Everything OurSecretPhrase does — and answers to your questions.
No jargon — here's exactly what's on screen, why it's there, and answers to the questions people ask most.
What's on your Home screen
Calm Otters
This is the core feature. A number and two words, unique to this one pairing, that only you and their device can generate. It's what ensures you can always verify who's who, in any circumstance — the family secret phrase, made easy and scalable.
We make sure that's their real email — they clicked a real verification link or signed in with Google — and we also check if the domain itself is a fraud. Scammers often register domains that look like a real company's — think BankOfA.com instead of BankOfAmerica.com — to fool victims.
This is Home — and where you add someone new. See everyone you're paired with, or tap in to pair a new person, scan their QR code or 9-digit code, or accept an incoming pairing request (see "How to pair, and when" below).
Ask them to prove it. When someone calls claiming to be your bank, IT support, or a vendor, have them show their live QR — or sign up in seconds if they haven't already — so you can see their verified name, email, and domain instantly, no pairing needed.
Generates a signature tied to your verified account that anyone can check — or checks one you've received. Signing with your work email is a simple way to prove you are who you pretend to be; the same screen lets you verify a signature someone sent you.
Using the secret phrase
This is the family phrase in action: pair with the people you already trust, and the same protection follows you to every device and every call. Parents, grandparents, and anyone likely to be targeted by an AI voice-clone call should go first.
How to pair
Pair in a secure situation, where you really know it's them — not mid-call, when it's already too late. It takes under a minute.
Pair via QR code
Best in person, or on a video callPair via 9-digit code
Best for a phone callPair via email
Best when they can't pair right now, or don't have the app yetOne phrase, on every device
Add as many phones, tablets, or computers as you want — so can they. The phrase is exactly the same no matter which device either of you checks.
Every device on both sides — yours and Diego's — computes the exact same phrase.
Pair your laptop, a tablet, a second phone — as many as you want. Every device shows the same phrase for the same person, computed independently, never synced or copied.
Adding a new device doesn't automatically pair it with everyone you already know elsewhere. Each new device does its own real handshake (QR, code, or email) with each person, just like the first one did.
Checking it's really them
This is the moment the whole app exists for. Because the phrase changes every two minutes and only exists on your two paired devices, nobody — not even an AI clone of their voice — can guess or reuse it.
On a call
Open their row, then ask them to read out loud what's showing on their own screen right now. If it matches what you see, it's really them.
Calm Otters
Video calls and message proof
These work even with someone who's never paired with you — a bank, IT support, a vendor, anyone verifying who you are for the first time. Instead of a shared secret, it's your verified account and work domain doing the proving.
Prove it's you, live
Tap the Prove button and a live QR appears on your screen. Anyone can scan it, right there — no pairing, no prior relationship — and instantly see your verified name, email, and work domain. No camera on the call? A 5-digit code sits right under the QR — read it aloud and they can type it in instead.
Turn it around when someone calls claiming to be your bank, IT support, or a vendor. Ask them to show their own live QR — or sign up in seconds if they haven't already — before you trust anything they're asking for.
Sign and check a message
Add a short signature to the end of any text or email — six words joined by hyphens — backed by your verified account and work email, not a shared secret. Anyone, paired with you or not, can paste it into "Verify a signature" to check it's really you.
This signature checks out — it really came from Diego's verified account.
Your Account screen
One place for your profile, every device that's ever signed in, and how the app locks itself when you're not looking.
Every device that's ever signed into this account — not just phones with a number set. The one you're on right now is always marked "(this device)" so you know which row is you.
Your phone was stolen, or you can't find it. If a phone or laptop with the app on it is lost or stolen, open this list from any other device you're still logged into and tap this on the missing one's row — it immediately revokes that device's login and every pairing it had, so whoever finds it can't pretend to be paired with your contacts.
On iOS, turn on Require Face ID to lock the app behind Face ID (or your passcode) whenever it's been in the background a couple of minutes — on top of your normal login, not instead of it.
Frequently asked questions
Everything else you might want to know — pricing, day-to-day use, and how your data is handled.
Getting started
Is OurSecretPhrase really free?
Yes. The Basic plan is free and lets you verify up to 2 people — no credit card needed. If you want to protect the person who needs it most — usually a parent or grandparent — the Family plan is $39.99 a year and covers their whole circle, up to 20 people. Businesses verifying customers or partners can use the Corporate plan, $99.99 a year for up to 200 people.
