Skip to main content

Security

Security in LifeWell is the small set of controls that govern how you sign in, what devices have an active session, what happens when you forget your password, and how you delete your account when you want to leave. This page walks through each option, who needs which one, and what specifically happens when you act on them.

You can reach the Security area from Profile → Security.

Connected sign-in methods​

LifeWell supports three providers. You can have any combination of them linked to a single account — at least one must always be present.

ProviderWhat it gives youWhere it works
GoogleOAuth sign-in; optional Drive sync for memoriesWeb, Android, iOS, extension
AppleOAuth sign-in (Sign in with Apple)Web, iOS (required on iOS); supported on Android via web fallback
Email + passwordPassword-based sign-inWeb, Android, iOS

To link a second provider:

  1. Profile → Security → Connected sign-in methods.
  2. Tap + Add method under the empty slot.
  3. Complete the OAuth / email flow.
  4. The new method appears in the connected list.

To remove a method, tap the trash icon next to it. LifeWell blocks the removal if it would leave you with zero methods (which would lock you out).

Change password (email method only)​

If you signed up with email + password, you can change the password from Profile → Security → Change password:

  1. Enter your current password.
  2. Enter the new password twice.
  3. Tap Update.

LifeWell does not enforce minimum complexity beyond the 8-character floor Firebase Auth requires. We recommend a passphrase generated by your password manager.

If you forgot your password and can't sign in, use the Forgot password link on the sign-in screen. Firebase sends a reset link to your email; clicking it opens a password-reset page.

Sign out everywhere​

If you suspect a device has been compromised, or you signed in somewhere you can't reach to sign out, Profile → Security → Sign out everywhere invalidates every active session for your account. The current device gets a fresh session immediately; every other device is signed out on its next request.

This is the right action when:

  • You lost your phone with LifeWell installed.
  • You signed in on a friend's laptop and forgot to sign out.
  • You suspect an attacker has your password (also change your password right after).

It is overkill for "I want to sign out of my work laptop" — for that, just sign out on the device.

Linked sessions​

Under Profile → Security → Active sessions, you see every device that has an active session under your account, with the last-seen date and a brief device description (e.g. "Chrome on macOS — Lahore, PK"). You can sign out a specific device without affecting others.

Sessions older than 90 days are pruned automatically; if you haven't opened LifeWell on a device for 90 days, its session expires and you'll need to re-sign-in next time you open it.

Two-step verification​

Two-step (also called 2FA) is provided by your underlying identity provider, not by LifeWell directly:

  • Google — set up 2-Step Verification at myaccount.google.com/security. It applies to every app you sign in to with Google, LifeWell included.
  • Apple — Apple ID supports two-factor authentication by default; you don't enable anything LifeWell-specific.
  • Email + password — no second factor available. If you want 2FA, link a Google or Apple method.

This delegated approach means LifeWell never sees your 2FA code, never stores recovery codes, and never has the responsibility for keeping your second factor safe. The trade-off is that we can't help you set up 2FA from inside LifeWell — that has to happen at Google / Apple.

Account deletion​

Account deletion is permanent (after a 30-day reversibility window). The flow:

  1. Profile → Security → Delete account.
  2. Re-authenticate. LifeWell requires this even if you just signed in, because deletion is a destructive action.
  3. Confirm in the dialog.
  4. LifeWell shows a "Scheduled for deletion in 30 days" banner across the app.
  5. During the 30-day window, signing in cancels the deletion automatically — no extra action needed.
  6. After 30 days:
    • Every Firestore document where userId == your_uid is deleted.
    • Every FilesHub file owned by your account is deleted (avatars, memory media).
    • Your push tokens are removed from OneSignal.
    • Your Firebase Auth record is disabled, then deleted.

After 30 days, the data is unrecoverable. There is no backup the developer can restore.

If you want a JSON export of your data before deletion, email aoneahsan@gmail.com BEFORE you initiate deletion. The export can take a few hours; once deletion finalizes, there's nothing to export.

What deletion does NOT do​

  • It does not unlink your Google / Apple account from any other service. LifeWell only revokes its own auth record; your Google / Apple identity stays intact.
  • It does not delete data that family members have separately copied into their own accounts (e.g. if you shared a memory and they saved it to their own collection).
  • It does not delete content you posted in community spaces — the community service treats those as "left by a deleted user" and shows them with the original timestamp but no author name.

Frequently asked​

I deleted my account but want it back. Can I? Yes, if it's been less than 30 days since you initiated deletion. Sign in with the same provider you used originally. The deletion is canceled automatically and your data is restored. After 30 days, deletion is final.

Can I have my data exported automatically before deletion? There's no auto-export-on-deletion button in v1. Email aoneahsan@gmail.com before you delete and you'll get a JSON dump. Future versions may add a self-serve export endpoint.

What happens if Google deletes my Google account? LifeWell uses Firebase Auth, which uses Google identity tokens. If your Google account is deleted, your Firebase Auth session expires and you can't sign in with Google. If that's your only linked method, you're locked out. To recover: email aoneahsan@gmail.com with proof of identity and we can manually re-link a new sign-in method.

Is biometric sign-in supported? On Android, yes via the Capacitor biometric plugin (if your device has fingerprint or face unlock set up). It's a convenience layer over Firebase Auth — the underlying session still uses Firebase tokens. On the web, biometric sign-in uses WebAuthn / passkeys where the browser supports it.

Why does LifeWell require re-authentication for account deletion? Because deletion is irreversible after 30 days. We require a fresh sign-in within the last ~60 seconds before showing the delete dialog so that a stolen session token alone can't trigger a deletion.

Last updated: 2026-05-11 Author: Ahsan Mahmood