to additional terms.

Just like with any other text message or notification on your phone, if your phone battery is dead, Life Backup Plan will be unable to get messages and notifications through.

That depends upon your location and your carrier. In my experience, text messages and notifications require less bandwidth and, thus, will come through more easily in areas of lower cell service signal strength than what phone calls do. 

I have used Life Backup Plan in a rural area in which I used to have no cell service and now have spotty cell service coverage. It works just fine for me in those circumstances. Your individual experience may vary.

On many phones, users can designate apps that are permitted to notify while Do Not Disturb is on. Many phones also permit users to designate “Favorites”or phone numbers from which phone calls and text mwssages are always allowed to come through, even if Do Not Disturb is on. Please check your phone’s settings to see how this works on your particular device.

You will need some type of internet connection in order to do account setup, request a Check On, enter Medical and Dietary information, Offer and Request Assistance, and track lifestyle, wellness, and symptoms. 

Responding to a Check On notification and/or text message does not require an internet connection and works the same as your phone does if there is no internet service.

We plan to have the Life Backup Plan app available in at least the top 20 languages used worldwide, which covers 75% of the planet’s population. In June, 2026, the Life Backup Plan app is only available in Engiish. The first language we are likely to translate the app into is Spanish, so stay tuned for further developments on that. As the money becomes available for further development, adding additional languages is a top priority.

Absolutely. As of Spring, 2026, Geolocaiton is not a fewture currently available on Life Backup Plan, so the only person who will know where you are is you.

When you request to be checked on, you will be asked to enter the location at which you will be for that check on, in case assistance needs to be sent to you. Only the highly secured Life Backup Plan database will have that information. If you don’t need assistance when your check on happens, no one but you will know where you are at that time. We value your privacy.

Word of mouth advertising is your best friend. Get on Nextdoor, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit and Quora, plus your neighbors and friends, and tell them what a difference Life Backup Plan has made with your safety and peace of mind. Encourage them to sign up, too. Bonus round: when you refer people to Life Backup Plan, you will earn free months of service. The more people who use Life Backup Plan in your area, the better it makes the app for everyone involved.

Yes. Simply go into the Life Backup Plan app and choose the “Request Assistance” screen. From there, choose, “Assistive Skills” in the drop down combo bos, then “Ride to medical appointment” from the next drop down combo box. The app will then match you with people in your area who have signed up to offer rides to medical appointments. You will have to contact them directly to see if they can help you out.

Yes. Simply go into the Life Backup Plan app and choose the “Request Assistance” screen. From there, choose, “Assistive Skills” in the drop down combo bos, then “Pick up groceries or prescriptions” from the next drop down combo box. The app will then match you with people in your area who have signed up to pick up groceries or prescriptions for others in your community. You will have to contact them directly to see if they can help you out.

Yes. Rural health and remote area situations are one of our most important use cases.

We recognize that not everyone lives 10 minutes from a hospital, or can have an ambulance at their home within a few minutes. By using the Contact Persons, Offer and Request Assistance features of Life Backup Plan, you will create greater connections within your community, which can, hopefully, help you out when you need assistance. 

Several years ago, I had the great pleasure of seeing Paul McCartney perform at Petco Park in San Diego. He said something which, I’ve since learned, is a hallmark of the Beatles, “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” It is a closing lyric written by Paul McCartney for The Beatles’ 1969 album Abbey Road (song: “The End“).

It signifies a philosophy of karma and reciprocity, suggesting that the love, kindness, and effort one gives to the world is ultimately returned in equal measure

Life Backup Plan shares this philosophy and has seen it in action countless times. We encourage everyone to be great neighbors and community members, to get involved and to help each other out.

Yes. Simply go into the Life Backup Plan app and choose the “Request Assistance” screen. From there, choose, “Assistive Skills” in the drop down combo bos, then “IHSS provider” from the next drop down combo box. The app will then match you with people in your area who are approved IHSS providers and who have signed up in the app as available for that service. You will have to contact them directly to see if they can help you out.

Take your phone with you and update your location as you are able. Perhaps you’ve evacuated to a shelter. You can edit any existing Check Ons to that shelter’s address, so, if you miss a Check On, we still know where to send your emergency contacts to. 

In a blackout, as long as your phone has charge, a Check on notification and text message can still come through. 

