LOWKEY FAQs

Quick Start — Essential FAQs

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What is LOWKEY?

LOWKEY helps you notice when your daily patterns shift before anyone else would, so you can take care of yourself or let your trusted people know you might need support. Think of it like a smoke detector for your wellbeing: it notices early signals, not emergencies.

LOWKEY is not a medical device, not surveillance, and not for emergencies. It's a relationship tool that helps you notice your own patterns first, then optionally share that awareness with people you trust.

If you need emergency help: Call 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or 911

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Who is LOWKEY for?

LOWKEY is for anyone who wants to be more in tune with themselves and support others effortlessly. Whether you're navigating a life change, managing stress, recovering, or simply staying proactive to be your best, LOWKEY helps you stay connected to yourself and the people who matter most.

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How does it actually work?

During your first 14 days, LOWKEY learns what's normal for you: your sleep patterns, movement habits, time at home, and how your body responds to rest. After that, it watches for meaningful deviations. When your patterns shift significantly, you get a notification first. If it continues, your Circle gets a heads-up to check in.

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What devices do I need?

An iPhone running iOS 17 or later. No wearables required, though if you have an Apple Watch, Lowkey can use that data too.

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Is this like Life360? Will people track my location?

No. LOWKEY doesn't track where you go once you leave home. It notices patterns, like whether you're leaving home regularly, without knowing destinations. No GPS coordinates are ever shared. Your Circle sees pattern changes, not a map of your movements.

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Who sees my information?

Only people you explicitly choose. Sharing is always optional — you can turn it off anytime or use LOWKEY completely solo.

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What do the colors mean?

Colors show how your current patterns compare to your personal normal: Blue = no change, Green = slight shift, Orange = pay attention, Red = bigger shift. These are based on YOUR baseline, not anyone else's.

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What is my Circle?

Your Circle is a group of trusted people you choose: family, close friends, a therapist, who can receive notifications if your patterns continue to deviate after you've been notified first. You always know before they do.

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Do people in my Circle need to pay?

No. Being a "Scout" in someone's Circle is completely free. They just need to register to receive alerts via SMS or email. If they want their own pattern detection and personal awareness features, they can upgrade anytime.

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How much does LOWKEY cost?

LOWKEY offers Individual and Family Sharing tiers. Visit the app for current pricing.

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Is there a free trial?

Yes, 60 days free. This gives you time to build your baseline and experience the full value before choosing a paid plan or cancelling

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Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. Manage your subscription in Settings > Subscription or through iPhone Settings > [Your Name] > Subscriptions.

[See complete FAQs below ↓]

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What LOWKEY is and isn’t

LOWKEY IS:

• A private awareness layer - helps you notice pattern changes in yourself first

• Relationship infrastructure - makes it easier to show up for the 5-10 people at the center of your life

• Early signals - gentle heads-up when patterns shift, before small things become big things

• Privacy-first by design - encrypted, privacy-blind processing; you control what's shared and with whom

• User-controlled - you decide if, when, and with whom anything is shared

• Optional sharing - can be used solo or with your Circle

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LOWKEY IS NOT:

• ❌ Not a medical device - does not diagnose, treat, or provide medical advice

• ❌ Not surveillance - no location tracking, no message monitoring, no live dashboards

• ❌ Not emergency response - not for crisis intervention or immediate safety needs

• ❌ Not a replacement for care - complements therapy, treatment, and relationships, doesn't replace them

• ❌ Not monitoring - we detect patterns, not problems; we share awareness, not conclusions

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Getting Started

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What is LOWKEY?

LOWKEY helps you know yourself first so you can show up fully for the people who matter most.

It notices when your patterns shift and gives you the first heads-up. Once you understand your own rhythms, you can extend that awareness to your Inner Circle so you're there for each other earlier, without the awkward guessing.

Think of it as relationship infrastructure: starting with self-awareness, extending to the 5-10 people at the center of your life.

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How does LOWKEY work?

LOWKEY runs passively in the background of your iPhone, learning what's normal for you. No two people have the same patterns - that's the point. Life is busy and complex.

During your first 14 days, LOWKEY is learning:

• When you typically wake up and go to sleep

• How much you move on an average day

• Your usual routines around home

• How your body responds to rest and activity

This creates your personal baseline - your unique definition of "normal."

