Set the view allowance.
The stepper runs from 1 to 100. One view means the first successful Reveal is also the last; a few views forgive a flaky connection or a re-read; larger counts let a small group read the same note.
// guide / set-views-and-expiry
How to set views and expiry.
Every note carries two limits: a view allowance and a deadline. Whichever arrives first burns it. Choosing them well is most of the craft.
// at a glance
- Pick the view count (1–100)
- Pick the expiry (1 hour–30 days)
- Optionally add auto-hide
- Create the note
Prerequisites
- A note on the New Note screen
Set the expiry.
Choose 1 hour, 8 hours, 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, or 30 days. Unread notes are deleted by a sweep within minutes of the deadline — a link nobody clicked never leaves a secret parked on a server.
Consider auto-hide.
Optionally set the revealed note to re-hide after 10, 30, 60, or 120 seconds — useful over someone's shoulder. The setting travels encrypted inside the note; even the server doesn't know it.
Create it.
Both limits are enforced server-side from the moment of creation, and the last allowed view deletes the ciphertext in the same database transaction.
Verify it worked.
- The Sent tab shows the allowance and deadline you chose.
- Views used ticks up live as the note is read.
- After the last view or the deadline, the link reports the note unavailable.
Common questions.
Which wins — views or expiry?
Whichever is reached first. A one-view note read at minute ten doesn't wait for its deadline; a hundred-view note nobody opens still dies on schedule.
Is auto-hide screenshot protection?
No — nothing is. It shortens how long the note sits on a visible screen; a determined recipient can still capture what they can see.
Can two people share a one-view note?
Not by design — the second Reveal finds the note gone, atomically. Give a two-reader note two views.
Next steps.
Get BurnPony
Free self-destructing encrypted notes for iPhone. In development — leave your address for exactly one email on launch day.