In the future, Life Backup Plan plans to integrate with emergency services so that, for example, if you have limited mobility and are unable to evacuate yourself ahead of a natural disaster, emergency services can be notified that you will be needing evacuation assistance and send help, accordingly. That is a future version feature, and not something available in Spring or Summer 2026.

A related, and additional, future feature is, when geolocation is available in Life Backup Plan, to share your last known location with search and rescue personnel if you do not respond to a Check On and there has been a large-scale emergency in your area. In this way, it makes the search and rescue effort more efficient, and increases the likelihood of a positive outcome if someone has gone missing after a large scale emergency.

100%. You, and you alone, decide who gets notified in an emergency. This is customizable for each Check On you request and you prioritize the order. Perhaps you want one set of people notified, in a certain order, if you are will be in one area when your Check On happens, and a different set of people, in a different order, if you are in a different area when your Check On request happens. You are in complete control of who gets notified when, and in what order.

Yes. Simply set them up as Contact Persons in your account and, then, when you Request a Check On, choose them as the people you want notified if you need assistance. Its as simple as that.

Yes. Just delete the emergency contact you no longer want, and they will no longer be availalbe to be notified if you need assistance. Please keep in mind that, if you have existing check ons requested with that person selected as an emergency contact, you will want to edit that check on to ensure you have one or more other people selected to help you out for that Check On.

This is why we strongly encourage everyone to have several emergency contacts chosen for each requested Check On. That way, if your primary contact doesn’t respond, Life Backup Plan simply goes to the next person on the list, in the order you have chosen. 

If you don’t respond to a check-on, Life Backup Plan, first, repeats the check in as many times as you have designated, at the interval you have designated. If we still do not receive a response, Life Backup Plan’s affirmative system assumes you need help and begins reaching out to your emergency contacts, in the order you have requested that they be contacted.

“The system” doesn’t decide who to notify frrst – you do.

When you request a check on, you decide who you want to be contacted for that check on if you don’t respond, and in what order they will be contacted. If you have 10 emergency contacts, simply choose them in the order you want them contacted at the time you request the Check On, and Life Backup Plan will notifiy them in that order if you don’t reply to your Check On.

As of Spring, 2026, Life Backup Plan is not yet integrated with public emergency response systems. That functionality is planned for a future release. 

This is one of the reasons we recommend you have several people listed in your emergency contacts, and chosen for each Check On request. They can be neighbors, friends, your petsitter, family members, whoever. Just anyone who you think would be willing to help you out in an emergency if they are contacted and asked to do so.

Yes. 

With Life Backup Plan, you can request an unlimited number of Check Ons per 24 hours. If you want to be checked on every hour, on the hour, just set up your Check On request that way. Maybe you want to be Checked On at all meal times, before bed, upon waking, and after your afternoon nap. Just set them up that way and Life Backup Plan’s fully automated system will send the Check Ons as you requested.

You can fully customize the Life Backup Plan Check Ons to whatever schedule best suits you. It can be every ten mnutes while you’re awake, if you want. We’re here to monitor you on your schedule.

Yes, and we encourage caregivers to do this very thing.

Perfect for family members, Home Health agencies, concierge medicine provideers, post-discharge monitoring, and care coordinators, simply set yourself up as one of the individual’s Contact Persons, and then set up the Check On requests to notify you first if assistance is needed. Each Check On request can be repeated daily, monthly, or hourly, so you can set up the Check On requests as you like, then duplicate and know you’ll be notified if the person you’re caring for doesn’t respond.

Life Backup Plan is not a healthcare provider and is not a covered entity under HIPAA. However, we take data privacy and security seriously and host our platform on enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure designed to support secure handling of sensitive information.

Users may choose to store personal health information within the platform, including that which can be downloaded from Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems. When required for institutional partnerships, Life Backup Plan can operate under Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) and align practices accordingly.

We implement technical and operational safeguards appropriate for our current stage of deployment and continue to strengthen our security posture as the platform grows.

You stay in control.

When you enter medical information into the Life Backup Plan app, you can designate trusted contacts who are authorized to view the information you choose to share. Sharing is customizable on a line-by-line basis, so you decide exactly what each person can see.

Your designated contact can then relay that information to first responders or emergency room personnel if needed.