After your baseline is established, LOWKEY watches for meaningful deviations from your personal patterns across four key areas:

• 🌙 Daily Rhythm Shows consistency and timing in your sleep, evening routines and phone usage.

• 🏠 Time at Home Reflects patterns in where you spend time and how routines form around home

• 🚶 Movement Shows your daily movement and activity patterns across walking, distance, and energy

• 💚 Internal Rhythm Reflects patterns in how your body responds to daily routines and rest using data like HRV.

When your patterns deviate significantly from your personal baseline like not leaving home for an extended period, a major shift in movement, or a combination of subtle changes, you'll receive a notification. If the pattern continues, your Inner Circle is notified with actionable guidance.

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How do you know what's "normal" for me?

We compare you to yourself - never to other people. If you typically walk 3,000 steps, you're not penalized for not hitting 10,000. We just want to know if you're feeling like yourself.

Research shows that changes in daily rhythm - like disrupted sleep, less movement, or isolation - often appear days or weeks before someone feels noticeably off. LOWKEY helps catch these early, when small adjustments or a check-in can make a big difference.

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Why should I trust the notifications?

We've built in several safeguards to make sure the system works fairly and catches real concerns:

The 7-Day Time Buffer: We always compare today's behavior against your baseline from one week ago. This way, a current crisis doesn't contaminate the comparison. Imagine someone gets the flu and has a bad week. If we immediately updated their "normal" to include this sick week, we'd never detect future problems because "lying in bed all day" would become their new baseline.

Fair Scoring for Everyone: Not everyone has the same data. Some people wear Apple Watches and can provide heart rate data. Others just have an iPhone and share location and step counts. We adjust scores based on what data we actually have - so alerts can still be triggered when something is genuinely wrong, regardless of how much data you share.

Pattern Detection: Sometimes individual metrics look okay on their own, but the combination tells a concerning story. We watch for specific worrying patterns like "stuck at home" (high time at home + very few steps + no phone activity) or "physical slowdown" (sudden drop in steps, distance, AND exercise all at once). When we detect these patterns, we increase concern - and if the pattern continues for multiple days, the concern level increases.

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What devices does LOWKEY work on?

LOWKEY requires an iPhone running iOS 17 or later. No additional hardware needed.

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Privacy & Data

How does LOWKEY use data from my phone?

LOWKEY makes sense of everyday patterns your phone naturally reflects, such as general activity rhythms or time spent at home. This information is processed in an encrypted, privacy-blind way to protect privacy and provide awareness not conclusions.

No location tracking or live location data. No message monitoring. No surveillance.

You are always in control of what's shared and with whom, and you can change these settings at any time.

LOWKEY is not a medical device and does not provide diagnosis or treatment.

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Who sees my information?

Only the people you explicitly choose to connect with.

Sharing is always optional. Turn sharing off at anytime.

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Is my data sold or shared?

Absolutely not. We will never sell your data to advertisers, data brokers, or third parties. Your data is used only to provide pattern detection and alert services. See our Privacy Policy for complete details.

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What data does LOWKEY collect?

LOWKEY tracks four areas of your daily life:

🌙 Daily Rhythm

• Sleep duration and timing

• Late-night phone usage and pickups during sleep hours

🏠 Time at Home

• Patterns in where you spend time (not GPS coordinates - only patterns of movement)

• How routines form around home

🚶 Movement

• Steps, distance, and active energy

• Exercise time

💚 Internal Rhythm

• Heart Rate Variability (HRV) when available

• How your body responds to daily routines and rest

All GPS coordinates are processed entirely on your device and never leave your phone. Only anonymous location pattern IDs are stored on secure servers.

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Understanding LOWKEY

Is this like Find My Friends or Life360?

No. LOWKEY doesn't track your location or know where you are going once you leave home.

LOWKEY differs from other services like Life360 or Find My Alerts. LOWKEY ensures:

• User control you decide who, if anyone, receives alerts

• You are always alerted first to maintain independence.

• No GPS tracking or location sharing only pattern changes

• No selling of personal data your privacy is non-negotiable

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What if I just want to use it for myself?

That's completely fine. You can use LOWKEY solo. Inviting people into your Inner Circle is available to you anytime.

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What do the colors mean?

LOWKEY uses color progression to show how your current patterns compare to your personal baseline:

• Blue - No change. Everything looks typical for you.