How long does it take to set up?
A couple of minutes. Sign up with an email, then pair with someone by scanning a QR code together or reading a 9-digit code out loud. That's it — no learning curve.
What do I need to give you to sign up?
Just an email address. We don't ask for your phone number, your address, or any government ID — on purpose. Security doesn't come from a document; it comes from pairing at a moment when you're already sure who the other person is, in person or on a call with someone you know.
Do I need to be near the other person to pair?
To scan a QR code together, yes. If you can't be in the same room, you can instead read a 9-digit code aloud over the phone — no need to be face to face. And if you can't even get them on a call right now, you can email them an invite instead — they pair whenever it's convenient, even before they've created an account.
Can I use it on both my iPhone and my computer?
Yes. OurSecretPhrase works in any browser, on any device — phone, tablet, or computer. You can be signed in on more than one at a time.
Does the other person need the app too?
They need a free account, but not always a pairing with you. Checking a family member or close contact needs both — you're comparing a phrase only your two paired devices share. Checking a stranger claiming to be your bank, IT support, or a vendor doesn't — ask them to show their live QR or sign a message instead, which just needs their own verified account (see "We're calling about your account" on the homepage).
Can I sign in with Google?
Yes. On the sign-up or log-in screen, tap "Continue with Google" — no separate password to create or remember.
Using it day to day
How do I actually check that it's really them?
Open the app, find their name, and ask them to read out the phrase on their screen. If it matches what your phone shows, it's really them. If it doesn't match, hang up and call back on a number you already trust.
What if the phrase doesn't match?
Don't continue the conversation. Hang up and call the person back on a number you already have saved — not one they just gave you.
Why does the phrase keep changing?
It refreshes every two minutes so an old phrase — overheard, recorded, or leaked — is useless. Only your two devices can compute the current one.
How many people can I pair with?
Two, for free. Up to 20 with a Family plan ($39.99/year), or up to 200 with a Corporate plan ($99.99/year) for customers or clients. The limit counts people, not devices — pairing the same contact from several of your own phones, tablets, or computers only ever uses one slot.
Basic — Free
Two people, no cost, no card. Good for verifying the one or two people you'd act on a call or text from.
Family — $39.99/yr
One Family plan, held by whoever's managing it, covers the whole circle around the person who needs it most — everyone else pairs in free.
Corporate — $99.99/yr
Give up to 200 customers or partners a free way to verify it's really your team, not an impersonation scam.
Can I use OurSecretPhrase for texts and emails, not just calls?
Yes. Tap "Sign message" to generate a short signature and paste it into your message. Whoever gets it can paste the whole message into "Verify a signature" and tap "Check signature" to confirm it's really from you.
Can I give someone a nickname?
Yes. Open their entry and tap "Nickname" — it's just a label for you (like "Mom" instead of their full name), and doesn't change anything about how verification works.
What happens if I upgrade my plan?
Moving from one paid plan to a bigger one — Family to Corporate, for instance — credits you for the unused time on your current plan, so you're never paying twice for the same period. Moving up from the free Basic plan is just a normal first purchase.
What if I forget to check and something feels off later?
You can always check afterward — but the safest habit is to check the moment something feels even slightly strange, before you act on it. You never need a reason.
Security & privacy
Can OurSecretPhrase see our secret phrase?
No. It's created directly between your two devices and never sent to our servers. We couldn't hand it over even if we wanted to.
What happens if I lose my phone or it's stolen?
Log in from any other device — a computer, a tablet, another phone — and revoke that device. Every connection it had stops working instantly, even if someone unlocks it.
If I get a new phone, can I restore my old secret?
No — and that's by design. Because we never store your secret, we can't recover it either. You simply re-pair with your contacts on the new phone; it takes a couple of minutes.
Could a scammer fake the phrase with AI?
No. The phrase isn't guessed from someone's voice or face — it's computed from a secret shared only by your two devices. An AI clone can sound exactly right and still not know it.
Could someone guess our phrase, or find it online?
No. It isn't a security question or something findable about you — it's a fresh secret your two devices agreed on when you paired, unrelated to any personal information.
Do you sell or share our data?
No. We verify your email periodically so accounts stay real, but your secret phrase itself never touches our servers, and it's never shared or sold.
Pair with the people who matter most — it takes about a minute.
Free. No credit card. Set it up before you need it.