In future updates, we are developing functionality that would allow authorized medical information to be shared directly with first responders or emergency departments — but only with your explicit authorization and according to your specific sharing preferences.

Life Backup Plan uses established, enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure providers to host platform data. These providers maintain industry-standard physical, network, and environmental security controls. Specific infrastructure partners are not publicly disclosed for security reasons.

Yes. Life Backup Plan uses industry-standard encryption practices to help protect your information.

• Data at rest is encrypted using encryption provided by our cloud infrastructure providers, including database storage and file storage.

• Data in transit is protected using secure, encrypted connections (such as HTTPS/TLS).

We use reputable, enterprise-grade cloud services that apply encryption by default and follow established security best practices.

While no system can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, we take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect personal and sensitive information and continuously evaluate improvements as the platform evolves.

You do, and those you designate.

Access to user data is restricted to authorized personnel who require access for operational, technical, or support purposes. Access is governed by internal controls and confidentiality obligations.

Life Backup Plan complies with applicable legal and statutory requirements. In limited circumstances, user information may be disclosed in response to valid legal process, such as a court order, subpoena, or warrant, as required by law.

Life Backup Plan personnel do not access private medical information except when necessary for technical support, security monitoring, or user-requested assistance. All personnel are bound by confidentiality requirements.

Data retention practices are governed by internal policies and applicable legal requirements. Specific retention timelines may vary depending on account status and regulatory considerations.

Data is stored on a highly secure, world famous cloud-based service.  There are no local copies anywhere. 

No. No information contained within the app is to be construed as medical advice or diagnosis by anyone in any capacity in any jurisdiction at any time. 

No. Life Backup Plan recommends you have regular appointments with licensed healthcare providers for your preventative medicine, health and wellness needs.

Life Backup Plan is not a healthcare provider and does not provide medical treatment or medical advice. However, we recognize that users may choose to store personal health information within the app.

We are committed to safeguarding that information through administrative, technical, and physical security measures designed to protect against unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.

Where applicable, we align our data handling practices with relevant federal and state privacy standards. We also limit access to user data, use secure infrastructure, and implement encryption and other protective technologies to help ensure responsible data stewardship.

Protecting your personal information is central to our mission and to the trust you place in us.

No. Healthcare providers do not have direct access to your information within Life Backup Plan.

You control who can view your information. If you choose to share it, you may provide access to designated trusted contacts, who can relay information to medical professionals when appropriate.

In future updates, we are exploring secure methods that could allow authorized healthcare providers to access selected information — but only with your explicit permission and subject to appropriate security safeguards.

No — we do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information.

Your identifiable personal health information is not shared with third parties without your authorization, except where required by law (such as in response to a valid court order, warrant, or subpoena).

We may use or share de-identified and aggregated data — information that cannot reasonably be used to identify you — for research, statistical analysis, system improvement, or reporting purposes.

We may also use trusted service providers (such as secure cloud hosting and infrastructure partners) to operate the platform. These providers are contractually required to safeguard your information.

Your privacy and control over your information are fundamental to Life Backup Plan’s mission.

Life Backup Plan does not replace formal legal or medical processes. However, it can help ensure that the right people know your wishes and know where to find the documents that express them.

If you have an advance directive, durable healthcare power of attorney, Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order, or similar document, you can record within the app:

• That the document exists

• Where it is physically stored

• Which trusted individuals have copies

• Where those copies are kept

In an emergency, your designated contacts can quickly locate and provide the appropriate documents to doctors, hospitals, or family members so your wishes can be honored.

In future updates, we plan to offer secure document storage and controlled digital sharing within the app — always at your sole discretion.

Life Backup Plan is designed to support preparedness, clarity, and communication so your voice is heard, even if you cannot speak for yourself.

At this time, Life Backup Plan does not offer direct document upload or storage for advance directives or other legal documents.

However, you can record within the app:

• That your advance directive exists

• Where the original document is stored

• Who has copies

• Where those copies are kept

This ensures that trusted contacts can quickly locate and provide the appropriate documents when needed.

In future updates, we plan to introduce secure document storage and controlled sharing capabilities, allowing you to upload and manage important documents directly within the app.

All document sharing will remain fully under your control.

Yes. You may update the information in your account at any time.