• Green - Slight change. Minimal shift from your usual.

• Orange - Pay attention. Patterns are meaningfully different.

• Red - Check in. A bigger shift is showing up.

These colors help you (and your Circle, if you choose to share) understand at a glance whether your recent routines match your normal patterns. The colors are based on your unique baseline - not anyone else's.

What happens if I get a notification?

A notification is just a heads-up that your patterns have shifted from your baseline. You decide what it means. You can acknowledge it, dismiss it, or use it as a moment to check in with yourself. This is about awareness. There's no right or wrong response.

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Real-Life Examples

Example 1: Keeping An Eye On Your Own Patterns

You typically sleep 7 hours and walk 5,000 steps. This week your color indicator has been dipping. Checking the details, you've been sleeping only 5 hours and barely moving. LOWKEY gives you objective data to recognize you're off your baseline before anyone else needs to worry - a chance to course-correct or reach out for support.

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Example 2: A Normal Week

Sarah typically walks 6,000 steps, sleeps 7 hours, and spends about 4 hours outside her home each day. This week, she walked 5,500-6,200 steps daily, slept 6.5-7.5 hours, and went out regularly. Everything is within her normal range - no notification needed.

Example 3: Recovering from a Cold

Tom usually walks 8,000 steps but has been fighting a cold. He's been staying home, walking only 2,000 steps, and sleeping more than usual. The system notices the change, but his inner circle knows he's sick and isn't alarmed. He can enable "Illness Mode" to adjust expectations.

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Example 4: Unexpected Change

Maria is usually active and social - out of the house several hours daily, 7,000 steps, regular phone activity. Suddenly, she's been home for 3 days straight, barely walking, and her phone has been untouched. The pattern detection kicks in (home + no activity + no phone = concerning). Her inner circle receives an alert to check in.

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Your Circle

What is my Circle?

Your Inner Circle is a group of trusted people you choose to receive notifications if patterns continue to deviate after you've been notified. These might be family members, close friends, roommates, or a therapist - anyone you trust to check in with care. You can add as many people as you need.

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How do I add someone to my Circle?

In the app, go to Circle > Add Member. You'll need their phone number or email. They'll receive an invitation and can accept to join your circle.

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What happens when I invite someone to my Circle?

When you invite someone, they'll receive an invitation via SMS or email. To accept and start receiving alerts about you, they need to:

1. Accept the invitation

2. Register their name and contact information (phone number and/or email) to receive notifications

Once they complete registration, they become a Scout - someone who can receive alerts about you without needing their own LOWKEY subscription. They can choose to receive alerts via SMS or email.

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What's the difference between a Scout and a full LOWKEY user?

Scouts (free, no subscription needed):

• Receive alerts about you via SMS or email

• Join your Circle at no cost to them

Full LOWKEY users (with subscription):

• Get their own pattern detection and personal awareness dashboards

• Create reciprocal support where you have their back and they have yours

• Customize messaging to personalize notification messages and check-in suggestions

• View their Circle at a glance to see how everyone they support is doing

If a Scout in your Circle wants the full experience, they can upgrade to a LOWKEY subscription anytime. When both people have subscriptions, mutual Circle connections can be created through the invite process and are always free and unlimited.

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Do Scouts need a subscription?

No. Being in someone's Circle as a Scout is completely free.

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Can I remove someone from my Circle?

Yes, anytime. Go to Circle > tap the member > Remove from Circle.

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Can a Scout leave at any time?

Yes. Scouts can leave your Circle at any time by logging into the website.

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What do members of my Circle see?

They receive notifications like: "This is a Lowkey notification for [Your Name]. We've noticed changes in their daily patterns over the past few days. Consider reaching out with: 'Hey, haven't heard from you in a bit - want to grab coffee?'"

They never see raw data, GPS locations, or detailed metrics.

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Alerts & Monitoring

Who controls notification settings?

You do. LOWKEY is designed around user control.

Your own alerts: You choose how you want to receive notifications when your patterns shift. You can select:

• Push notifications (in-app alerts)

• Email

• SMS (for red "check in" alerts only)

You can customize which channels you use for each alert level. For example, you might want push notifications for all colors, but only SMS for red alerts.

Your Circle's alerts: Each person in your Circle controls their own notification preferences. They decide how they want to be notified about you. You cannot force notifications on anyone, and they can adjust or turn off notifications at any time.

