Turn the passphrase on.
On the New Note screen, enable the passphrase option before creating the note.
// guide / add-a-passphrase
How to add a passphrase.
A passphrase turns one secret into two halves travelling separate roads: the link goes over one channel, the phrase over another, and reading the note requires both.
// at a glance
- Toggle the passphrase on
- Choose a strong phrase
- Create the note
- Share phrase and link separately
Prerequisites
- A note worth a second factor
Choose the phrase.
Length beats cleverness — a few random words outdo a punctuated password. The phrase is stretched with PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 at 600,000 iterations before it touches the key, so every attacker guess pays that same cost.
Create and share the link.
Create the note and send the link as usual. On its own, the link now opens nothing but a passphrase prompt.
Deliver the phrase on another channel.
Text the link, speak the phrase. Email the link, hand the phrase over in person. The channels only add security if they're genuinely different.
Verify it worked.
- Opening the link shows a passphrase prompt instead of the note.
- The correct phrase reveals the note; wrong guesses fail without consuming views.
- The note still burns on its normal view and expiry limits.
Common questions.
Do wrong guesses use up views?
No. The viewer fetches the ciphertext once, and every guess is checked locally in the recipient's browser. The viewer says so on the prompt itself.
What if the recipient forgets the phrase?
Send it again over your second channel. Nobody — not you, not the developer — can bypass it; if the phrase is truly lost, burn the note and create a fresh one.
Is a passphrase always necessary?
No. For low-stakes notes over a channel you trust, the link alone is fine. The passphrase exists for links that must cross channels you don't fully control.
Next steps.
Get BurnPony
Free self-destructing encrypted notes for iPhone. In development — leave your address for exactly one email on launch day.