Life Backup Plan is designed to reflect your current preferences. If your medical wishes, designated contacts, or document locations change, you can update them directly within the app so your information remains accurate and up to date.

Your designated emergency contacts can access the information you have authorized them to view within the app.

In an emergency, they can relay your medical wishes, document locations, and designated decision-makers to healthcare providers or family members to help ensure your preferences are honored.

Life Backup Plan does not create legal documents. However, if you do not yet have an advance directive or related documents, we encourage you to speak with a licensed attorney or qualified professional to establish them.

You may still record your general preferences and designate trusted contacts within the app to help communicate your wishes.

We have established relationships with select estate planning professionals in various states. You may explore available resources on our Partnerships page to learn more.

Life Backup Plan treats all user information, ncluding home access instructions, as sensitive data.

We implement administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect against unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. Access to user data is restricted based on role and operational necessity, and we use secure infrastructure and encryption technologies to help safeguard stored information.

We also maintain internal policies governing data handling and access controls.

Your information is not publicly accessible and is only viewable according to your designated sharing permissions and authorized operational requirements.

Protecting your safety and privacy is fundamental to our mission.

Only individuals you explicitly authorize can view your home access instructions.

Access is controlled by your designated sharing permissions within the app. Life Backup Plan personnel do not access user information except as required for authorized operational, security, or legal purposes.

Your information is not publicly visible and is never shared without your authorization, except where required by law.

No. Home access instructions are not automatically transmitted to first responders.

At this time, information within Life Backup Plan is shared only according to your designated permissions. If an emergency arises, your authorized contacts may relay instructions or relevant information to appropriate parties.

We are exploring secure, user-authorized sharing options for future updates.

Yes. You may update, modify, or revoke access to your home access instructions at any time within the app.

Life Backup Plan is designed to reflect your current preferences. Changes take effect according to your updated sharing settings.

You remain in control of who can view your information.

Your data remains stored on secure infrastructure and is protected in accordance with our security and privacy policies, regardless of where you access your account.

Access to your information continues to be governed by your account permissions and applicable laws. Traveling internationally does not automatically change who can view your information.

Users are responsible for complying with local laws regarding device use and internet access when traveling abroad.

Yes. Your data is associated with your account — not stored openly on your device.

If your phone is lost or stolen, unauthorized individuals cannot access your information without your account credentials. We recommend using strong passwords and enabling device-level security features such as biometric authentication or passcodes.

If you believe your account may be compromised, you should change your password immediately.

If your device is stolen and remains unlocked, there is potential risk — just as with any app containing personal information.

However, Life Backup Plan relies on account authentication and user permissions to protect access. We strongly recommend:

• Enabling device lock protections

• Using strong, unique passwords

• Logging out of shared devices

If you suspect unauthorized access, you should change your password immediately and contact support.

In January, 2025, the only way Life Backup Plan can help you if you need to be evacuated is through the “Request Assistance” feature in the app, whereby you can request a ride from someone.

In the future, we want to integrate Life Backup Plan with public safety systems, so that, if an evacuation is ordered in your area, and your medical data indicates that you are unable to evacuate yourself, Life Backup Plan, with your permission, can share that information with the public safety system, so it can send people to help you evacuate.

In January, 2025, the only way Life Backup Plan can help you if you need to be evacuated is through the “Request Assistance” feature in the app, whereby you can request a ride from someone.

In the future, we want to integrate Life Backup Plan with public safety systems, so that, if an evacuation is ordered in your area, and your medical data indicates that you are unable to evacuate yourself, Life Backup Plan, with your permission, can share that information with the public safety system, so it can send people to help you evacuate.

In November, 2024, you would need to make your own arrangements for pet care in your absence.

In the future, a feature is for you to be able to store pet information in the app, their name, veterinarian, food, any medical issues, favorite toys and bed, and be able to designate with whom the Life Backup Plan app should share that information, in the event you are unavailable. As investors come forward and funding is available, we will develop that feature. We hope to have it implemented in 2025.

In November, 2024, the short answer is, sort of. If you have a household inventory of all your belongings, you can designate that as one of your documents that you have in account setup. You can also designate which of your contacts has that information.

In a future version, you will be able to store the document directly in the Life Backup Plan app and it, at your sole discretion, can share that information with lawyers, accountants, family and friends as you designate when the time comes.