Where to manage this: Go to Settings > Notifications to customize your preferences.

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What should I do when I receive a red LOWKEY alert?

Red alerts include a custom message from the subscriber with specific directions. If there is no actionable request in the message, the best practice is to reach out, stay curious, and find out what is going on.

Remember that an alert simply means something is different from the usual. Whether it is good or bad is for you to decide. Either way, you now have an excellent reason to check in and catch up.

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How sensitive are the notifications?

LOWKEY learns your personal baseline during the first 14 days, then watches for significant deviations. You control when and how your Circle is notified through your notification preferences in Settings > Alert Preferences.

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Can I pause pattern detection?

Yes. Use Vacation Mode or Illness Mode to adjust thresholds, or completely pause pattern detection for a set period. Go to Settings > Pattern Detection Controls.

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What if I get a false notification?

You can provide feedback directly in the app. This helps LOWKEY learn what's normal for you and improves future accuracy.

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Will LOWKEY send notifications during my work hours or at night?

LOWKEY respects your iOS Do Not Disturb and Focus modes. You can also set custom quiet hours in Settings > Notifications.

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Why am I getting a notification that I'm outside of my baseline if I feel fine?

Because feeling fine and patterns shifting aren't the same thing.

Lowkey doesn't judge how you feel in a moment. It notices when your recent routines look meaningfully different from your normal over time - things like sleep timing, movement, or time at home.

A few important clarifiers:

• This isn't a diagnosis. A notification is simply a heads-up that something has shifted compared to your usual rhythm.

• "Outside baseline" doesn't mean "something is wrong." You might be busier than usual, traveling, resting more, in a great creative sprint, or just living a different season of life.

• You decide the context. Lowkey can't know why patterns changed - only that they did. You decide whether it matters.

• Think of it like a smoke alarm, not a fire truck. It's designed to notice early signals quietly, so small check-ins can happen before escalations. You can take action or ignore it and move on.

Bottom line:

Lowkey's job is awareness, not interpretation. Your job is simply to ask: "Does this match my life right now?" If yes - great. If not - now you caught it early.

"Why did my color change when I'm just sick / traveling / injured?"

That's what Tolerance Modes are for. You tell the system "life is weird right now," and we throttle sensitivity.

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What are Tolerance Modes?

Life doesn't follow a perfect routine. Sometimes you or someone in your circle is on vacation, recovering from illness, or just having an unusual week. Tolerance Modes let you adjust how sensitive the system is:

Tolerance LevelWhat It DoesWhen to Use

Some25% more tolerantMinor disruption - a long weekend trip, mild cold

More50% more tolerantWeek-long vacation, flu recovery

A lot75% more tolerantInternational travel, surgery recovery

PauseSuppresses all alertsComplete pause - hospitalization, major life event

You can label a mode as "Vacation" or "Illness" for context, but the actual behavior is controlled by the tolerance level you choose. When a mode is activated, your inner circle can be notified, and modes can be set to automatically end on a specific date.

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Technical

Does LOWKEY drain my battery?

No. LOWKEY is optimized for minimal battery impact using efficient background processing.

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Do I need to keep the app open?

No. LOWKEY works in the background even when the app is closed.

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What happens if I'm offline?

LOWKEY continues collecting data locally and syncs when you're back online.

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What if I don't have a watch?

You're graded only on the metrics you share. No one gets penalized for missing data. A person with 3 metrics and another with 9 metrics receive equally valid scores.

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How do I delete my account?

Contact Support: support@lowkeyprotection.com

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Billing & Subscription

How much does LOWKEY cost?

LOWKEY offers two subscription tiers Individual & Family Sharing

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What's a Scout?

A Scout is someone who receives notifications about you but doesn't use LOWKEY themselves. Mutual circles (where both people use LOWKEY) are always free and unlimited.

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Can I try it before subscribing?

Yes, we offer a 60 day free trial. This gives you time to build your baseline and experience the full value before choosing a paid plan.

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Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. Manage your subscription in Settings > Subscription or through your iPhone Settings > [Your Name] > Subscriptions.

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ENTERPRISE FAQs

What LOWKEY IS and ISN'T

LOWKEY IS:

• Controlled by the subscriber.

