Recovery phrase
A recovery phrase is 12 words that let you set up a new or reinstalled phone and read your encrypted location history, even if you have no other phone to link from. Your phone creates it and you write it down on paper. OpenBeacon never sees it, can't give it back to you, and can't use it to read your history.
The phrase is optional. Set it up in Account › Recovery phrase.
What it recovers
If you have another phone or tablet that's set up, you can link the new one from it instead. When you sign in on a new phone and enter your phrase, that phone can read:
- your groups' location history, from when you joined each group
- live location sharing in your groups
- your nicknames for other members and your group colours.
Your other phones keep working as before.
What it doesn't recover
- History from before you joined a group. New members never get a group's earlier history.
- History from groups you've left.
- History from before you set up the phrase that none of your phones could read.
- Nicknames and colours saved on a phone that never had your phrase, if that phone is gone.
- Your password or your sign-in. The phrase only works once you're signed in.
If you don't set up a phrase
You can still add a phone by linking it from one you already have. But if you lose every phone that's set up, or reset them or delete the app from them, your encrypted location history, nicknames and colours are gone for good. Resetting your password doesn't bring them back. You can start fresh on a new phone, and live location sharing works again from then on.
Keep it safe
Anyone who has your phrase and can sign in to your account can read your location history. If you think someone has seen your phrase, create a new one.