• Early awareness layer that supports connection between touchpoints

• Zero staff burden no dashboards to monitor, no required responses

• Privacy-first encrypted, privacy-blind; no patient-level dashboards for programs

• Participant autonomy they decide who receives notifications and when

• Complement to aftercare fills the gap between "everything's fine" and "this is a crisis"

LOWKEY IS NOT:

• ❌ Not a clinical tool - not diagnosis, treatment, or clinical decision support

• ❌ Not relapse prediction - we detect behavioral drift, not symptoms

• ❌ Not patient monitoring - no surveillance, no location data, no oversight

• ❌ Not a staff workflow - adds no operational burden or compliance risk

• ❌ Not prescriptive - provides no labels, risk scores, or action requirements

• ❌ Not a replacement for care - supports continuity, doesn't replace follow-up

Key principle: LOWKEY exists to support earlier human connection through trusted relationships - not to monitor, diagnose, or manage outcomes.

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Is LOWKEY a clinical or diagnostic tool?

No. LOWKEY does not diagnose, treat, or predict outcomes. We detect behavioral drift, not symptoms. We provide heads-up moments, not labels.

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Do staff need to monitor or respond?

No. Notifications are informational and do not create an expectation of response.

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Do treatment centers receive notifications?

Not by default. Notifications go to participants and/or their trusted relationships. Program involvement is optional and participant-initiated.

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What happens if a notification is ignored?

Nothing. LOWKEY does not assume action, track responses, or escalate automatically.

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How does this fit with existing aftercare?

LOWKEY complements existing follow-up by helping connection happen when people are receptive - without guessing or adding work.

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How does LOWKEY fit with existing discharge or aftercare workflows?

LOWKEY is typically introduced as an optional continuity resource during discharge planning. After setup, it runs independently and does not require documentation, monitoring, or ongoing involvement from staff.

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What does my staff need to do?

Introduce LOWKEY as an optional resource during discharge. That is the extent of staff involvement. There are no dashboards to check, no notifications to respond to, and no ongoing operational responsibilities. LOWKEY operates between the individual and the people they choose to include.

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Does LOWKEY replace follow-up care or aftercare?

No. LOWKEY does not replace follow-up care, therapy, or aftercare programs. It is designed to complement existing processes by supporting connection during periods when formal care has stepped back and individuals may be less likely to reach out.

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What about HIPAA and privacy?

LOWKEY is not designed to collect protected health information. It does not collect diagnoses, treatment records, or clinical data. LOWKEY uses limited, non-identifiable daily pattern signals (such as sleep consistency and general activity trends) to generate non-clinical notifications. It is not a medical record and does not integrate with the EHR.

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How is data secured and de-identified?

LOWKEY uses industry-standard encryption to protect data in transit and at rest. Daily pattern data is processed in a privacy-preserving way that separates personal identifiers from behavioral signals. Identifiers are removed prior to analysis, and de-identified pattern data is used solely to generate non-clinical notifications. LOWKEY does not store names, content, or location history. Data is not sold or shared with third parties and is never accessible to treatment centers. The system is designed to minimize data access, reduce identifiability, and limit use strictly to participant-authorized awareness.

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Can therapists use LOWKEY with clients?

Yes. If an individual chooses to include their therapist, the therapist may receive non-clinical notifications when patterns shift. Participation is optional, and notifications are informational only. LOWKEY does not create expectations for oversight, response, or intervention.

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What kinds of organizations use LOWKEY?

LOWKEY is suitable for care settings where individuals transition back to daily life after structured support, including mental health treatment, addiction recovery, physical rehabilitation, and post-surgical recovery. Any setting where continuity after discharge matters may be appropriate.

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Does LOWKEY create a duty to respond?

No. LOWKEY does not create a duty to respond or intervene. Notifications are participant-controlled and informational only. They do not imply required action, escalation, or clinical responsibility.

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Do treatment centers receive alerts or patient data?

No. Treatment centers do not receive patient data, alerts, or dashboards. All notifications are controlled by the individual and are sent only to the people they choose.

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Do you use physiological inference?

No heart rate. HRV is optional and treated as a trend, not a health indicator.

How do you prevent clinical interpretation?

Language design + no raw numbers + no clinical thresholds.

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Still Have Questions?

Contact us: support@lowkeyprotection.com

We typically respond within 72 hours.